A market-driven massacre (what might be good for the corporation might not be good for the people?)
Peugeot's announcement that it wants to close its Coventry plant after 60 years of car production is another sign of the market-driven massacre of British manufacturing. Some will respond with a weary fatalism. The trade union movement will not. We will campaign alongside the workforce, the community and our fellow trade unionists in France. For a start, Peugeot must do what it has so far failed to do -talk to its employees and consult over its plans. In the car industry alone, Ryton would be the fifth major plant closure in this century. And every other branch of manufacturing, from textiles to engineering, has suffered almost as much. One million jobs have been lost in manufacturing over the last nine years, and 50,000 more are likely to go this year alone.
We need to revive a culture of smart intervention, a belief that the state has the right and the duty to step in when the market is failing and the public interest demands it. This is not a revolutionary doctrine. It would be accepted to some degree or other throughout Europe. Is it inconceivable that in France plants like Longbridge and Ryton could be closed while the government looks on with folded arms. That is why, for example, the French plant of train-maker Alstom remains open to this day, while the Birmingham factory was closed two years ago. Temporary assistance, the government taking a stake - which could encourage private investment in struggling sectors; these are legitimate weapons in our arsenal and we should not be afraid to use them.
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