How important is manufacturing?

It is reported that Britain's manufacturing sector is expanding but only at a slow rate.

Manufacturing is critical to prosperity, because most of us measure our personal prosperity very much in terms of our ability to acquire manufactured goods such as mobile phones or mountain bikes.  Of course we can also measure our personal prosperity in terms of our ability to buy tickets to concerts or football matches, but which one of us does not value manufactured goods?

Another reason why manufacturing is important is because manufacturing jobs tend to pay good wages.  By contrast, the retail and catering sectors tend to pay little more than the minimum wage to many of their employees.

The things we buy can be manufactured here or abroad.  Goods produced abroad are often cheaper than goods made in Britain, but most of us like to think that at least some of the things we buy are made here in this country by our fellow countrymen.

I refuse however to lecture anyone about buying British.  If we buy British goods, it should be because British goods represent quality at a fair price.

Having said that, I do think it is fair to judge governments by the success of our manufacturing sector.  Any government with any sense will look for ways to help British factories to compete internationally.  The fact that Britain's manufacturing sector is expanding at only a modest rate is yet one more reason why I have no regard for David Cameron.