The Slow Death of British Industry, By Nicholas Comfort
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Company names are almost as potent as cheap music in evoking an era. Fifties giants GEC and ICI are now "simply no more". They were among the 26 manufacturers that dominated the top 30 companies in the FT Index in 1952. Today there are 10.
Comfort's analysis is devastating. Explaining our lacklustre performance in aerospace, he points the finger at Concorde. The massive cost of the Anglo-French project – only 20 were sold from the twin production lines – scupp-ered the industry.
Perhaps appropriately, our greatest export success in aviation has been the ejector seat.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments