So neither BTNG or Big Al can or want to attempt to tell us all how magnificent and great everything was before 1979. Having lived through those times I can assure you that there was nothing great about them at all.

By the bye Doc John, Hitler was never "elected" Chancellor of Germany - he was appointed by Hindenberg

Both agree that the likes of Scargill and the Trades Unions Leadership were no rocket scientists, both seem to consider them as what they actually were - downright buffoons. Yet they both seem to have been quite happy with this collection of clowns dictating to the elected governments of the day and wanted that practice to continue - Margaret Thatcher put an end to that game and thank God she did.

All down to petrol prices was it Al? so why did the same thing not happen about eight years ago when oil hit $145 per barrel. Someone else I think MtheGM stated quite rightly that British Industry was stuffed years before Margaret Thatcher came to power.

Britain's wealth made on coal?? You are joking aren't you, at best it was a component part of the equation no more, other countries had far more coal than the UK at the time and they had neither wealth or Empire. If there was ever any one thing that you could attribute Britain's wealth to, one thing that Britain had that no-one else did, then that one thing was her Royal Navy, if you doubt that then look at Britain's change in fortunes from 1694 onwards. The Navy secured the country from attack and allowed our merchants to trade unhindered, which fuelled both the agrarian and industrial revolutions which allowed our industries to flourish.