The dark side of Wakefiled

Wakefield Kirkgate station. If you have ever seen it you will probably be haunted by the experience. To say it is neglected would be an understatement. Anyway, it has been in this condition for years now and nothing has been done about it. Its pretty clear that nothing will be as it is listed. Presumably the intention is to let it fall down and the buildings are obliging. A shame but there we have it. I do wonder how much worse it has to get. Does someone really have to be injured or worse before something is done?

Saab Reconstruction

Saab won their appeal today. It is good news for now at least and hopefully the first step towards viability.

Saab

I am keeping my fingers crossed for SAAB tomorrow. They are trying to go into the Swedish equivalent of administration. Their original application failed making bankruptcy a possible outcome.

I have always had a soft spot for the marque. It is a cliché but when I used to own one it genuinely did put a smile on my face and it was über  practical. Under GM, Saab had lost its mojo, but having become independent again the quirks and inspired innovation were clearly on the return. However, time and the economic circumstances we live in have not been kind.

They haven’t produced any cars in europe for a few months now and have struggled to pay suppliers and staff. The basic problem is cash-flow. The separation from GM took longer and was never going to be easy. Coupled with a premium range of cars that are struggling to sell in Europe and the USA plus an unresponsive Swedish government and it was perhaps no surprise that Saab’s rebirth was troublesome. With all that said, there are genuine long term Chinese investors waiting and Saab’s products a absolutely ripe for that market.

Good luck to Saab and its workers