Yes, it's very easy to reconcile oneself to the inevitability of the UK sliding into economic oblivion. Maybe worth now and again just giving something a try...

Also worth noting the irony that the more advanced modular reactors being proposed by US firms like X-energy are high temperature, gas cooled reactors - same technology as AGRs. In fact, pretty much lineal descendants of the Dragon prototype at Winfrith.

Very far from clear that the USA is a leader in nuclear technology any more. China certainly is, but geopolitics rules out their involvement now.
I hope the Rolls-Royce effort succeeds. Important to realise, though, that their design is a very technologically conservative medium size PWR.

Not sure that everyone in the UK has fully appreciated the implications of this for our national security and resilience. I discuss in my blogpost "Good reasons and bad reasons for supporting manufacturing (and some uncertainties)"
softmachines.org?p=3180

Manufacturing matters for its potential for productivity growth - what's important is the value it creates, not the jobs

from my blogpost:

softmachines.org?p=3180

Manufacturing matters for its potential for productivity growth - what's important is the value it creates, not the jobs

Manufacturing capability is important for national security, but realism needed about UK's position as <3% of world high tech economy - we need to aim for security, not autarky

My comments motivated by impression that regional economic development in past focused purely on number of jobs attracted, so e.g. attracting a warehouse with several hundred jobs prioritised over an aerospace factory with 50 jobs.
IMV needs to be about quality of jobs & value created, not quantity

It's not that jobs in manufacturing aren't important (many are well-paid and rewarding), more that we can't expect to return to mass manufacturing employment in the way we had in the 60's and 70's, nor would that be desirable.

Yes, the trade balance issue is really important and I plan to come back to that in a future blogpost

Manufacturing matters for its potential for productivity growth - what's important is the value it creates, not the jobs

Manufacturing capability is important for national security, but realism needed about UK's position as <3% of world high tech economy - we need to aim for security, not autarky

Points to need to treat LCR, Cheshire & GM to work together to support their shared life sciences & speciality chemicals sectors. Collaborative initiatives like IBIC should help...
news.liverpool.ac.uk/2023/10/06/5...

Good post, and I think plausible to think an impressive focus on innovation led growth in LCR is bearing fruit.
I'd add, though, there are big differences in LCR across sub-regions, & the inclusion of Halton (really a bit of Cheshire!) makes a big difference...

I'm always surprised this story isn't better known - polyethylene terephthalate surely one of the defining materials of the modern world
Still the most important synthetic textile fibre, including in new forms like fleece, & ubiquitous in the form of plastic bottles & packaging (for better or worse)

Good post. I'd add two more important nuclear sites in the Northwest, covering the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle - the Urenco enrichment plant in Capenhurst, Cheshire, and the nuclear fuel plant at Springfields, near Preston
Historically, both emerged from ICI's fluorine chemistry capability

Yes, I would agree with that - though I'd note that for a surprising number of SV-adjacent types, living in a digital twin describes precisely their ambition.