Why is Britain so good at inventing things and so bad at benefiting from them?

Question

A vast number of important inventions that changed the World came from the UK. But we sit here and calmly watch as other Countries get rich on them. I know we got rich on our inventions in the past, but why not today?

Accountants. They are the swine who insist that investments must repay the outlay in three years.....This puts companies off. Also Americans are SO good at seeing POTENTIAL we are all too often rubbish at it.
Also I wonder whether the thrill of inventing something is so exciting that the business of Marketing it seems dull by comparison.....Well whatever the reason. Britain has gone down the tubes.
SAD SAD SAD! and STUPID!!!

Answer 1

Excellent question. Many other Western countries have the same problem. The transistor was invented by Sir Neville Mott at Cavendish Laboratory. All of modern electronics is based on the transistor, yet Britain failed to benefit. There are several problems.
1. Intellectual property is by nature easily stolen and some countries do not respect patents. Western countries should refuse to trade with those countries.
2. Discovering new science requires a different skill set than designing consumer applications of that science.
3. There is a lack of investment capital, or more accurately, the existing capital is directed toward other sectors, such as real estate. The macro-economic policies assure a profit from conventional investments (generations of lobbying have fine-tuned the proper incentives).
4. The managers of companies are (or were) a rather inbred lot who were appointed based on family wealth rather than competence. Sadly entrepreneurial talents seldom last more than a generation.

Answer 2

Throughout the time of the industrial revolution, the UK was at the top of the world in action for employment. Between now and then we have lost all the ability to globalisation and welcomed foreign fat cats to run the businesses in the UK. We have also let them run business abroad and that may have been our blunder. Many of the British people who have found their dream have then been bankrupt because their ideas haven't quite worked out. Britain has lost its top down business acuemen (not sure that word is spelled righ) where the promissing people are helped to do stuff, becuse the country has run out of trust for each other

Answer 3

Yeh, particurlaly sport. As I am writing this, i am nervously keeping track of the Cricket, and we are getting hammered (as usual) in that. We invented cricket. We got hammered by Spain on Wednesday at football. We invented football. And last years Six Nations was the worst rugby I've ever seen. We invented rugby. Connection?

Answer 4

The economy of the UK and Europe in general was devastated by WWI and WWII. Since the 1950's they have gained back much of the lost ground but have not regained their former dominate position. It is the fate of empires to over spend to maintain their power only to see it lost in the end because of the damage done to their economy.

Answer 5

American believe that anything is possible and they are very interested in the future.

In the UK we tend to disrespect anyone who has vision or ideas. Don't ask me why. We are also FAR too interested in the past.

Answer 6

Companies here are too focussed on not spending any money on anything. In America, they are happy to outlay money on anything that has potential - that's why they are generally the people who reap the rewards.

Answer 7

I don't think that's necessarily true.

But the poor sods who I feel bad for - are the 3rd world nations who never seem to benefit from these inventions.

Answer 8

eggheads in high places do not agree on inventions. take cat`s eyes on the road.inventor went to u.s.a. to get it done.it takes the money men too long 2 see potential.

Answer 9

Bright people in the UK but absolutely no resources or vision to fund it

Answer 10

socialist policies