23-05-2011, 12:34 PM
(23-05-2011, 09:23 AM)murphyv310 Wrote: We do indeed have good engineers, sadly they are not respected as in other countries. Look at The Skoda works in Plzen, it's a huge engineering company (it didn't get sold to VW) they make everything to do with heavy engineering and the quality is superb far better than what we can do, in fact the London Eye has a bearing assembly made by them. So where have we gone wrong?
Yes, The Czech republic retained its expertise and capacity for heavy engineering, and there were no firms in the UK capable of making the centre boss for the London Eye. As to Skoda, a week or so ago at a Model Engineering show I bought a few lathe tools for a small metalworking lathe I hope to have in use before the year is out. One such item was a new old stock Skoda live centre. It was boxed, and the box said 'Made in Czechoslovakia' so it must predate 1993, when Chechoslovakia ceased to exist and became two separate countries - the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I've attached a pic.
A remarkable turn of events that the bloodless so called 'Velvet Revolution' in 1989 saw an end to years of oppresion as part of the USSR, and that within just four years, an orderly separation of the two regions of what was then Czechoslovakia came about so smoothly. Would that England could gain independance from Scotland, Wales and NI so smoothly! It irritates me beyond measure that England (nor Wales and Scotland) is not a 'country' in its own right - just part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' and that my passport says that my nationality is 'British'. I don't know any Scots or Welsh who refer to themselves as 'British' and nor do I - I'm English! Even the French know that 'je suis Anglais'! It's coming to a pretty pass that I'll feel more English in the South of France shortly, than I will checking in at the airport to get there.
Ho hum - rambing right off topic yet again!
David
