Thanks for sharing your thoughts folks, very interesting responses for a subject that we all feel strongly about.

Hello:

If you haven't guessed by now I am very emotionally concerned about the current state of the UK even though I live permanently in the US.

I have made some pointed remarks about UK events in some threads, such as the dumping of unprocessed waste by the water companies, and was surprised by a lack of response from other IET members.

It seems no other IET members care.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay Florida 

Hi Peter,

My personal attitude to social media is that it can be entertaining, it can occasionally be useful for sharing skills and knowledge, but it's an awful place to discuss deeply held concerns - either it starts a flame war or a group of people just agreeing with each other ("ain't it awful") but not doing anything about it. So please don't assume that just because people don't post here it means they don't care, it just means they care by their actions (often in their day job) rather than what they post on a forum.

A lesson that became abundantly clear on these forums during lockdown when we had some awful flame wars. Lisa was kept very busy with her fire extinguisher!

I've been on these forums for nearly 20 years now (back to IEE days) and I've never seen a post on here change anything, not even in IET policy, and certainly not in the outside world. But sometimes they do give useful information on an aspect of engineering or on engaging with the IET to someone who was looking for it, I really think that's the best we can hope for. 

Thanks,

Andy

Hello Andy:

I am not specifically picking on you, but the last  four words you used in your answer reflects the attitude that lies at the bottom of the UK's malaise --"BEST WE CAN HOPE FOR"!

Here is another one of my real work related stories:-

In the 1990's I had the responsibility of auditing all of my company's parts distributors throughout Europe. A parts distributor should operate like a bank with the inventory being considered money.

I visited France, Italy, Germany, Brussels Denmark and England at multiple locations in each country, all in one trip,  

Thank heavens I had a British passport.

I enjoyed meeting the management and seeing their operations - all except the two in the UK which basically followed the words you expressed -- IT"S THE BEST WE CAN DO.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay 

Hello Andy:

I am not specifically picking on you, but the last  four words you used in your answer reflects the attitude that lies at the bottom of the UK's malaise --"BEST WE CAN HOPE FOR"!

Here is another one of my real work related stories:-

In the 1990's I had the responsibility of auditing all of my company's parts distributors throughout Europe. A parts distributor should operate like a bank with the inventory being considered money.

I visited France, Italy, Germany, Brussels Denmark and England at multiple locations in each country, all in one trip,  

Thank heavens I had a British passport.

I enjoyed meeting the management and seeing their operations - all except the two in the UK which basically followed the words you expressed -- IT"S THE BEST WE CAN DO.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay