Britain going bust?

HAVing shopped at a ‘designer’ outlet in South Wales, i was astounded at the number of goods on sale which were made abroad. in Marks & Spencer, i saw only one product made in the UK — christmas wrapping paper. There may have been other goods, but i estimate 95 per cent of goods on sale were made abroad — this is at a time when more than three million British people are jobless.

All the goods had a recommended price way above what reflected their country of origin — overseas goods at UK prices. Shoes and leatherware were almost exclusively made in india but were being sold by clarks (among others).

like M&S, clarks once prided itself on the quality of its goods, but many customers now know quality is no longer the governing factor.

i’m not convinced that the UK is unable to manufacture clothing — or anything else for that matter — at a reasonable cost. Whatever happened to ‘ Buy British’? i applaud companies such as M&S for its environmental awareness, but i do wish it would take a lead in helping to bring back manufacturing to the UK. DaVID ROll, Whitchurch, Cardiff.