MP taken for a ride
8th March 2010
During a visit to Watsonian-Squire, a leading manufacturer and exporter of motorcycle sidecars since 1912 based in the Cotswolds, this weekend Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP got the opportunity to take a ride in one of the company’s sidecars and also to hear of the experience of the firm in surviving the recession.
The visit was of particular interest to Mr Clifton-Brown through his work as the Shadow Minister for International Trade and Development, with responsibility for supporting British Exporters, as the company produces approximately 300 sidecars per year, exporting over 50%, with Japan, the country widely credited with destroying the power of the British motorcycle industry, being their biggest export market.
One of the key themes discussed at the meeting was the burden of legislation imposed upon business an issue which the Conservative Party has pledged to tackle through its deregulatory agenda. The managers at Watsonian-Squire feel that keeping pace with a constant stream of new laws and directives absorbs huge amounts of time that should be spent on growing the business.
Speaking after the visit Mr Clifton-Brown said “Everything I have seen today has greatly impressed me, from the management side of the business to the craftsmanship and pride the staff take in manufacturing such an excellent product”
“Businesses, in particular those in the manufacturing sector, have faced so many challenges since 1997 and yet Watsonian-Squire has overcome these. An incoming Conservative Government would be unashamedly pro-business precisely because of firms like this - they are the wealth and job creators that have all too often been neglected.”
Photo: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP prepares for his ride in a sidecar
