"We didn't ditch our big industries because they were uncompetitive. We ditched them because most of the workers didn't vote Tory and kept being annoying by demanding fair pay and conditions,"

Thank God your teaching career did not include economics.

As Keith Joseph succinctly stated:The working population must choose between narrow illusory job security in one place propped up by public funds or the real job security based on a prosperous dynamic economy."

Also compared to both France and Germany, at that time, the UK unions had far more freedom to create havoc. (and they did!)