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| | After the [[Wars of the Roses]] had been won by Henry of Lancaster, the reign of the [[Tudor dynasty|Tudors]] began. Henry VII, as he became, was more concerned with defending his crown and so concentrated mainly on domestic policies. While Henry VII is one of England's less famous kings he was one of the few monarchs ever to leave the crown solvent upon his death. Henry VIII, unlike his father, was obsessed with winning glory on the battlefield, preferably in France. Henry launched three major wars throughout his reign against France and in the process managed to capture the city of Boulogne as well as two minor towns, however all of these we're lost or returned by the end of Edwards VI reign. However Henry is most famous for his split with Rome, where he created the Protestant Church of England. When the current [[Pope]] refused to allow him to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry passed the Statute of Restraint of appeals, declared himself head of the English Church and decreed that the Pope had no power over England. During his reign Henry had six wives, of which only three bore him children. Of these, only one was a son—a sickly child who reigned as Edward VI for just six years after his father's death. His daughter Elizabeth, however, was crowned Queen in 1558 and became perhaps England's greatest and best-loved monarch with her reign often being referred to as Englands Golden Age. Elizabeth was queen during some of England's greatest moments of the age, the founding of England's first (if unsuccessful) American colony, the defeat of the Spanish Armarda and solidifying The Church of England's beliefs and acceptance within the nation. Upon her death, the heir to the throne, King James VI of Scotland was crowned King James I, leading to an eventual unification of the two nations. | | After the [[Wars of the Roses]] had been won by Henry of Lancaster, the reign of the [[Tudor dynasty|Tudors]] began. Henry VII, as he became, was more concerned with defending his crown and so concentrated mainly on domestic policies. While Henry VII is one of England's less famous kings he was one of the few monarchs ever to leave the crown solvent upon his death. Henry VIII, unlike his father, was obsessed with winning glory on the battlefield, preferably in France. Henry launched three major wars throughout his reign against France and in the process managed to capture the city of Boulogne as well as two minor towns, however all of these we're lost or returned by the end of Edwards VI reign. However Henry is most famous for his split with Rome, where he created the Protestant Church of England. When the current [[Pope]] refused to allow him to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry passed the Statute of Restraint of appeals, declared himself head of the English Church and decreed that the Pope had no power over England. During his reign Henry had six wives, of which only three bore him children. Of these, only one was a son—a sickly child who reigned as Edward VI for just six years after his father's death. His daughter Elizabeth, however, was crowned Queen in 1558 and became perhaps England's greatest and best-loved monarch with her reign often being referred to as Englands Golden Age. Elizabeth was queen during some of England's greatest moments of the age, the founding of England's first (if unsuccessful) American colony, the defeat of the Spanish Armarda and solidifying The Church of England's beliefs and acceptance within the nation. Upon her death, the heir to the throne, King James VI of Scotland was crowned King James I, leading to an eventual unification of the two nations. |
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| | + | == Britain's productivity problem == |
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| | + | '''''Reuters''''': [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-economy-shrink-2023-risks-lost-decade-cbi-2022-12-05/ UK economy to shrink in 2023. Confederation of Business Industry forecast indicates that the UK risks a 'lost decade']. |
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| | + | === Britain's productivity problem === |
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| | + | In 2022, ''The Economist'' published the article [https://archive.md/LeOoB#selection-871.0-875.302 Britain’s productivity problem is long-standing and getting worse] which stated: |
| | + | {{Cquote|The productivity slowdown that followed was global, but Britain’s was particularly dramatic. Between 2009 and 2019 its productivity growth rate was the second slowest in the g7 . A study by Nick Crafts at the University of Warwick and Terence Mills of Loughborough University calculated that Britain’s shortfall during this period, compared with the pre-2008 trend, was the worst in 250 years... |
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| | + | Catching up with America’s level of labour productivity would mean that Britain’s gdp per person would be £6,600 higher, for example. And even if it is hard to pin down the exact sources of the productivity slowdown in the 2010s, it is easier to identify areas where Britain has to do better in future. They fall into three big categories: investment, people and the spread of knowledge."<ref> [https://archive.md/LeOoB#selection-871.0-875.302 Britain’s productivity problem is long-standing and getting worse]</ref>}} |
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| | + | === United Kingdom and number of worker hours per year === |
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| | + | [[File:UK workers hours worked annually.jpg|thumbnail|center|1000px|Wikipedia's article [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_countries_by_average_annual_labor_hours&oldid=1125058865 List of countries by average annual labor hours] states "The following list is the average annual working time per employed person (men and women) in hours in 2017. Data is not available for all countries of the world". |
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| | + | Compared to the rest of the world, the United Kingdom was ranked 51st on the list of countries in terms of the average annual working time per employed person (men and women) in hours in 2017. |
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| | + | According to the websites Statista, "The average weekly hours worked on the main job in the United Kingdom saw no significant changes in 2021 in comparison to the previous year 2020 and remained at around 36.77 hours."<ref>[https://www.statista.com/statistics/419636/main-job-average-weekly-working-hours-united-kingdom-uk-y-on-y/#:~:text=The%20average%20weekly%20hours%20worked,remained%20at%20around%2036.77%20hours. Average usual weekly hours worked on the main job in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2001 to 2021]</ref>]] |
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| | + | === Former Prime Minister Liz Truss on British workers === |
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| | + | [[File:Truss.PNG|thumbnail|201px|center|[[Liz Truss]], the former Prime Minister of the [[United Kingdom]], was caught on audio tape indicating that British workers lacked the "skill and application" of foreign nationals.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62571016 Liz Truss accused of branding British workers lazy in leaked audio], BBC</ref> ]] |
| | + | {{Clear}} |
| | + | [[Liz Truss]], the former Prime Minister of the [[United Kingdom]], was caught on audio tape indicating that British workers lacked the "skill and application" of foreign nationals.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62571016 Liz Truss accused of branding British workers lazy in leaked audio], BBC</ref> In response, the [[BBC]] published the news article Liz ''Truss accused of branding British workers lazy in leaked audio''<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62571016 Liz Truss accused of branding British workers lazy in leaked audio], BBC</ref> |
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| | + | In 2022, ''The Economist'' published the article [https://archive.md/LeOoB#selection-871.0-875.302 Britain’s productivity problem is long-standing and getting worse]. Evidently, many godless, slothful Brits are reluctant to upgrade their skills to meet the current demands of the marketplace or they are too broke or lazy to implement productivity-producing technology. I mention poverty in relation to a lack of investment in productivity-improving technology because lazy people are often broke! |
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| | + | ''The Economist'' states: "But even if the frontier is slowing, there is no iron law that says Britain cannot move closer to it. Catching up with America’s level of labour productivity would mean that Britain’s gdp per person would be £6,600 higher, for example. And even if it is hard to pin down the exact sources of the productivity slowdown in the 2010s, it is easier to identify areas where Britain has to do better in future. They fall into three big categories: investment, people and the spread of knowledge."<ref>[https://archive.md/LeOoB#selection-871.0-875.302 Britain’s productivity problem is long-standing and getting worse]</ref> |
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| | + | === Britain's economic funk will likely endure. The USA will be the leading power in the world for the foreseeable future === |
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| | + | *[[Essay: Godless Britain's economic funk will likely endure. The USA will be the leading power in the world for the foreseeable future|Godless Britain's economic funk will likely endure. The USA will be the leading power in the world for the foreseeable future]] |
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| | == Religion == | | == Religion == |