Going slightly off topic (oh the shame)...... what happened was that "money men" took hold and took no interest in a business, only being concerned with "profit" and "more, more MORE".

Their idea was if it was marginally cheaper to make something "abroad" and ship it thousands of miles back here, they'd rather do that than bother with workershere who were forever kicking up trouble coupled with aging manufacturing sites and plant.

Around 1966 there was "wage negotiations" at the large company I worked for (now split up in to three busineses but it's still going though) and management actually said "You're pricing yourselves out of a job, we're going to automate you". Look what's happened since then?

"Progress" has determined that many, many processes are completed by "automation" and I watch in wonder at some of those machines making parts when "back in the day" the same part would have needed many different operations by a number of different machines (and their operators) all done now in one "go".

Then, just think about what was the backbone of major manufacturing, steel making and shipbuilding. Where is the bulk of that done now? Jobs? Where've they all gone? No cake, only the crumbs left?