The politicians are just as helpless though

These poverty-stricken areas where the manufacturing industry has disappeared have done so because of the rise of manufacturing in the Far East that simply wasn't there in the 50s/60s (the Glory Days that Trumpists and Brexiteers hark back to).
Simple economics says that if someone is producing equal or better quality products for less money people will buy those. So US and British manufacturing was doomed. It isn't government's fault. To alter that would have required massive government subsidies which since Reagan/Thatcher is no longer deemed an option.

Posted By: mr carra, Nov 9, 08:41:16