LETTER : The United Kingdom's 100-year decline
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.From Sir Geoffrey Chandler
Sir: Lord Roll is right ("Where and why did we go wrong?", 13 March) to identify roller-coaster policies as a factor in our relative economic decline. But these are contributory elements rather than fundamental causes of a decline now measurable over more than 100 years.
It is in fact doubtful whether continuity of policy or an earlier link with the European Community - however much to be desired - could have offset the crippling handicap of an education deficient in quality and quantity for a modern industrial nation; a level of training, whether of management or shopfloor, significantly below that of our chief competitors; and the anti-industrial attitudes of a society which has long encouraged its brightest talent to go into the professions, government and academe rather than industry.
"Gentrification" was no more than a symptom of a culture which stemmed from an industrial revolution pioneered largely by nonconformists in the 18th century and of an educational ethos shaped by Thomas Arnold at Rugby in the 19th century.
The Establishment has always regarded industry as socially, intellectually and morally inferior and, therefore, helped it to be so. Until we recognise that our relative failure lies in the inadequacy of the development of the human potential of this country, we will fail to reverse that decline, whatever the continuity and apparent success of our monetary policies.
Yours faithfully,
GEOFFREY CHANDLER
London, SE10
14 March
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments