Rover pressure

By Mark Mardell Chief political correspondent

POSTED: Friday 15 April, 1530BST

All main political parties have suspended campaigning in Birmingham Northfield, the home of the Longbridge plant.

I think the parties will be tempted to treat it rather like a natural disaster, a human tragedy without blaming the government too directly.

This may be partly because the opposition parties may expect the government will take a huge knock without them having to do anything to rub the economic consequences in.

After all, none of the main parties is asking for huge amounts of money to save the plant, although a Longbridge worker did ask Mr Blair on a Radio 2 phone-in to nationalise the plant.

And I've just got an e-mail from the Socialist Party calling for the same.

Your comments

Business' role is not to safeguard jobs - it's to make money! Governments have no place running businesses. I'd be interested to see whether John Gillman of Reading can list 10 government-run 'business' propositions which are efficient and reliable. Computers for the CSA? Defence procurement? British Rail? The Royal Mail? The list goes on! Sad though it is that Rover has died, it was inevitable and rather than spend money flogging this dead horse, let the workers find new jobs and new skills. One of my neighbours is a white-collar worker for Rover (who we've hardly heard anything about over the last few weeks, but of course, they don't count because they're middle class) and rather than demonstrate he's gone and found a job with another motor manufacturer, and he starts in three weeks' time.
Russell Long, UK

If I get made redundant through the poor strategic skills of my managers will the government step in and help me out? No. Should it? No. We can't expect tax payers' money to be used in this way.
Anthony, Northampton

It's a bit rich for Michael Howard to imply that the government should have intervened earlier! The Phoenix Group is after all a private business! On the one hand the Tories call for less red tape, less regulation and letting business get on with it, and on the other hand criticise the government for not acting sooner - a bit duplicitous don't you think?
Phil Rackley, Basildon, Essex

What's the betting that a deal to save Rover is made on the 3rd or 4th May?
Francisco, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

I was on the demo to save Rover five years ago. As a member of the Socialist Party (ex-Militant Tendency), we called then along with others for the nationalisation of Rover, as private enterprise could not be trusted to secure workers' jobs. Unfortunately those that called for this were right.
John Gillman, Reading

When did you last see a new Rover or an actual new Rover design on the streets? So why is everyone so surprised? As for nationalising the plant, that's a brilliant idea: it could then join the other successful government owned car plants like the one the used to make the Trabant.
Fred

The government should have the balls to step in and rescue Rover, this is a national disaster. Would the French or Italians allow this to happen to Renault or Fiat? I think not...Rover can with investment become a major player again. They make excellent cars, they have excellent workers...we need this company to survive.
Steve Roach, Scunthorpe

Im all in favour of re-nationalising services, but this would just be silly.
Al Storer, St Austell, Cornwall

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