Is the death of Britain's manufacturing industry a myth?

[sasguru]

http://www.dol.gov/asp/media/reports...6/chart3_7.htm

According to this, Britain is the 5th largest manufacturer with 3.9% of total world manufacture. Not too shabby for a small island?

[DimPrawn]

I blame Thatcher.

[zathras]

I blame Thatcher.

I blame the Unions and the 75-79 Labour Government for piling on so many costs that British Manufactured goods were too expensive.

Under Mrs T. The Nissan Sunderland plant became the most efficient in the company. That accolade is no longer true.

[Bagpuss]

I blame the Unions and the 75-79 Labour Government for piling on so many costs that British Manufactured goods were too expensive.

Under Mrs T. The Nissan Sunderland plant became the most efficient in the company. That accolade is no longer true.

ooh the Irony

[DimPrawn]

http://www.dol.gov/asp/media/reports...6/chart3_7.htm

According to this, Britain is the 5th largest manufacturer with 3.9% of total world manufacture. Not too shabby for a small island?

2005 figures. New Labour have reduced the figure by 90%.

[sasguru]

ooh the Irony

Well to be fair there was no fear of British Leyland ever winning the accolade

[sasguru]

2005 figures. New Labour have reduced the figure by 90%.

Dim Prawn wins the Out of Thin Air (TM) award for the day.

[zathras]

ooh the Irony

Demonstrates that while the workers were excellent, the management was pretty hopeless!

It is worth noting that most of the technical advances of the post war world were invented here on this piddly little Island off the North West coast of Europe. We just have no ability to sell them.

[PRC1964]

Eh? What happened to China & Taiwan? on that graph.

I'll need a bit of re-education to believe that New Zealand is a bigger manufacturing nation than them.

[gingerjedi]

Something doesn't quite add up, if those figures are to be believed... Per capita Ireland is the powerhouse of Europe so it is.