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Position:Home>History> Following on from Alistair Darling's comments, how bad were things in 1948?Question: Following on from Alistair Darling's comments, how bad were things in 1948!? He says that, economically speaking, these times are arguably the worst they've been in 60 years!. 60 years ago, the UK was going through the time of rationing and post-war austerity but 5 years later, the economy had experienced an upturn and rationing had ended!. Are we likely to go through another period of rationing!?
Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Things were pretty dire in 1948!. The war had been over for 3 years and rather than get better as people had hoped, they were getting worse!. Bread had gone 'on the ration' which had never happened during the war!. Rather than turn production to consumer goods as would later be the case, every emphasis was on manufacturing for export to earn much needed foreign currency!. Gold reserves were draining away, so much so that the ￡ was devalued in June 1949 from $4!.03 - ￡ to $2!.80 - ￡!. People have blamed various things for this situation - The Labour Government, the Labour Government's emphasis on Nationalisation, the way that Nationalisation was carried out, the Unions and Strikes, weak management and the continued 'old school tie' syndrome of management (rather than one based on meritocracy)!. I'm inclined to listen to my father who always maintained that the Party which took power after the War would be reviled for a generation - and by and large he was right!. The country was on its knees after 51/2 years of total war, with its housing stock and industries in a dire state following bombing and in debt to the USA up to its neck!. No one could have 'done right for doing wrong' No, we are not in such a bad state now!. We don't have to queue for hours for the basic necessities - the supermarket shelves are still groaning with foods from the four corners of the world!. I can't see rationing being introduced - prices are doing that with the price of a loaf of bread having increased by nearly 20% in under 2 months! What will happen in the long term is, however, anybodies guess!. Our current little difficulties are not being suffered by us alone, but part of a world-wide trend!. No Government will be able to change that fact, however Canute like opposition parties may appear!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Well Katy, I was born in 1955, so post war, but was issued petrol ration cards in 1972, duly printed in 1943!. Odd but true, The yellow card allowed my ￡10 of petrol per week!. OK, enough to get about, ant we had a supply of petrol at work, so no real problem!. Alistairs' comments have served him no good, although I appreciate his honesty!. I grow my own veg, & shoot my own rabbits etc, so no problem, but I see how folks in urban areas might be troubled!. BobWww@QuestionHome@Com it's all fair and well the MP's banging on about the war and after the war, they should remember what our soldiers went to war,fought and died for, and think about that when they rip us off in taxes and give asylum seekers priority over us! The British government can't look after their own people before anyone else, they have NO respect for their own countrymen, they have NO loyalty, and are so corrupt it defies belief! I recently heard that if you're on the waiting list for housing, if you convert to muslim, you get housed quicker!!!!!! WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON WITH THIS COUNTRY!?!?!? I don't remember who it was, but one MP decided we should remove Winston Churchill from our history lessons at school! let's face it, the only person that ever went into the houses of parliament with good honest intentions, and had any sense at all was!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!. !.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.GUY FAWKES!!!!!!!!!! We can't even be proud to be British anymore! cos we're just Europeans now, nothing more!Www@QuestionHome@Com During the winter 1947 to 1948 soldiers had to paint piles of coal white to show if people had been pinching from them!. Rationing and austerity are dear to every socialist's heart!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Things are nowhere near as bad as 1948 although the British diet was much healthier then because food was rationed and it was difficult to overeat!. You never saw obese childrenWww@QuestionHome@Com in the 70s we had 3 day weeks,nights without electric,dustbin strikes, and high unemployment,so it could get that badWww@QuestionHome@Com Well we very nearly had petrol rationing 6 years ago and my missus seems to be rationing my sex at the moment so it looks like it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com 60 years ago europe was recovering from the last great war so exports were hit bad exports imports are ok Www@QuestionHome@Com |