- In the 1930s it supported appeasement
No doubt the FBI (as it was until 1965) would have done well trading with continental Europe run by the Axis powers
- In the 1940s it supported nationalisation.
A good call considering the state of British staple industry at the time
- In the 1950s it supported state planning.
Evidence?
- In the 1960s it supported tripartite industrial relations.
It may not have caught on in this country, more's the pity, but one cannot say it has been a failure in Germany
- In the 1970s it supported price controls.
Prices and Incomes policy may have been misguided, but the PM who presided over it was also responsible for abolishing Retail Price Maintenance
- In the 1980s it opposed getting tough with the USSR.
The Russian market looked so promising, even the Conservative government was encouraging British firms to invest. A bad call, but the CBI was not alone.
- In the 1990s it supported the ERM.
- which might have worked if the UK had allowed devaluation of sterling within it. Even so, the ERM was an unsatisfactory compromise
- In the 2000s it supported joining the Euro.
"euro", please. Membership would have reduced currency fluctuations and made financial planning easier for companies
- In the 2010s it supported Remain…
Considering the difficulty in recruiting labour which is already hitting commerce and industry, the CBI was right to do so. I suspect even the CBI was unaware of some of the additional trouble (insurance, travel and queues of lorries) which will hit the country on March 29th if there is not a change of direction
… and now it has declared its support for May’s draft withdrawal agreement.
Making the best of a bad job, but many voices at the recent conference were raised against the shortcomings of the deal.
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