Industry dies, disaster strikes

2:46pm Friday 4th January 2013 in Letters

NICE to see the letter from Dave Hargrieves (7/12/12) rattling the cages of Messrs Dyer, Donovan and Townsend, our local Labour Party-bashers.

The problems in Newport are mostly when a steelworks dies ie Llanwern, Whiteheads, Lysaghts, the effects are like places like Corby, Ebbw Vale, etc, Disastrous. Thanks to Mrs Thatcher’s policies of selling the silverware, we have Indian-owned TATA steelworks, French and German gas and electric owned. So while these foreign-owned companies rub their hands at vast profits we have to rub ours to keep warm.

Dave Humphries Margaret Avenue Newport

Comments(9)

Llanmartinangel says...
6:21pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Yes, British Leyland, British Steel, British Rail, British Telecom and British Gas were a terrific success in state ownership days. Not.

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areyour4real says...
7:43pm Sat 5 Jan 13

I would give anything to see Mrs Thatcher and Neil Kinnock having a fist fight in a pub car park.

Maybe one day my dreams will come true but I feel the old bird hasn't got long left now.

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Mervyn James says...
7:57pm Sun 6 Jan 13

Llanmartinangel wrote:
Yes, British Leyland, British Steel, British Rail, British Telecom and British Gas were a terrific success in state ownership days. Not.
BT and BG are making billions, where you been ? The others were unable to compete with India or china, who pay their workers in peanuts. The former (India), is still getting financial support from us too, could you credit it ?? we pay them to do us out of work....

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Llanmartinangel says...
10:16pm Sun 6 Jan 13

True BT and BG are doing far better under privatisation. When BT was privatised there were 240000 employees, now around 100000. And they pay more in corporation tax now than the dividend the government got in state ownership days so that proves privatisation worked. Under state ownership we had the worst and most expensive comms in Europe. Now among the best. You made my case for me Mervyn.

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Mr Angry says...
12:18pm Mon 7 Jan 13

When the old Trout Thatcher destoryed the old heavy Industries in Wales, there were also knock on effects such as the 'Supply Chain' etc, so the effects on the South Wales Economoy were devastating.


Massive reinvestment was needed but the offical policy was 'Mangaged Decline' in otherwords abandonment.


No one doubts the problems of those industries, but why was no long term plan put in place for proper regeneration ?

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pinpong says...
2:00pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Blame everything on Thatcher. What about Scargill who led them to disaster or the militant steel unions. Anyway. If you listen to Hargrieves you need your bumps felt. He is part of the Alway mafia

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Mr Angry says...
2:28pm Mon 7 Jan 13

So thatcher says I'm closing the mines, did you expect Scargill to tug his forlock and say yes madam you are right of course ?

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Llanmartinangel says...
5:06pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Mr Angry wrote:
So thatcher says I'm closing the mines, did you expect Scargill to tug his forlock and say yes madam you are right of course ?
Nope, no-one expected him to do any different. In those days the unions thought they could paralyse everything despite not having a democratic mandate. Or have you forgotten the power-cuts, uncollected rubbish for weeks in London, British Leyland that was a total joke and a steel industry so over-staffed that at Llanwern, where I worked for a time, no-one knew who was on site and who not, even though they were all being paid.The tail was wagging the dog and Thatcher sorted it. The last politician with a spine.

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pinpong says...
6:05pm Mon 7 Jan 13

Mr Angry wrote:
So thatcher says I'm closing the mines, did you expect Scargill to tug his forlock and say yes madam you are right of course ?
Yes. Because he is a socialist lap dog

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