The cynical carve-up of Plessey Co Plc that has followed all the enticing deceptions about the takeover being a model of transnational collaboration in the new Europe sees GEC Plc getting Plessey Semiconductors, Aerospace, Avionics, Crypto, Materials, Naval Systems and the Caswell Research arm, plus all the US defence businesses, and Siemens getting Plessey Radar, Controls and Defence Systems; GEC gets another 10% of GEC Plessey Telecommunications, Siemens gets 40%, but Siemens gets effective management control in what is expected in time to be seen simply as a move to eliminate a competitor; the future of Plessey’s 50% Plessey Telenet, of Leigh Instruments, of the Roke Manor research base and of the African subsidiaries is still undecided; a bitter Sir John Clark, son of Plessey’s founder, and chairman at the time of the bid, who warned all along that the aim was simply a carve up, feels thoroughly vindicated – If what has happened is seen to have been in the best interests of the UK, then I am a monkey, he commented to the Financial Times.
