Massive Consumption but No Production

I was recently looking out of a pub window (in the UK) while deep in conversation with a long time friend of mine. We could see numerous cars, bikes, waggons, buildings with frames, lamp posts and even planes. They were all made from steel.

Steel production first occurred in the UK and the British first developed the processes involved. There used to be massive centres of steel production (including some in North West England) and they provided for the manufacturing industry nearby. We used to produce cars, bikes, waggons, building frames, lamp posts, planes etc but most of this has gone.

What happened? We are obviously still major consumers of steel!!!

Meanwhile generations of our young men have struggled to find work and we all know how the devil finds work for idle hands. We seem to have exported our jobs!!!

Working people in the UK have been conned or at least very badly led. The French and Germans still produce steel and manufacture cars, planes, ships etc. I refuse to believe that the French and German workers are more efficient than ours and that these goods can be manufactured cheaper abroad.

We should manufacture our own steels, cars, planes and ships. It's a no brainer especially if you take into account the transport costs, welfare subsidies and social problems caused.

I could make a similar argument for coal mining. Coal is imported from abroad and used to generate electricity at the same coal fired power station which used to be fed by coal from our pits. Meanwhile, generations of our young men in our once proud mining communities throughout the country have struggled to find work.  

Tony Blair, Nick Clegg, Ed Milliband, Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper and many others are MPs for northern constituencies. They certainly should know about these problems but do they actually care? Is this another example of members of a metropolitan based elite making decisions for themselves without any thought for the electorate they are supposed to represent? We need to get rid of them all and find some people to represent us who can actually empathise with the problems normal people face.

We should concentrate on producing British goods for British markets and give manufacturers all the help we can. If anybody mentions free trade then let's examine how the French and German (or US and Japanese) help their manufacturers at the expense of their overseas competitors

What has free trade done for normal, British people anyway? We only seem to have two major industries left and they are both protected. They are pharmaceuticals (helped by the NHS) and defence (helped by the armed forces) which both seem to be protected. What's wrong with that?

I wish we'd protected the rest of our industry in the 1980s because it'll be very difficult to start again. We can help the producers still in existence and recognise their importance by creating conditions in which they can prosper.   


Paul M Williams