Das Auto: The Germans, Their Cars and Us

[talking about the reputation of the British car workers for going on strike]

Dominic Sandbrook - Presenter:
Britain's car workers didn't just want more money. They often wanted more professional respect.

James Ruppert:
The problem that we've had in the country for so many years is that being an engineer or being a mechanic is not a respected profession. It's seen as someone who bashes a hammer against a piece of metal. It's not credited with any skill at all and not regarded. Whereas in other countries, and Germany in particular, you'll find they're all professors and doctors, and they are all *so* highly qualified.

[talking about the German use of robots in their car factories]

Dominic Sandbrook - Presenter:
Of course, we could have installed robots earlier if we wanted. The tragedy was that British Leyland shrank from radical modernisation, not least because they knew that the unions would never stand for it.