This guy says it well:
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/06/1537243
"The last major triumphs of British engineering to actually get built
were Concorde and the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors.
Ever since then the can't-do-won't-do attitude of Britain's "financial
service economy" curtails any great technological projects. The only
things that get built are science projects, with meager government
funding.
Reaction Engines/Bristol Spaceplanes have some very interesting engine
designs like SABRE. These are the people who designed the RB545 for
Hotol (another great British triumph of procrastination over
achievement).
Mark my words, this will sit firmly on the drawing board and will
probably be reinvented in 20-30 years by the Chinese. The American's
won't have it since they didn't invent it.
It sucks to be British unless you're in Banking or Insurance. Still,
mustn't grumble. At least we're not French or German or foreign. Time
for a nice cup of tea and a sit down."
And since both the BRAINS and the PHYSICAL halves of companies are
being outsourced to India, China and beyond, there would be no need
for them to keep any ties with countries such as the US or England
since they have all the stuff needed to sustain the companies by
themselves. Even a good share of our food comes from overseas. Do you
think when we no longer have anything of value to trade (how many
books and theories does it take to buy an airliner?) that these
countries will give us stuff we need out of the goodness of their
heart?
Dream on.
Oh well, can anybody recommend a sauce that goes well with
pamphlets?
