Government and Industry in Britain

For at least fifteen years, Britain's industrial problems have been close to the centre of the political stage. A serious and debilitating illness first became chronic and is now, in the eyes of some observers, terminal. The symptoms of the most prominent patients, such as British Leyland, Rolls-Royce and British Steel, are matters of widespread public diagnosis and prescription. Opinions vary widely as to the role of government both in contributing to industrial decline and in promoting industrial recovery but few would deny that dealing with the problems of industry is a task of the highest priority. Nor is it surprising that successive governments have paid a great deal of attention to this task given the role of industry in the British economy and the importance of economic success politically.