The Conservative manifesto talks of a modern industrial strategy. It mentions this twenty four times in 88 pages. I've lost count of the number of industrial strategies that various governments have tried over the years. From Harold Wilson's white heat of technology to John Major's City Technology Colleges. As far as I can tell they all failed. This is obvious since Mrs May is trying yet another one which differentiates itself by the prefix "modern". I predict confidently that this too will fail.
What we have is any number of organisations, think tanks and quangos stuffed with people writing reports that sound terrific in print or on a website. These are read and considered by politicians and civil servants and from this they create policy that only provides the subject matter for the next series of reports several years down the line, explaining why the policy failed. The Midlands Engine (HERE) is typical. It is apparently "the heartbeat of Britain's economy". Full of fine words and well meaning but completely irrelevant. Who has even heard of it?
We are hopelessly top heavy. The sheer number of publicly funded bodies filled with the know-nothing has-beens is utterly bewildering. This is the only area in which we are truly world beaters. If we could export pointless hot air the nation would be the richest and most powerful in the world.
What is the latest strategy going to do? The manifesto (HERE page 19) says, "It is about identifying the industries that are of strategic value to our economy and supporting and promoting them through policies on trade, tax, infrastructure, skills, training, and research and development – just the same as in every other major and growing economy in the world". They intend to "build on the success of world-beating sectors such as car and aero manufacturing, financial services, life sciences, digital technology and our creative industries, and help other sectors develop the conditions which they need to thrive".
In other words they are just going to continue doing what successive governments have tried for at least a century without success. And they do not appear to have noticed that the "world-beating" car manufacturing sector is all foreign owned, that aero manufacturing is done mostly in combination with Airbus, an EU creation if ever there was one and that the free trade agreement with Europe is unlikely to include financial services. The only thing these sectors have in common is the huge problems that will be created by withdrawing from the single market and the customs union - something that Mrs May has put front and centre of the manifesto. This is stunning in its stupidity.
In the foreword, Mrs May says, "It is the responsibility of leaders to be straight with people about the challenges ahead and the hard work required to overcome them". She does not have the strength to be honest with the British people about Brexit.
