O/T - general election 2019

[CASPER-64-FRANK]

No they are not, but cheap imports are cheap because they are cheaper to make at the country of origin.

As for technology in steel works that was introduced far too late and investment was held back by high wage demands.

If you see which steel companies survived then they are all niche market companies making small tonnages of specialist items with lower staff numbers, not large quantities of clog iron with a big workforce

Hadfields was mentioned earlier, a company that was just about holding its head above water until the strike came at British Steel. Picket action at the privately owned Hadfields put them into loss and it was downhill from there. The site is now the Meadowhell shopping centre.

Hadfields was antiquated, took BSC orders in the Steel strike, later given compensation from GKN and BSC the Governments intention of closing it down. Imports from China and not cutting Business rates didn't help. To blame pickets at Hadfields for their demise is poor, the Steel Industry has been in decline for a long while.