Live data from Hacker News

The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

tomforth.co.uk

21–30 of 112 posts

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#21
post #8

The UK still has a heavily embedded caste or caste-like social circumstance. Pharma and finance have somewhat eschewed this tradition, but even those industries still have its embedded lords and ladies. Many of their smartest head to the US (or elsewhere), and Brexit has set them back decades from achieving the "richest country" status. A software engineer can double their earnings by moving to the US (if they can ma…

The owners of capital - the "Leisure class" that dont need to create yet exist in every society - have another purpose beyond creating things and that is to keep an extremely diverse set of chimps (with different needs, personalities,values,skill,knowlege etc) together. This not something the creative classes can do.

As the gaps and differences between people grow in all kinds of dimension, keeping the chimp troupe together is a non trivial issue.

Thats why over the top luxury, leisure, compensation levels etc emerge. People of all kinds lap that shit up when they get a taste. But since its a superficial quick fix solution to the root problem of social cohesion lots of new issues get created.

The creative classes are not spending enough time on root cause (especially once they get a taste of luxury and leisure).

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#22
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

or move into Europe where the weather is great and life is happier (from someone who did). It's miserable in the UK and everyone agrees, though not everyone has the situation or balls to make the leap...

What makes you think we are generally happier? Europe is experiencing a right wing shift due to people being unhappy. The coming years won't be good for any of us to be honest.

The UK experienced that same right wing shift 14 years ago and is now dealing with the fallout. Europe is still in its honeymoon phase with the latest batch of right wing demagogues.

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#23
post #8

The UK still has a heavily embedded caste or caste-like social circumstance. Pharma and finance have somewhat eschewed this tradition, but even those industries still have its embedded lords and ladies. Many of their smartest head to the US (or elsewhere), and Brexit has set them back decades from achieving the "richest country" status. A software engineer can double their earnings by moving to the US (if they can ma…

or move into Europe where the weather is great and life is happier (from someone who did). It's miserable in the UK and everyone agrees, though not everyone has the situation or balls to make the leap...

> and everyone agrees

I don't.

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#25
post #18

Simple answer: no. The economy of SE England is largely comprised of: 1. Shuffling money around 2. Socialist-level ponzi government spending 3. A combination of property flipping and high-end property overseas sales used for tax evasion Innovation-wise, always looking for the easy wins without the hard work, unlike the US. As a Brit and former resident, happy to have emigrated and escaped the >50% (soon to be increas…

Can I ask where you moved to?

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

or move into Europe where the weather is great and life is happier (from someone who did). It's miserable in the UK and everyone agrees, though not everyone has the situation or balls to make the leap...

> and everyone agrees I don't.

[deleted]

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#28
“I think the UK can go back to being pretty much the richest country in the world per capita, at least as rich as the USA” said Matthew Clifford

This sounds very arrogant and wishful thinking considering the trajectory of UK in the last 20 years.

At the global stage, UK is as irrelevant as countries like Canada and Australia, but at least Canadians and Australians don’t openly claim they can be the richest country in the world.

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#29
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes you think we are generally happier? Europe is experiencing a right wing shift due to people being unhappy. The coming years won't be good for any of us to be honest.

The UK experienced that same right wing shift 14 years ago and is now dealing with the fallout. Europe is still in its honeymoon phase with the latest batch of right wing demagogues.

> UK experienced that same right wing shift 14 years ago

Not sure these are comparable. Britain’s shift was led by its elites. Europe’s is closer to a dumping of its elites. Taken to their logical ends, the Britain after its threatened political revolutions will still look recognisable. France post RN or Germany AfD would be completely remade.

Re: The UK can go back to being the richest country in the world

#30
post #8

The UK still has a heavily embedded caste or caste-like social circumstance. Pharma and finance have somewhat eschewed this tradition, but even those industries still have its embedded lords and ladies. Many of their smartest head to the US (or elsewhere), and Brexit has set them back decades from achieving the "richest country" status. A software engineer can double their earnings by moving to the US (if they can ma…

If you think about the times when England was on top, what do you remember about it? They made things, they made really good things. Precision tools, weapons, navy ships, fighter jets, amazing cars, trains, computers.

The best tools I've ever used as a woodworker have all been English. I really miss that time hanging out in my grandfathers shed using all his British, American and German hand tools. I sort of lost track of them after his death because I thought that period would just go on forever...shame :(

I don't mind Chinese stuff, I have "some" of it, but to this day, nothing can compare with the stuff I own from the UK.

Disclaimer: Not British.

Post reply on HN