James Hamilton-Paterson presents a very convincing case for the decline of British industry in this well written and passionate book. Without being extreme or raging the author presents the case of how much decline has occurred in the last seventy years and why. From his own childhood experience he paints a picture where nearly everything is made in Britain and across industries as diverse as motor cycles to shipping shows that in the modern age most things are made abroad. Almost incredibly he shows even the public squares of London are being bought up and possessed by foreign owners.
This is not a partisan book although the authors leftist credentials do shine through. The blame for decline is equally shared between workers, managers, politicians and the general public. The scope moves steadily from the workplace, to the boardroom, to parliament and to the schools showing that Britain simply does not value engineers, their skills and their contribution. In this I am reminded of Niomi Klines No Logo
On that note I would recommend this book for anyone thinking about the decline of Britain in general and the decline of British industry in particular since the 2nd World War.
If you would like to read What We Have Lost: The Dismantling of Great Britain
