Funny really, I recall something different from that time period.
Poor quality goods, unions trying to create socialist societies inside factories, strikes, unions beating management to follow an ideal rather than what was practical.
And the workers pricing the goods out of the market.

We still have some industry, we have more car plants than many countries, we have plenty of smaller industries. Just we weren’t good enough and cheap enough to compete internationally in industry.
Not suprisingly the unions also kept equipment from being upgraded or replaced if it meant a job was lost.

Maybe its just me, but I’m glad we aren’t such an industrial nation as we used to be.
Just look at the impact of the credit crunch on the big carmakers in the USA.
We’d be in a far worse position if we still had so much industry and few places to sell to.

Times change. What was done 60 years ago isn’t the same as what needs doing now.
These days its even common for people to leave school with qualifications, maybe even go for a degree!
Oh, and we also have a much larger portion of the workforce who are women.
Times change. Things get better, or they get worse. They are certainly different.

Martin

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Martin, which planet have you been living on. I certainly do not agree with your comments. We used to be a proud nation, now we are a nation of shop keepers. Shame there will be few people who will be able to afford to buy the goods due to redundancies etc. It’s people like you who work on the theory of “I’m alright jack” Times have certainly changed and I for one think they have changed for the worse. Yes it certainly is “just you” and hopefully there will be few people who would agree with such a tunnelled view.

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The UK’s position as a nation that built things was because the rest of the world was underdeveloped, and the UK had tried very hard to keep it that way.

When the rest of the world broke free of colonial masters and learnt to build and make the things better and more cheaply than in the UK, purchasers (that’s you) decided to buy the better and cheaper goods from overseas.

I wonder if Woolibuga, Jayne Maclean and D Winterborn insist on only buying UK made goods, and always go on holiday in the UK, and make sure all of their savings is invested in UK companies because they think that UK companies are so great? Where was your tv made? Where was your car made? Oh, they’re not made in the UK are they? Hypocrites.

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Martin Davis! ….. No a “Skilled tradesman’ did not leave school with that “Qualification” but he/she did leave with a sound knowledge in the fundamentals that were a precursor to obtaining the skills through an Apprenticeship Program …. the opportunities were there until a Grocers Daughter and her Mealy Mouth Puppetmasters sold most of it off at Firesale prices…………..

Rebecca, You talk of underdeveloped countries and of them breaking free from Colonial Masters! …… You must be referring to The African Continent! ……… Why am I not surprised! ……. and now free from Odious Oppression aren’t they doing well .. Zimbabwe, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Angola to name a few ……….. all are basking in the glow of Industrial Prosperity ………. Give me a break!!………………….

We had the workforce and the skills and more important the ability to first with innovative technology ……. this was squandered by Stupid Government policies on both sides of the political spectrum and the intransigency of Trade Unions ……………..

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Rebecca, Do get off your soapbox! What a narrow minded and shallow person you are. If you are quite happy with what this Country has become, then more fool you. We are a nation of shopkeepers, the only problem here is that most of us won’t be able to visit the shops.

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Chris, its a 2.5% reduction. Down to the lowest we can get under EU rules.
Doesn’t mean the shops have to change their prices they charge us overall.
Just means the VAT amount added on is a little less.
Thye can set whatever price they want and pocket any extra.

Jayne, not sure about how we are a nation of shopkeepers. I’m a charity worker, never worked in a shop.
I’d say we are a nation with a wide range of jobs. Industrial, retail, commercial, financial, charity, service and government jobs.
Now if you want an industrial area, try in and around Detroit in the USA. Their car plants go under, the area is devastated. Rather reliant on car making – and who is buying?

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True they can set the price and not give us any benefits of the vat reduction,but then again its not in their best interest is it? The retail trade needs us to spend and although we do have to spend our money, we can still choose where we spend our it. So rip off britain must think carefully if it wants to save its economy and it’s jobs,especially as our reatil trade is one of the largest single employers we have left

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