[Mgs] In Memoriam - Lord Stokes

[Paul Hunt]

It was a take-over of BMC by Leyland vehicles which included Triumph in 1968,
and thereafter Triumph (which at the time made saloons as well as sports cars)
Austin/Morris and MG were fighting for funding amongst themselves, as MG had
been with Austin Morris for decades.  He may well have inherited management
and production problems (like 70 factories in the new group) but he did
nothing to rationalise production, each car division carried on as they were
scheming and plotting against the others for resources.  There certainly were
union problems although they largely arrived in his watch.  Management showed
no signs of standing up to them, they just gave in to wage demands and passed
the cost on to consumers.  In 1972 and 73 the price of the MGB went up by no
less than 30% *after* allowing for inflation, and by 40% in 77 and 78.  The
media didn't help, I well remember one program interviewing him when the
Morris Minor ceased production wheeling in an elderly lady to confront him
with "'Why aren't you making them any more?" because that was all she wanted
to drive.  He presided over a period when BLs share of the UK market fell from
about 45% to 20% when he left (as chairman) in 1979.  He wasn't totally to
blame, the previous mergers forming BMC didn't rationalise either, and it has
been said he was too nice a person to force through the changes that were
required.

PaulH.
  ----- Original Message -----
  As the article suggests, a controversial figure. Perhaps some of our English
friends could comment on this, since
  they were certainly closer to the whole situation....