The U.K economy after 1980’s
The U.K economy & British factories have been in demise since the ’70’s.
Relying on cheap Chinese imports, what can the U.K really offer in manufacturing now?
They say the U.K economy has gone from strength to strength over the last 40 years. It hasn’t.
What do we manufacture today in the UK in order to trade with the rest of the world? What supports the U.K economy?
In the last 12 months of 2020 the U.K Government claim to have made significant new trade deals with Japan and Canada, arrangements for post-Brexit . If this is what it says on the tin, then good. But knowing the U.K, then oh dear……..
Thatcher killed off the basic U.K (Nationalised) manufacturing industries in the 1970/80’s and then the E.U stopped us buying British, instead dictating we buy German, French or Romanian and Latvian goods.
The historic Northern English manufacturing base was decimated under Thatcher and has never been given the opportunity to recover since.
But the U.K economy did grow. Not through traditional manufacturing methods, but through new digital companies, slaves to the new Internet phenomenon.
The Cameron Government sold most of the remaining valuable assets of UK businesses to foreign investors, mainly to the Chinese, to Beijing. Not only selling off the family heirlooms, the backbone of the British manufacturing base, but the inheritance, our economic future. Not to mention the compromise of British National secrets. Our security.
Click here for further reading…
Basically, there’s nothing left of a British manufacturing industry.
The U.K economy needs a plan to build and develop a new manufacturing Industry. Using the brains from our universities and the next generation of U.K entrepreneurs from scratch. With a committed Government and Bank of England backing, the U.K could build a new, formidable industrial base & economy.
Banking Industry
The British Tax payers money saved The Royal Bank of Scotland from going under. With thrift thanks being shown for our efforts in return.
There was a wasted opportunity to create the perfect Peoples Bank for the UK people. A bank to shame our existing Big 5 banks, but that didn’t happen. A few years later, the then Government wanted to sell RBS, but not for the market value of the day allegedly.
Due to the uncertainty of the Markets, in 2020 the U.K Government is still holding on to a large share of the ownership.
There needs to be a U.K “Peoples” style bank. At present the B.o.E has a lending rate of 0.1%. Our banks are offering small loans from around 8% at the time of writing. Not really in the interests of the British public. Not going to set the world of small business’s alight.
Mortgages are impossible to obtain for young 1st time buyers. These days a young person needs a deposit of well over their annual salaries. Banks should be offering mortgages over a longer period, up to 50 years perhaps, at sensible, fair rates. In Germany, a mortgage term is spread over generations. Not something we would like to see in the UK but it works. A young professional first time buyer to get a mortgage at an early enough age is almost impossible, and that’s not going to boost the Housing Market.
British people deserve a bank that’s genuinely not out to fleece them, will offer quality loans and mortgages that are reflective and sympathetic of the Bank of England lending rates. A Peoples bank that does not pay share holders or obnoxiously obscene bonus’s to the “board”.
Pay Day loan companies.
Unfortunately there is a market for such a facility. Only the UK Government allows the interest rates in the 1,000’s+ % area as being acceptable. Clearly, the UK Government and these companies only exasperate the desperate situations some / most people find themselves in. Pay day loan companies need outlawing immediately. Their assets frozen and the owners tried for criminal activities. The U.K are the only “western” country to lawfully allow such a practice.
Click here for further reading….
UK manufacturing base
The UK manufacturing base has seriously declined over the last 40 years. The car, aircraft, steel, ship building, coal, clothing industries have all but disappeared from UK shores. Those that do remain are usually under the ownership of “foreign investors”, asset stripped and reduced to mediocrity.
What have we got now to try to trade with the rest of the world with?
Car industry
The car industry in the U.K used to be a world leader, especially in sports car design and manufacturing.
It all went horribly wrong with the amalgamation of the then successful independent British car companies into one large company, British Leyland.
That disastrous decision lead to the British car industries demise. After a chequered history of constant strikes, unsustainable pay rises, a combination of bad management and trade unions, the industry finally closed once and for all in the 1980’s.
Enough was enough.
Today the U.K has 1 or 2 private sports car manufacturers who still receive respect in their own field of expertise globally.
Any forward looking UK Government would look at the expertise that still exists within those successful British car companies. Combine those skills with the academic expertise of those in the electric and hydrogen energy research fields found within our universities, the UK could re-ignite a U.K car industry for a new generation of personal transport / cars. Government support initially required to create a new UK car industry, excelling in a world of green vehicles and power units.
The historically traditional areas of car building across the U.K are still void of mass, stable employment 40 years on. These areas with their industrial history and connections are ideal for creating a future U.K car industrial base.
Ship building
A similar story applies to the demise of this industry as to that of the UK car industry. With Britain now looking at returning to the seas as a means of future trading, a new U.K Merchant Navy should be a priority. The UK won’t be looking at transporting goods to and from a land based E.U any more, but from much further afield, across the oceans. But no UK ships. No UK sailors.
The depth of waters around our shores tends to dictate where ship building sites can be built.
This suggests that the historically traditional ship building yards in the U.K are ready to re-ignite ship building industry. UK areas which are also suffering from a lack of long term steady employment.
The Government needs to look again at UK Universities for ideas in new ship building technology and materials. The stronger, lighter manufacture of ship construction using modern materials with a view to producing zero carbon power plants.
Re-invent the sail, for power at sea perhaps.
Merchant Navy
The UK needs a globally acclaimed Merchant Navy again, having disappeared mainly thanks to the revolution that was “the E.U”. U.K merchant ships were exchanged for lorries and the Euro-Tunnel.
Deck and Engineering Officer training benefiting from a combination of existing Private enterprises, with Royal Navy staff and R.N facilities, and Government financial investment.
Trading across the globe has to happen on a much greater scale to boost the U.K economy.
Energy
Energy needs to be supplied by the UK Government. We need to invest in greener resources, and support the U.K economy, not rewarding the giant French energy companies.
Similar to a “Peoples” bank, the British people need a Peoples energy supplier, to compete with the usual Big 6 Energy companies / monopoly, share holders and bonuses. I would suggest that any profits made from this enterprise are returned to H.M Treasury for re-investment, for the good of the country.
Gas boilers, heaters etc will be excluded from new builds in around 5 years time, so electricity seems to be the choice of the day of our recent Governments. Electricity, all the eggs in one basket. The UK Governments have been far to close and cosy with the UK energy suppliers in the UK. That must stop.
Green energy is the way forward, for so many good reasons. Will the Government of the day make Electricity the new oil for taxation purposes?
However, in doing so the price of basic winter heating costs will become far too high for most of us of use. A held to ransom threat that needs addressing.
Due to UK weather and changing climate across a given 12 month period, we would need to accept that some nuclear power will be a necessary evil to ensure consumption / demand.
The U.K has sufficient natural resources to create a power / energy manufacturing base which could benefit the U.K economy by exporting energy to our European neighbours.
If you don’t use gas or grid electricity, you must still pay a standard charge for the gas or electricity. Even though you don’t use it, or use very little of it. How immoral is that practice?
Cheap imports = global climate change & pollution
Cheap imports = global pollution on a threatening scale. Buy British from our local sources.
Anyone who has flown into Beijing Airport will have witnessed the pinky, purplish coloured sky that is the pollution from the world’s biggest factory, pollution that’s at least covering a 100-150 mile radius of Beijing. Pollution that doesn’t stop. 24/ 7/ 365. Pollution pumped into the world environment year after year.
India too massively pollutes our planets atmosphere, as does the United States of America.
The U.K Government needs to ensure manufacture of the same goods within the U.K and then there’s no need to import / export them from the other side of the world. That creates a large amount of employment within the U.K.
There is an argument that the UK can’t produce the same goods as cheap.
But what is the cost of cheap? Global warming on a massive scale? climatic disaster? Putting the whole world at risk? Is that a good enough argument.
Stop buying imported Chinese manufactured goods. Build it in Britain, buy it in Britain.
U.K economy & the Arms industry
Arms is the one manufacturing industry that richly supports the U.K economy. We are very good at the arms industry.
The U.K makes some of the most sophisticated and effective weapons available, and we are prepared to sell those weapons to those with the cash.
Mainly to Middle-eastern oil rich countries, which also helps “oil” the wheels of ensuring the U.K oil supply. Every-ones happy. Until you factor in the deaths and destruction that this industry actually creates. This is where profits and ethics clash.
For years we have sold our arms to countries who then use them offensively, and not for solely defensive purposes. For all the money raised over the years, the British public have had to turn a blind eye to atrocities caused to third parties due to British made weapons.
It all seems hypocritical of the U.K to accuse China of Human Right abuses, when our masters have assisted through our customers, the massacre of innocent Humans around the globe for decades.
Wars that the U.K seem to have got involved in since the Falklands conflict, appear to have been generated as a means of some real life sales pitches and demonstrations of the arms industries.
If we won’t sell to our “allies” then the “allies” will buy their arms from the Russians or Chinese instead. The UK will loose out on very lucrative deals.
That appears to be the UK approach to justify the consequences of this industry.
If the U.K had a wider, greater manufacturing base, we wouldn’t have to rely on the Arms Industry to hold up the ailing state of our economy. We could afford to be more ethical in our dealings with the dubious arms dealers and their customers.
Without the arms industry, the U.K economy would be in a much worse predicament. Unfortunately, there will always be rich pickings in the mass murder market. It’s just not ethical.
The UK needs to be run as it’s own business. Profits would go to the treasury, not to share holders. Then the UK could afford to raise the quality of ALL our lives without raising taxation on the majority.
Small business’s should be encouraged to produce profits, to re-invest in themselves.
Help build a New Political Party which supports the majority of us.