We've been on the decline because other countries have risen or are rising to their rightful place in the world order. A small island, filled with just 30-60 million people was not going to keep up with the US etc indefinitely, especially without maintaining its colonies (which Britain was also unable to do).
I don't really get why you're getting so angry either. You insist on calling people to the left of you socialists (when you actually seem to mean something more akin to communists) even when they tell you there are not. Why do clever people, who contribute to the economy, not deserve to be successful? Do you not believe in meritocracy? Why also do academics deserve nothing? Why are Gilzean's bosses fat cat union bosses (I'd be careful with that kind of terminology, people might accuse you of being a socialist soon)!
And why does the fact that an education system, which still boats 4 of the world's best universities across the board, as well as various others which are world class in their various specialties, doesn't teach someone the difference between wine and champagne mean that its brick?
You tried to employ anyone recently? Especially coming out of Uni? It's genuinely scary!!
And I don't disagree with you to an extent. I'm a realist. Unfortunately as soon as a country becomes successful at an industry then everyone jumps on the bandwagon. That drives wages up and eventually you'll be undercut by a foreign competitor. It's what happened to the manufacturing industry in this country. Even today people can't see that is what happened to our coal mining industry too. There is no point subsidising something that has no hope in succeeding.
What scares me right now is the ill feeling towards the banking industry (although I do believe it is understandable, and how some of those people aren't in jail is beyond me). The banking industry is the one thing that is stopping this country completely imploding and yet there is now this huge movement building momentum determined to tear the whole thing down.
Clever people who generate wealth do deserve to be successful. Where have I said that isn't the course?
And my main point about socialism is that people are hypocrits. I am more socialist than most socialists I know. And believe me that doesn't make socialist!! I fully understand the difference between communism and socialism, but most socialists do not. They seem hellbent on demanding the rich pay more tax but then can't actually back up why. They say it because it's mantra, not because they genuinely know why they should or they shouldn't.
Britain needs to be leaner and meaner if it's going to have any chance of succeeding in this global economic world. We may never get our manufacturing power back, and we lack natural resources. So what we need to do is encouraging the private sector to be creative and ensuring they have enough profit to invest heavily in R&D.
My personal beliefs differ from what I know needs to be done. I am all for helping those that can't help themselves. That is my personal belief. But I also know that in reality life and nature doesn't work that way. I am an animal lover and I hate the thought of Tigers, Lions, Elephants etc becoming extinct. It frustrates me that man is the primary cause of this. That is my personal belief. It's a selfish belief because at the end of the day it's just natural selection. Man is currently the dominant species on the planet. Other species will either have to learn to adapt to that or die out. Nature has followed this rule for millions of years. The strongest and most adaptable survive.
It's not people's political beliefs that wind me up. It's the hypocrisy that they don't practice what they preach. I do practice what I preach AND I will set aside my own personal emotions and beliefs when I know they're unrealistic or selfish.
My girlfriend is Canadian, and only here because she is on a Dutch passport. I do not believe we should be in the EU anymore. I am pleased that we are because I love my girlfriend, and would hate to lose her. Us pulling out of the EU may mean she'd have to leave the country and we'd most likely break up. If there is a referendum I will vote for the UK to pull out of the EU, because the country has to come before my own personal circumstances. THAT is true socialism. Most self proclaimed socialists wouldn't know what self sacrifice was if it came and nailed them to a cross.....
