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41-618: The NEB was the brainchild of the economist Stuart Holland and the Shadow Secretary of State for Industry Tony Benn in the early-1970s, and was modelled on the Italian Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), which was seen to have successfully restructured the Italian economy after World War II. In its original conception, the NEB was intended to extend public control and ownership of

82-405: A 65% share of the company. After restructuring, it was returned to the private sector in 1980 as a profitable company. Also in 1975, the NEB invested £25 million into the loss-making machine tool manufacturer Alfred Herbert to modernise the business and reduce borrowings. The loss-making Cambridge Instrument Company was acquired by the NEB in 1976, who performed a substantial reorganisation of

123-607: A revised model, the "Scientific Programmable", was released at £29.95. The Scientific Programmable Mark 2 was later released, reducing the price to £17.22. In 1975, Sinclair Radionics launched the Oxford range of briefcase calculators. Sinclair also attempted to capture the top-end calculator market with the Sinclair Sovereign , available in plated gold or silver. The calculator was critically acclaimed for its excellent engineering and design and enjoyed short success. Final attempts at

164-532: A system of Planning Agreements between the Government and key companies to ensure that the plans of those companies are in harmony with national needs and objectives and that Government financial assistance is deployed where it will be most effectively used. Wherever we give direct aid to a company out of public funds we shall reserve the right to take a proportionate share of the ownership of the company; and wherever possible this public support will be channelled through

205-671: A £480,000 loss for Sinclair. Sir Clive Sinclair was certain that the TV1B model released in 1978 would be more successful, but sales were disappointing. In July 1977, the NEB increased its stake in Radionics to 73%. By June 1978 Sinclair Radionics was working on the NewBrain microcomputer project, which was later taken over by Newbury Laboratories. In May 1979, the NEB announced that it intended to sell Radionics' calculator and TV interests; they were bought by

246-577: Is a visiting professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra and a Senior Scholar of the Institute of Social and European Studies, Köszeg , Hungary . Born in 1940, Stuart Holland studied and taught history and political theory at University of Oxford , became an adviser to Harold Wilson on European affairs and gained the consent of Charles de Gaulle for a second British application to join

287-470: The Black Watch digital watch at £17.95 in kit form and £24.95 ready-built, although this wasn't available to buy until January 1976. Including a five-digit LED display, it suffered from technical flaws related to the design of the case, the chip, the battery and accuracy. Not only was the watch unreliable, Radionics was not able to fulfil the orders it had taken. As a result, Radionics made its first loss in

328-571: The European Community . Resigning from 10 Downing Street when Wilson did not follow through the proposal for a European Technology Community and for mutual currency support, Holland gained an economics doctorate at Oxford and drafted what in the early 1970s became the economic programme of the British Labour Party when he researched and taught at Sussex University . His case for state holding companies in energy and industry led to

369-451: The Executive , which was considerably smaller than its competitors' by the use of hearing-aid-sized batteries. What had made this possible was it had been discovered that there was considerable latency in the display and memory and that, with the addition of a timer, power could be withheld from these battery-draining components for much of the time, thus greatly extending battery life. During

410-545: The Inmos microchip project. However he eventually became frustrated by the government and resigned in November 1980. The 1980 Industry Act and new Guidelines had restricted the NEB role to a catalytic investment role, nationally and regionally, particularly related to advanced technology and small firms. Knight was succeeded by his deputy, Sir John King (later Lord King of Wartnaby), who proceeded, with some vigour, to dismantle most of

451-463: The "Micro-FM" debuted as "the world's first pocket-size FM tuner-receiver", but was unsuccessful due to technical difficulties. Despite problems, illegal clones were produced in the far east. Sinclair's final 1960s radio kit was the 1967 "Micromatic", billed as "the world's smallest radio" like Sinclair's earlier radios. The "Micromatic" was a reasonable success and was sold until 1971. In May 1971 Sinclair Radionics made £85,000 profit on £563,000 turnover;

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492-399: The "Sinclair Slimline" in kit form at forty-nine shillings and sixpence (£2.47½). A year later, in 1964, Sinclair released the "X-10" amplifier, one of the first commercial Class-D amplifiers . In the same year, Sinclair released the "Micro-6", matchbox-size radio, which the company claimed was the "world's smallest radio"—it could also be worn on your wrist with the "Transrista". In 1965

533-575: The 1985 Global Challenge report for the Socialist International and led the first Labour Party delegation to China since Clement Attlee in 1952. He then was shadow financial secretary to the Treasury before he left Westminster to help Jacques Delors shape European Union policies for economic and social cohesion. MPs resign from the House of Commons by being appointed to an office of profit under

574-569: The Crown. Holland was appointed to the sinecure post of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds and held it for five years and 247 days the longest time that the post has been held since its creation in 1850. Holland's proposals to Delors for bonds like during the US New Deal to offset the deflationary Maastricht debt and deficit conditions resurfaced during the eurozone crisis . His case to Delors on

615-586: The ESL Bristol group (as Radionic Products Ltd.) and Binatone respectively. In July Clive Sinclair resigned with a £10,000 golden handshake . In September the NEB renamed what was left of Radionics (i.e. the scientific instrument business) as Sinclair Electronics Ltd.; in January 1980 this was changed to Thandar Electronics Ltd. In 1989, Thandar Electronics Ltd merged with Thurlby Electronics Ltd, forming Thurlby Thandar Instruments Ltd. This company now does business under

656-735: The European Council endorsed the proposal, as did employer and trades union representatives on the Economic and Social Committee of the EU in 2012. In 2010, he co-authored A Modest Proposal with the Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis . Sinclair Radionics Sinclair Radionics Ltd was a company founded by Sir Clive Sinclair in Cambridge , England which developed hi-fi products, radios, calculators and scientific instruments. After raising funds to start

697-956: The Labour Party's manifesto for the February 1974 general election and the October 1974 election . The Labour Party manifesto for the October 1974 general election stated: We shall set up a National Enterprise Board to administer publicly-owned share-holdings: to extend public ownership into profitable manufacturing industry by acquisitions, partly or wholly, of individual firms; to stimulate investment; to create employment in areas of high unemployment; to encourage industrial democracy; to promote industrial efficiency; to increase exports and reduce our dependence on imports; to combat private monopoly; and to prevent British industries from passing into unacceptable foreign control. A new and urgent Industry Act will provide for

738-410: The NEB became involved in Radionics, Sinclair encouraged Chris Curry , who had been working for Radionics since 1966, to leave and get Sinclair Instrument up and running. Sinclair Instrument developed the " Wrist Calculator " to generate cash, which soon became a commercial success selling in surprising figures. In July 1977 Sinclair Instrument Ltd was renamed to Science of Cambridge Ltd . Around about

779-507: The NEB's main activity became one of rescuing failing companies, with mixed results. It also made efforts to develop Britain's fledgling electronics and computer industries. One of the first tasks of the NEB was the production of the Ryder Report , named after the NEB's new chairman, Lord Ryder , on the future of British Leyland . In 1975 the NEB bailed out the struggling electronics firm Ferranti and effectively nationalised it, acquiring

820-460: The NEB's powers began to be eroded. The last Labour-appointed chairman of the NEB was Sir Leslie Murphy , who resigned with his entire board when Sir Keith Joseph (the new industry minister) decided to remove its responsibility for the government's holding in Rolls-Royce later that year. The next chairman was Sir Arthur Knight who was content to lose a number of companies, but strongly supported

861-753: The Planning Agreements System. The plans were outlined in the 1974 White Paper The Regeneration of British Industry and the Industry Act 1975 enacted these measures, establishing the NEB. Its primary role was that of holding a substantial level of equity in major manufacturing companies. In its final form the NEB was watered down from its original proposals, with planning agreements being made voluntary instead of compulsory. It took equity in various companies including British Leyland , Rolls-Royce , Alfred Herbert , Sinclair Radionics , International Computers Limited (ICL) and Ferranti . In practice

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902-618: The Universities of Oxford and of Sussex , the European University Institute and the Universities of Roskilde and of Coimbra ; has authored over 180 articles, many of which are in referred journals, chapters in books and other papers and conference presentations; and authored, co-authored or edited over 15 books on economic theory and policy, international trade, economic integration, regional theory and policy, social policies, development economics and global governance. Holland

943-688: The board's remaining activities. In 1981, under the chairmanship of Sir Frederick Wood , the NEB was combined with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to form the British Technology Group (BTG). In 1992 BTG was transferred to the private sector and in 1995 listed on the London stock exchange as BTG plc , when it became a leading technology transfer company that commercialised intellectual property acquired from research organisations and companies around

984-710: The business by writing articles for Practical Wireless magazine, and borrowing £50, Clive Sinclair founded Sinclair Radionics Ltd. on 25 July 1961. Sinclair initially worked alone in the evenings in a room in London (he was still a technical journalist during the day), selling radio kits by mail order. Radionics initially developed hi-fi equipment; it released its first product, the Sinclair Micro-amplifier, in December 1962. The assembly and distribution of this product were contracted out to Cambridge Consultants . In 1963 Sinclair Radionics introduced their first radio with

1025-490: The business. It was returned to profitability and privatised again in 1979. The NEB invested money, and took equity in various small and medium sized companies. By 1977, the NEB had a holding in 16 different companies, including the British assets of the bankrupt Fairey Group which it acquired in a bidding contest. In 1977 the NEB rescued Sinclair Radionics from bankruptcy, provided a loan facility and took effective control of

1066-723: The case for a New Bretton Woods Conference was endorsed by Bill Clinton at his first G7 in Naples but was not followed through by European governments. Holland's more recent case that the G20 should constitute the governing body of a World Development Organization also has attracted high-level interest from the Permanent Representatives to the UN of China, Japan , India , South Africa , Brazil and Mexico . His earlier advice to Andreas Papandreou , backed by François Mitterrand , prompted

1107-506: The company by acquiring a 73% stake. The memory and microprocessor company Inmos was set up by the NEB in 1978. The NEB only ever reached one planning agreement with a private company, when it bailed out Chrysler Europe in order to save jobs, however the planning agreement was breached in 1978 when Chrysler sold its operations to Peugeot . After the Conservative Party took power in 1979 under Margaret Thatcher 's leadership,

1148-776: The complicated design the Microvision used. In April 1976, the National Enterprise Board bought a 43% stake in Sinclair Radionics for £650,000, and in October the National Research and Development Council agreed to provide £1 million for a revived portable TV project, which was finally launched in January 1977 as the Microvision TV1A and MON1A at £99.95. Supply exceeded demand, and 12,000 units were left unsold until they were sold off cheaply. This resulted in

1189-636: The creation of the British National Oil Corporation and a National Enterprise Board . His proposals for regional development agencies led to the creation of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Development Agencies and the Greater London Enterprise Board (now London Enterprise). From 1979 to 1989, he was Labour Member of Parliament for Vauxhall . As shadow minister for development co-operation from 1983 to 1987, he drafted

1230-641: The economy, by taking a stake in the UK's leading manufacturing firms, which would then be required to make planning agreements to meet economic targets. This was given impetus by a growing desire amongst Labour's left-wing to fulfil the promise contained in Clause IV of the Party's constitution, for social ownership of the economy. Although the leadership of the Labour Party did not fully accept these proposals, they appeared in

1271-442: The financial year April 1974 – April 1975. The Black Watch fiasco had a devastating effect on Sinclair's finances, and the company would have gone bankrupt had not the Government, through the National Enterprise Board , stepped in to support it. In 1966, Sinclair Radionics developed the world's first portable television, the "Microvision", but never attempted to sell it because development costs would have been too high based on

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1312-522: The first revision of the Treaty of Rome with commitments to an internal market and to economic and social cohesion in the 1986 Single European Act . His later advice to Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres included a cohesion and convergence remit for the European Investment Bank to invest in health, education, urban regeneration and new technology without counting on national debt. In 199,

1353-431: The following year profit increased to £97,000 on turnover of £761,000. In 1966, Sinclair Radionics re-entered the hi-fi market with the "Stereo 25", a low-cost pre-amp control system. Production was halted in 1968 due to low supply of transistors which had been purchased in 1964 as rejects from other manufacturers. In 1969 it was replaced by the "Stereo Sixty". This soon became Sinclair's most successful audio product, being

1394-588: The majority of the 1970s, Sinclair focused on building the most affordable pocket calculators with the best design. In 1972 Sinclair released the world's first slim-line pocket calculator, the Sinclair Executive , for £79.95. The calculator only included basic maths functions, and the LED display required much power. It is often credited as being the world's first attractively styled calculator that did not require mains power to be used like prior calculators. The Executive

1435-676: The mass-market for calculators, the Sinclair Enterprise and the President, did not sell well. In 1974, Radionics launched the DM1 digital multimeter. Such scientific instruments were to form a quiet backbone of Radionics business for the rest of its existence. In marked contrast to the rest of the Sinclair range, the instruments gained a reputation for reliable conventionality rather than often unreliable idiosyncrasy. In August 1975, Sinclair introduced

1476-648: The name Aim and Thurlby Thandar Instruments (Aim-TTi). When it became clear that Radionics was failing, Clive Sinclair took steps to ensure that he would be able to continue to pursue his commercial goals: in February 1975, he changed the name of Ablesdeal Ltd. (an off-the-shelf company he bought in September 1973, for just such an eventuality) to Westminster Mail Order Ltd.; this was changed to Sinclair Instrument Ltd . in August 1975. Finding it inconvenient to share control after

1517-453: The power level was far below 10 watts and Sinclair's main advertising channel, Wireless World magazine, was so deluged with complaints that it supposedly refused to take further advertisements from Sinclair. Sinclair Radionics launched the System 2000 amplifier, FM tuner and loudspeaker in 1968. followed by the System 3000 in 1972. In 1972, Radionics launched its first electronic calculator,

1558-426: The second product of the "Project 60" range. The "Project 60" products sold well and were supplemented by the "Project 605" kit in 1972. It was eventually superseded by the more advanced "Project 80" kit in 1974. In May 1973 Sinclair Radionics generated £1.8 million turnover. The last Sinclair Radionics hi-fi product was the System 4000, in 1974. Another Sinclair Radionics product that was introduced in 1964 and failed

1599-644: The world. Stuart Holland Stuart Kingsley Holland (born 25 March 1940) is a British economist and former politician. As a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party , Holland represented the Vauxhall constituency in Lambeth , London , from 1979 to 1989, when he resigned his seat to take up a post at the European University Institute in Florence . Holland has held teaching and research posts at

1640-513: Was a phenomenal success, earning Sinclair £1.8m in profit. In 1973 the slightly larger Sinclair Cambridge was introduced at a far cheaper price of £29.95 + VAT . A cheaper Executive was also launched shortly after. In addition to expanding the Cambridge range, the Sinclair Scientific was launched in 1975. It was a scientific pocket calculator for the very competitive price of £49.95. In 1977

1681-428: Was the first class D amplifier kit rated at 10 watt RMS: a class D switching amplifier that was good in theory but sadly ahead of its time and available technology. The amplifier used low-frequency germanium transistors as pulse width modulators and switches and wrongly relied on the loudspeaker's inductance to filter the class D signal into audio. Most often this would short out the output transistors. When it did work

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