What is the way forward?

I watched BBC's Question Time a few weeks ago and Michael Heseltine was on the panel. One of the subjects they discussed was the state of the UK economy and levels of unemployment. As most people know, British manufacturing has all but disappeared. Not the skills involved, just the industry itself. This is because employing people is expensive, it's cheaper to go elsewhere in the world where pay is lower.

The general consensus is that if Britain starts to manufacture things again, then this will be the making of the UK economy once more. Michael Heseltine agreed, but then went on to add that it won't be people making things, it will be robots. So how is that going to help the unemployment situation? I found it rather chilling.

When I went home to visit my mum, I had to catch a taxi the 10 miles to her house and I had a long chat with the driver. When I grew up in Lancaster in the 70s and 80s, Lancaster was the home of a number of light industries: it was a great manufacturer of lino for much of the 20th century. Now all the factories are closed.

Which means many men had to find a different way of earning money. Taxi driving being one of the most popular. Lancaster has too many taxis now. Throw into the equation the eyewatering cost of petrol and taxi drivers could be at crisis point.

I don't know what the answer is. Probably getting people to consume less in general. But the UK economy is now based on people buying things. With no money left over from petrol, food and the like, consumerism is not going to be the way forward. As St Augustine said 'It is better to need less than to have more.' This is something we should all take to heart while we come up with a solution.

ps The pic is of St Augustine, not Michael Heseltine. But I am sure you knew that.