Ken Clarke was pronouncing on Radio 4 several days ago that in the eighties people were calling for nationalisation to save British industry. He claimed the idea that the UK will collapse unless the government steps in has been heard before and is tired old nonsense. He seemed to think that history and the magic of free markets have proved the interventionists wrong.
So what really happened to the UK economy during the free market reign?
In 1979 as north sea oil and high interest rates inflated the value of sterling, foreign imports became cheaper. UK companies could buy coal from Poland and South Africa more cheaply. UK industries found they could import finished products from countries such as China for less than the cost of producing them here. So this must be good: cheap imports and low inflation courtesy of free markets. Continue reading