That’s because it was run by knobs Annie…The problems today are different, but end up with the same results.
It’s not a problem that we don’t have enough raw materials, it never has been. Iron ore was always shipped in from somewhere else giving the docks and workers jobs, and the steel that was produced was the best in the world. After all, stainless steel was invented in Sheffield.
So if it wasn’t the quality of the product, where does the blame lie Annie?
Ineptitude of citizens unable to organise themselves but pointing the finger of blame at others. It’s a favourite passtime here. Rather than go forward with a positive attitude and learn from mistakes there is complacency, corruption and blame laying. The people who do this are just ordinary people. You can’t expect someone to lay it on a plate for you, you roll up your sleeves and work together. Whether it’s blaming the government or other countries or whichever external body you don’t like, it just perpetuates the ignoring of the elephant in the room, which is that we must try harder.
My experience is that everything in Britain is done via a sticking plaster approach and nobody wants to deal with the difficult problems, they pass the buck and then play the blame game. Lot of hot air but no action. Absolutely huge amounts of money wasted not just by government but by private organisations, individuals etc. An absolutely huge level of tax corruption, laundering and fraud is simply not investigated or ignored. Bad investment decisions are made and nobody is ever held accountable.
Its all the Global;s fault.
You’ve got your wish - Farage has come out and said he wants Trump to get Greenland. Good old Nigel, such a respecter of a country’s sovereignty! Such a defender of international laws. My guess is he would have let Argentina have the Falkland Islands with a letter of congratulations…
Hi
You are not far off Lincs.
During the Falklands the USA refused to help the UK with Military Intelligence, simply due to the USA exposure to the Argentinian Banking System and it’s wish to expand it’s influence in South America.
The USA had spy satellites, something we don’t, hence the loss of our sailors.
OGF also has a very valid point, the news maedia was sanitised of this, also for political reasons.
That’s it … aside from the fact that his party is becoming crammed with defecting Tories I’ve gone right off him now.
He really is showing himself as Trump’s lapdog.
That was certainly true when it had an Empire that it could pillage (how else could it get its tea) and perhaps is true to a certain extent today but only as a remnant.
As OGF has pointed out it was very good at inventing things but not so good as developing them. When I was a child I can remember Japan being a bit of joke for renaming a town Sheffield and producing cheap steel and plastic goods. An example followed in spades by China. We are not laughing now though are we?
Britain is also good at shooting itself in the foot, egged on by a misplaced self interest, Beeching and Brexit just being two examples.
I don’t know what Britain’s niche is but I do think it needs to find it and quickly.
I agree about Beeching, but being a member of the bullying EU was a virtual takeover of British sovereignty and it’s industries.
As for the Falklands and Greenland, Farage would probably acted in the same way that Thatcher did, even though Lincs likes to guess what the outcome would be.
Greenland is none of our business, we have enough problems of our own and should keep the USA onside, they are a better friend than the EU will ever be.
What about Beechams Powder?
The niche is/was financial services. There are certainly still so many financial giants based in London. It’s a stepping stone between the EU and US. They don’t seem to be deserting London. While many treat this with derision as “elite” type stuff, it does keep the economy going.
It’s also still very much a trading nation. Britain still has fingers in many pies around the world. People certainly seem desperate to come and live here.
Let’s hope you will still say that when you have to salute the stars and stripes in a few years OGF
Well, yes, but that employs so few people making astronomical amounts of money. You don’t want a Britain with a very, very rich upper class and a nation of very poor vagrants surely?
I have to say that is just a meaningless slogan foisted on Britain by rich, entitled, half wits like Boris Johnson and his cronies…
What extra sovereignty do you have now that you didn’t have before Brexit, other than the right to fill in a lot more paperwork? How does it affect you (other than you are worse off financially than you were in the EU)? What rights do you personally now have that you didn’t have prior to Brexit?
Warm glows don’t count.
I’m fed up with all this “Financial Services” stuff, 10+ phone calls a day from Diesel and mis sold car finance companies 
None, but there is far less White Noise now
Part of Mark Carney’s speech at Davos spoke accurately about sovereignty of nations, especially that of nations facing a more powerful country. He said:
“When we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what’s offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating,” he warned. “This is not sovereignty. It’s the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination. In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice – compete with each other for favour, or combine to create a third path with impact.”
Brexit was the road to performance sovereignty for the UK. The third path is of course close alliance of similar countries. Exactly what Brexit threw away for the UK. Many could see that in 2016. Now the reality is slapping us in the face many, many more have woken up to this. Only a few, such as Farage, push the very flawed narrative that Brexit has been good and isolation works in today’s world.
Unfortunately people arguing for that bite their nose off to spite their face. As you correctly ascertain there ain’t much else. As now we have high tech you can move this anywhere so the ability to link to both the EU and the US (and others) is more important than ever.
I’m not sure what Farage’s lot think these days but having a principality based on some sort of tax haven model isn’t going to cut it for the millions and millions living here. Glory days are over unless any government stimulates innovation. The last one that did that were Blair’s lot. You can moan about the financial crisis they encountered (via the US) but you can also moan about Brexit and Covid and Thatcher’s housing crash etc.
I’m pretty sure you are attached to your pension fund
I’m going to agree and disagree at the same time!
Take Edinburgh - 4th largest financial centre in Europe. About 35,000 people are directly employed in this sector and it means that Edinburgh is second only to London in terms of most measures of wealth. Certainly out of that 35,000 there will a handful of very rich, very well paid (check out the prices of top of the range houses and apartments in the city) but it also means tens of thousands of well paid jobs.
Similarly in the financial district of any major city now - lots of people earning good money in the finance sector. And Europe has been leading in Fintech, a rare area of tech innovation leadership. So it is not all bad and is so very necessary to the economics of countries, companies and people’s own investments & finances.
However your point about wealth divide is one I’ve banged on about a few times. But it is not solved by curtailing the finance sector.
Never mind The Blame Game.
One only gets “Sooorrreeee”
Blair & BoJo. Float off to the USA.
Cuddle up with Trump. Lecture at Universities. $10k a time {Until Sussed}
Culprits sitting pretty.
Whist Starmer Picks up The poisoned chalices.
Upside. Good or Bad. At least Transparently. As opposed to a Pantomime of Double Entendre.
Same old Same. Of who to Blame.
For No Gain. As we struggle to M-UK-GA
