For forty years, we were told that Britain didn’t need manufacturing — finance would make us rich. That experiment has failed. We import more than we export, our towns have been hollowed out, and our prosperity rests on hot money and property bubbles rather than productive capacity.
In this video, I explain why Britain’s industrial collapse was a political choice, how Thatcherism destroyed long-term investment, why Labour still worships foreign takeovers, and why rebuilding national capability now requires deliberate government action.
We need regional public investment banks, a tax system that rewards real production, not speculation, and a new industrial strategy that blends modern manufacturing with care, education and innovation. This is about well-being, security, and the future of our democracy.
Do you think Britain should rebuild its industrial base? Join the discussion in the poll below:
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxPlIiTpg8Aa7o9xYiIRoVz0w4e6zFDWFQ
00:00 – Why doesn’t the UK make things anymore?
01:00 – The myth of finance as Britain’s wealth engine
02:00 – How the UK became a dependent economy
03:00 – The social cost of deindustrialisation
04:00 – Thatcher’s legacy: finance over factories
05:00 – Selling the family silver: Labour’s mistake too
06:00 – Rebuilding industry through deliberate government action
07:00 – The need for real public investment banks
08:00 – Aligning tax with productive investment
09:00 – Growth through care, teaching, and research
10:00 – A new industrial age built on people, limits, and purpose
11:00 – Manufacturing as the heart of a balanced, humane economy
Credit to : Richard J Murphy