I agree Terpe, we need to do something different before it's too late. However, a Buy British campaign isn't going to work unless we can significantly reduce our manufacturing costs. The minimum wage ensures that workers receive a fair days pay for very basic and unskilled tasks, but it also means our products are not competitive. Why would anyone buy clothing, electronic goods or toys made in the UK if they are 5 X the price of a similar product made in China or Vietnam?Originally Posted by Terpe
Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden have done far better than the UK and have a surplus balance of payments. Perhaps this is down to their reputation for quality and long lasting products? People will pay more for products that last, but sadly the BL effect in the 70's damaged the British reputation for quality products. We may still be world leaders in highly specialised fields such as defence manufacturing, top of the range audio equipment...etc, but these are very niche markets. We've also sold our crown jewels by allowing US, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Swiss and even Spanish companies take over well known British brands.
Britain has relied far too much on the Banking and Insurance sectors for the last 30 years, and even that is in the hands of the Spanish, Chinese and Arabs now
Enjoy what wealth we have left while you still can, 100 years from now we will be another basket case like Portugal or Greece
