Titan’s Taylor talks about France, and uses the ‘c word’

France should turn communist when everything goes wrong. That’s the advice Maurice Taylor doled out during an interview with France Info radio. The contents of the interview have been reported by AFP and provide an interesting further chapter to the tome of outspoken comments the Titan International boss has made in relation to the tyre maker’s failed attempt to acquire the Goodyear agricultural tyre facility in Amiens Nord, France.

According to AFP, Taylor told the radio network that purchasing the plant was impossible as French law required a workforce of at least 662 employees at the site, whereas Titan International considered 333 sufficient for the operation. The union that represented workers at the Amiens Nord plant left no leeway to negotiate such demands, opines Taylor, who commented that if the unions are so smart they should have bought the factory and run it themselves.

“It’s stupid,” exclaimed Taylor to France Info radio. “It’s the dumbest thing in the world. France should just become Communist and then when it goes all bad like Russia did, then maybe you’d have a chance.”

This is the first time Taylor has dropped the ‘c word’ in relation to the Amiens Nord plant, however the Titan International boss previously gained a measure of notoriety in France when he became involved in a spat by mail with government minister Arnaud Montebourg, who responded to an accusation of laziness amongst French workers by commenting on Taylor’s “perfect ignorance”. At any rate, it looks as if the glimmer of hope seen at the start of the year was just a mirage.