American Reacts to The UK Economy and How is The United Kingdom so Rich?

In this video I react to the UK economy and learn how the United Kingdom is so rich. I already knew the UK was one of the more wealthy and powerful nations in the world. However, I came away very impressed, especially considering how relatively small the country is compared to some of the other nations with a high gdp.
Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this reaction please give this video a thumbs up, share your thoughts in the comments and click the subscribe button to follow my journey to learn about my British and Irish ancestry.
👉 Donate to my visit the UK fund:
ko-fi.com/reac...
👉 Original Video:
• How is the United King...
👉 Subscribe to my channel:
/ @reactingtomyroots

[@mehitabel6564]

One of the reasons that the UK is so well-positioned for time zones is that the British invented the measurement of longitude, to help our maritime explorers and traders to track where they were - and of course this helped no end in the expansion of empire. So we ended up with the highly advantageous trading position of prime meridian (Greenwich Mean Time). The position and name of the prime meridian has shifted slightly following several international agreements, but are still derived from Greenwich Mean Time.

[@JohnBaker-jj5tx]

You can put the Meridian anywhere you want on the globe, but the fact remains that when it’s 12 noon in London, most of the worlds population are either eight hours ahead or behind. Time zones haven’t changed the geography of the globe the UK was fortunate to be directly opposite to the Pacific Ocean And at the centre of most of the land mass.

[@HereticDuo]

hell the global system is named after the place it was established. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the +0 hour of earth and everything is either set before or after it. The world likes to forget but we invented global time, the phone, the computer & the base code for the internet. we literally are the most important country when it comes to the foundation of ALL modern technology.

[@Deed938]

I’ve been watching your comments with regards to the UK. I’ve noticed you have become more comfortable with your delivery. Not every day here is a party day, you are condensing the best bits, of say a movie. Having said that, it really is a great place to live in comparison with most countries. You sir, are the type of person that would do well and be respected in the UK. Come on in the waters fine.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Thanks Citywise. As someone who doesn't really do social media, etc all this is very new to me. It's taken some time to get comfortable with it all, but I'm glad that is starting to come through. I appreciate the invite. LOL First, I need to save up the money for an awesome trip, hopefully for at least a month that first time. I want to be able to explore and experience a lot of the UK that first time.

[@helenbailey8419]

Steve you are a humble joy to watch.

[@Deed938]

@@reactingtomyroots I hope one day you make it across the pond and if you do, please let know. 👍

[@louisemiller3784]

UK debt has increased, I think it’s about 95% of our GDP

[@aidencox790]

Your very pleasant attitude coupled with your honesty and (if I may say it) your innate intelligence and friendliness make you one of the very few American channels that I subscribe to, enjoy and hardly , if ever, miss. I am an 80 year old Englishman who, for reasons of very poor health and being on oxygen 24 x 7 am stuck in the US and will never see the UK again in my lifetime. You would make a finer "Brit" than many who are living there now and I just wanted to let you know how I admire your character and thoughtful, perceptive inquisitiveness and your high standards. T am also grateful that you do not interrupt a video needlessly as so many uploaders do. Well done and I hope you go to the UK some day and travel around. Don't just stay in London (which I know you wouldn't) and have a very fulfilling and wonderful visit. Very best regards to you and your family.

[@cenedra2143]

I'm so sorry 😞

[@kaygeemoema7714]

Investing in stocks is a good idea,but a good trading system would put you through many days of success.

[@ruthierod8276]

Exactly, Investing in today is priceless because tomorrow isn't promised, trading Bitcoins, gold, silver and stocks secure a better Tomorrow

[@jacquijaboneroespina7402]

Interesting. I have a lump sum doing absolutely nothing at all in my bank account, I wanna get something started with it. You seem to be doing excellent for yourself, how do you achieve this?

[@jamiehaynes3607]

There are platform where you can invest and they trade your money. Then pay you profit either weekly or monthly. That's investing.

[@dillonfedrick8682]

Am trading with expert Charlotte Junko Walsh , a regulated broker in the US. Met her sometime early last year at a startup funding event. She had some interesting things to say about the state of algorithmic trading today.very obviously I'm seeing the results.

[@fredrickpeterson4382]

I think I'm blessed if not I wouldn't have met someone who is as spectacular as Mrs Charlotte Junko Walsh I think she is the best broker I've ever seen.

[@curlew-3592]

I’m sure when you get to The UK one day there will be plenty of cups of tea waiting for you in various British homes 😁👍🇬🇧

[@catherinewilkins2760]

Zero latitude runs through Greenwich, because we put it there. Yes we have lots of resources. Coal was king, as one of your commentators said, what wasn't mentioned is there is a massive coal field below the Vale of Belvoir (pronounced bever) in Leicestershire. Attempts to mine it were fought against by locals and the powers that be as its a beautiful area. Belvoir Castle nearby would have lost its view and Belvoir hunt was a high ranking fox hunting crowd, they would have lost their territory. If it had gone ahead it could have been the largest opencast mine in Europe. Our coal is of a high grade. Many of our resources kick started the industrial revolution. We have a good amount of lithium in Cornwall which is to be found adjacent to the tin mines.

[@jeanlind7540]

Queen Camilla & Charles were member of this hunt!

[@chrisb4504]

Beautiful area. Belvoir castle looks amazing in the summer months, I lived in Bingham a few years back.

[@johngardiner6800]

You were surprised about mining in the UK. Corniche miners Taught the World, they travelled to America, to Australia and many other countries when the copper and tin ran out in Cornwall

[@Sue474]

The word is Cornish not corniche.

[@vaudevillian7]

@@Sue474 probably autocorrect

[@johngardiner6800]

@@Sue474 l know dambed auto correct my house is named after a Cornish village where we spent many a happy camping holiday "Treen"

[@laura-jaynerelaxandmeditat7105]

Cornish

[@Rachub]

The UK may be a relatively rich country but it's also one of the most unequal developed countries (5th most unequal in Europe) in the world - income inequality is in fact at a record high. Like in the USA its wealth is very much in the hands of a few - concentrated largely in the south-east of England - and poverty (especially child poverty) is rampant and increasing. Cost of living is also a huge problem for most people, and literally millions of people, even in decent jobs, go to food banks to survive. Yes, the UK may be rich, but it's monstrously unequal and getting worse by the day. GDP never tells the full story of a country's prosperity.

[@Iluvantir]

An ancient name for these islands translated as "Land of Tin". This was during and before the time of the Romans and their empire. For nearly a thousand years prior, in fact. Britons traded by sea with the Med and all the nations that are around it. We even traded during this time with those that would, thousands of years later, come "viking" into our island. In many ways, it's "embarrassing" how rich in resources and history and culture and everything these Islands are. (joking. Not embarrassing in the slightest, lol) Some of the purest gold is mined in Wales and is the base for the Royal Mint. Wales alone has 300 to 400 years worth of coal that could supply the world - note that, the WORLD. If the shit hits the fan and the only way humanity could survive is to wholesale go back to burning coal... Wales would become the biggest exporter of it and we'd dominate for over 300 years just there. It's about the same with the other major basic resources. We've lots of everything, except for Oil. Oil? We've found more, and it's a good supply... but it allows us to be near self sufficient with it. We'd not be able to trade globally with oil as an export, unlike the US. All in all... we're one rich little group of islands. And we bite. We punch above our weight. And we've not lost our islands to a foreign force for near a 1000 years. So if you want a piece of the pie, we're happy to "Free Trade", if you please. If someone wants to take it by force? We'll see to you. Probably with a narwhale tusk. Just for the shame factor. Have a nice day! :) (And love your reaction vids, good sir. Keep it up!)

[@Paul-hl8yg]

I read a book many years ago that gave a really good case for Britain being a big exporter of tin before the Romans. That Britain traded tin with ancient Egypt. It showed images of large D shaped tin ingots (believed to be) being carried by Egyptians on an ancient Egyptian mural. Carrying these with other items, bringing them home after an expedition. It also showed images of an ancient Cornish tin mine on the bottom of the English channel. The tin mine obviously being thousands of years old to have been flooded over for so long. The interesting thing was that it showed images of tin ingots on the channel floor near the mine. The ingots of tin were large D shaped ingots. Egypt needed tin to make bronze & tin was one metal not natural to Egypt in any great amount. So, was Britain selling tin to Egypt thousands of years ago? I have searched online for all this a few times now & have never been able to find this information to verify. Makes you wonder though! There are ancient mediterranean beads found in ancient British burials, so trade was certainly going on between these areas at a very early ancient time. 🇬🇧

[@reactingtomyroots]

I become more and more amazed at how powerful and influential this small part of the world has been. I used the word impressive at least 5 times in this video, because that's the truth. Thanks for sharing, I really appreciate the comments. I learn more from you guys than I do the actual videos in most cases.

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

We are extremely fortunate, even after the silver tin and copper were all extracted the ancient geology of the islands, the rocks here are some of the oldest on the planet means they have resources of heavy metals vital to future tech but it is in coal where the UK is most rich. The irony of an energy shortage when we sit on top of some of the world's richest and best quality coal fields is not lost on many, especially as the technology to both clean burn coal and capture the co2 from doing so exists. This shows you the corruption and vapidity of our energy strategies. We use too much power to rely on renewable energy wholly. This means nuclear and fossil fuels are essential to modern life. Even though huge investment in clean coal burning technology has happened, the renewable lobby has effectively scuppered this as an option.

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

@@Paul-hl8yg Tin was the lithium of the ancient world, without it there was no Bronze. Without bronze there were no ancient economies. A shipwreck was found on the Greek coast in the 80s, the ship was wrecked around the time of the Battle of Marathon, in the hold were tonnes of tin ingots which analysis indicates were mined in Cornwall. It is perfectly possible that this tin, an essential war supply, was being traded directly between the British Celtic kingdoms and thd Greek cities. Bronze meant armour, helmets and most importantly ship rams and the fittings for the hypozomata, the two great cables that gave the Athenian ships their sea worthiness, flexibility and strength and which were such a huge factor in the capability of their navy, the existence of this tech was a state secret. Without British tin, the Greeks would not have been able to resist the Persian Conquest and history would be very different

[@Paul-hl8yg]

@@HarryFlashmanVC Yes i mentioned tin was needed for bronze. I didn't know about the Greek wreck & yes i agree, that Cornish tin most certainly helped in the history of the Greek civilisation & the progress of Humanity. Had you heard about the Egyptian link? I just cannot remember the book i read & as i previously mentioned, had no luck with online searches. ? The tin ingots on the Egyptian mural & photos of the ingots on the English channel floor were identical. The Egyptians had to have traded tin with us. If have any info or find any, i would be very interested. Fascinating subject.

[@deannebeech5249]

In order to buy a house in some areas you have to get a mining report to determine where coalmines are located in your area. I live in an area where there were mines, though none under my home.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

That's would only be if it is mortgaged. Cash buyers don't have to do any surveys.

[@princessliz6201]

Mining for coal was huge in the Midlands. I'm from Nottinghamshire and the town I'm from and surrounding areas was busy with mining.

[@TABSF1]

Sheffield used to be a mega Steel city, one of the largest in the World. Like Pittsburgh in the US, the industry has been abandoned by not having local or national government support. The UK has had many advantages, and geography is a big one. Former Empire definitely helped a lot. The largest advantage is a diversified market, as stated in the video, if one industry slides it doesn't have much impact on other sectors. A lot of EU countries continue to struggle with limited market scope.

[@winstonchurchill586]

I live in Sheffield

[@lewistaylor1965]

The first native American steel tomahawks were made in Sheffield...It use to be a Royal Navy boarding axe that was made as a multitool for repairs on ships but was quickly discovered by the sailors that the native Americans would trade gold and other things for them as they had no steel...so the Royal Navy bought more of them from Sheffield to trade with the native Americans...check it on wiki

[@digidol52]

The UK is practically made out of coal. It was this vast resource plus the invention of the steam engine that made the industrial revolution possible. So there's a long tradition of mining, almost all of it now discontinued. The tin mining in Cornwall goes back even further.

[@Sophie.S..]

One of the main reasons the Romans invaded us was to gain access to our tin.

[@elunedlaine8661]

Sadly, thanks to politics, most coal mines, steel works and shipyards in the UK were shut down in the 1980s. There's been coal mining here for hundreds of years

[@michael_177]

there's been mining, in general, in what we call the UK today, since ancient times 😁

[@extint3407]

What do you mean sadly? It's good they stopped, look what ot was doing to our land

[@michael_177]

@@extint3407 If it's not economical, and its also bad for the environment too, then yeah. I wouldn't see a reason to continue either.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

@@michael_177 All mining is bad for the environment, but it's vital to human health.

[@michael_177]

@@Robert-cu9bm Mining is not vital to human health. What a foolish statement. You have to be speaking in some kind of broader, general terms or something

[@britbazza3568]

Steve, The UK has a number of livery companies in the city of London these companies are called livery companies the biggest and richest of these livery companies is The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. This company is the sole company that deals in Bullion world wide. The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths actually set up the London Stock Exchange then it actually set up the financial District of Wall Street in the USA basically and intrinsically having direct links to the American Economy and Markets. The UK still has these links also. This generating a massive income from the markets and from Bullion Also the UK has a company that has its HQ in London that owns all the diamond mines in Africa this company is called De Beers Diamond Merchants and keeps a very tight reign on the selling mining and distribution of the world's diamond markets

[@MrsMillwall]

Was born and live in London, couldn't live anywhere else, makes me feel alive!

[@lotuselise4432]

Yeah but a Millwall supporter ;o))))))

[@MrsMillwall]

@@lotuselise4432 and?

[@lotuselise4432]

@@MrsMillwall as miserable as a West Ham supporter..........

[@MrsMillwall]

@@lotuselise4432 am not miserable but thanks for asking ✌️

[@CarlBland-cv5zo]

It's a foreign infested dump

[@louisemiller3784]

Really enjoying your posts Steve 👍

[@gdok6088]

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in London, England is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This was set as 00:00 hours historically, specifically to give London the advantage of being able to trade monetarily with markets in both the East and West time zones.

[@differous01]

GMT became necessary once trains connected the country; towns had previously set their clocks by the local sun dial, but this meant travelling west you could arrive at time you set out.

[@gdok6088]

@@differous01 That's very interesting. Thanks for the information :)

[@penfold9540]

As has been said above it gave a standard time for the UK. But more importantly it was a huge bonus to seafarers. Latitude was relatively easy to determine, longitude not. There were many proposed solutions, one of which was various star charts to be used depending on the time of year- this one came from sir isaac newton. However, the real breakthrough came when Harrison (I believe) invented a reliable clock, vital to determine your longitude. Newton rubbished this idea because it showed how complicated and shitty his idea was, especially with cloud cover. A powerful figure in the Royal Observatory he had the ear of the king, but common sense prevailed. Also why ships had hour clocks that are tended to 24/7, cheaper. Lots of ships not many clocks, all being handmade. So basically GMT (longitude) was not created to trade monetarily with east and west. That trade didn't exist att, it would take weeks to get to the Americas and months to get to the east.

[@gdok6088]

@@penfold9540 Very interesting - thanks for the deeper insights :)

[@penfold9540]

@@gdok6088 not a problem at all, history has always been a thing of mine. I recommend to read the book "Longitude", not a huge book but absolutely fascinating.

[@JonsTunes]

I'm 47 and lived mostly in the country. I'm really surprised by the agriculture figure.

[@jeanlind7540]

Farmland is just turning into housing estates!!

[@Codex7777]

You probably didn't think about natural resources, because it's not whay you picture when you here, 'the UK economy'. Most people, upon hearing those words think finance, culture, multimedia and the arts, energy, tourism defence and aerospace. :)

[@philipc2025]

Hi Steve. In the video they mentioned a conservatory but never actually showed one. A conservatory is basically a greenhouse extention to a house. It consists of a low brick wall approximately knee high, or a little higher. On that are erected glass walls and ceiling. It will have windows you can open. Ideal for enjoying winter sunshine. When it's too cold outside you can sit in sunshine and benefit from greenhouse effect. My mum's comes off the kitchen and has one side as a solid wall where the washing machine and dryer are, with a fridge freezer alongside.

[@KernowWella]

In a previous video you mentioned learning more about Cornwall. Cornwall was famous for its tin mines, it has been found in bronze age weapons and tools as far away as Syria. It has been going on so long here that if you buy a house in Cornwall now, you must have a mine survey done to get a mortgage. It is some of the purest tin quality in the world which was the downfall of the industry when cheaper tin was found in other countries. It is also well known for the China Clay which is used in almost everything ever manufactured from fine porcelain to make-up. It's the white powder you see in electrical cable insulation. The Duchy of Cornwall is scarred by the remnants of these industries

[@rachelpenny5165]

I grew up on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. We would frequently drive past Wheel Betsy, an old tin mine. I heard that Cornwall is good for lithium as well. I live further up country now but still miss Dartmoor. Take care and best wishes

[@johnfrancismaglinchey4192]

You should also have a look at DUBLIN,,,,, Still in the EU,,, And the only English Speaking economy legroom inside the block also AMERICAN destination of choice for Technical investment.

[@snowmansid]

Great reaction videos. I do like the way you let the story run and comment afterwards. So many reaction videos are stop/start all the way through, totally destroying the storyline.

[@LAGoodz]

I work for a global US Financial company here in London, we have presence in every major city around the world with 30k employees. You won’t get a job at my firm if you don’t speak/write English. It truly is the International language of business.

[@eddiec1961]

We used to mine and manufacture a lot of things many years ago but not so much now

[@Tony2438]

The Indural revlution starting in the UK without a coal industry it would never have happened

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

The UK is actually really self reliant on agriculture (overall compared to most countries) but it isn't particularly profitable or a growth area. We don't export many crops/grains etc. But the key to our agriculture is to be self sufficient. We have tons of agriculture everywhere, it's just not exported much that's all. Literally all the meat in the UK you buy in supermarkets? It's almost all UK based.

[@ladygardener100]

Most fruit and veg is imported, we have very little except milk and meat, wheat to feed livestock is often imported

[@0KiteEatingTree0]

If we were self reliant we would;dnt have imported fruit, veg and meats so freely available in our supermarkets. We lost that self sufficient ethos around 50 years ago..

[@otterman3]

As for farming the UK is small so certain areas of the land will be used for arable farming and the rest say valley floors and hills will be used for grazing and sheep farming.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

Don't tell the vegans that, they like to claim livestock takes X amount more land than veggies and we should grow veggies there instead of sheep. They don't understand how farming works.

[@JJ-of1ir]

'How did the Industrial Revolution Actually Happen?' (11 mins 39sec) might be worth a watch. It will give you a few answers about how we are a major economy!

[@bwilson5401]

Back in the day,Britain was the biggest exporter of coal and tin. Also you should remember that 2 world wars bankrupted Britain. And yet in 78 years we're still here.

[@h-Qalziel]

While London is currently ranked 2nd, there are two other cities in the top 100 largest financial centres; Edinburgh (ranked 21st in the world) and Glasgow (ranked 52nd in the world).

[@antonymash9586]

To be fair to the politicians they didnt sell or off shore the factories; the industires where more than happy to do that themselves. You could say that they should have provented it but they bowed to presure... from the industries themselves. Its not really a good thing but lay the blame where it belongs. Dont worry, there i more than enough to go round.

[@geekexmachina]

So to illustrate about 53% of the uks wealth is owned by 10% of the population and 21% of that is owned by the top 1%. So the distribution is very tilted. the Economy is a really touchy subject at the moment, given we just had a PM nearly crash the economy and and a new PM who is likely to make to make a lot of people a lot poorer on thursday. There is a lot of planned Industrial Action ahead. Speaking of which The UKs mining industry was one of the things that made the industrial revolution possible. The UK miners strikes in the 70s and 80s were a big thing nationally, there are a number of famous british films featuring mining towns.

[@Jamienomore]

I understand you like the Bag Pipes. Have you ever heard of a Scottish Band called, 'The Red Hot Chilli Pipers'? You should hear their version of Queen's Fat Bottom Girls. Or, We Will Rock You/Eye Of The Tiger. Check them out on KZbin. You will love them.

[@reactingtomyroots]

They have an awesome name. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Jamienomore]

@@reactingtomyroots You will really like them. It's not like the things you heard before.

[@comop-ew7wv]

Hey! Great channel, really enjoy the content. You should look up the history of the british empire and its dark relationship with India. Its an eye opener which is conveniently muted from its history and education system. It will explain how a 'tiny island' became as wealthy

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Our agricultural sector is in a poor place, we haven't been able to feed ourselves since the mid 1800s due to population size. Like everywhere else, we have some food cost inflation and the govt is so incompetent they are still paying farmers to 'naturalise' their land. This is absurd, the Islands lost their natural habitats over the last 4000 years, even the bare hills of the Scottish Highlands are man made. To return Great Britain to its natural habitat would mean flooding vast areas which were drained 1000 years ago.

[@SteabhanMacGR2]

The UK might be rich in terms of assets but the national debt is a joke... im sure we spend more on interest payments than we do on the NHS

[@Stand663]

The NHS is badly run and inefficient.

[@loopywren]

Greenwich time zone... we created this not far out of London. Hard work was impressed on us from a young age especially when I was young in the 50s and 60s.

[@paulwright9749]

What it didn’t say is that the U.K. also has astronomical overseas investments!

[@kevgriff25121]

For farming its cheaper bay food from out side uk see clarkson farm Season 1 he made £140 profit for the year

[@barryhall7]

That union jack was upside down

[@joeking4206]

Tbh mining is pretty much dead here nowadays. Margaret Thatcher in the 80s went to war with the miners unions who, to be fair, were very quick to go on strike whenever there was dispute over pay and conditions. Although, the management looked on the miners as lower-class oiks who should have been greateful for a job. Result: disaster. All coal mines gone forever with very few exceptions where there are very high quality deposits (quite rare). Limestone, granite and cement is still very much in world demand though

[@jmum189]

Mining, Rio Tinto, missing off the top 100 list despite making over $100 bill per annum. Maybe because its joint owned with the Aussies.

[@Ironage99]

I do like your channel.

[@tribaltalker1608]

The British Empire of 150 years ago controlled much of the planet. Basically we exploited vast chunks of the world and left behind our language and legal system. As you can imagine, this is a very mixed legacy. Having invented and developed much of what became known as the "industrial revolution" the empire was very successful at trading and financial control but slowly broke down. World War II was the last gasp for the empire.

[@karenblackadder1183]

We actually controlled almost one quarter of the world. Nowhere near most of it.

[@tribaltalker1608]

@@karenblackadder1183 I wrote "much" not "most".

[@Robert-cu9bm]

Industrial revolution and colonisation has been a benefit to billions of people.

[@ninamoores]

Perhaps you should balance your ‘exploitation’ comment by adding that we also gave a great deal more than our language and legal system.

[@ninamoores]

Sorry but whoever is voicing the video is a bit too woke for my taste.

[@demonic_myst4503]

we dont exsport agriculture and gdp is based on exports britain makes enough in agriculture to suply its own population but it doesnt exsport that

[@demonic_myst4503]

we do have alot firtile ground and more than half the land is farm land its just we dont sell that to other countries food grown the uk is for the british

[@PeterJPickles]

Mines... We had the industrial revolution over here in England before anyone, guess why..... MINES :)

[@curlew-3592]

I’m sure these videos are showing you that although we are a small nation we are an extremely complex one 😁🇬🇧🌷

[@pershorefoodbanktrusselltr3632]

The UK is small compared to the USA, but it’s still 250,000 sq km in land mass and 1,500 km north to south, with 30,000 km of coastline. It would take you 6 weeks to walk one end to the other. It’s not a tiny rock. It’s 3x the size of Maine.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

It is tiny.

[@felixhenson9926]

One thing I'm seeing in this comment section is that everyone from the UK can name an industry their town in associated with. I know I can, being from Manchester and Lancashire, both were very much mill towns! Nowadays I could tell you that BooHoo operates out of where my family live, and that where I live is a market and tourism town. I could say that Liverpool was known for its docks or that Birmingham used to produce chains and London is the centre of banking.

[@truckerfromreno]

UK has 43% of the world's finance going through London - Wow. Mining coal made the industrial revolution, of course there's lots of mining.

[@joannacurran8475]

Politicians do not send jobs overseas,workers and shoppers do as the former want higher wages, hence higher costs, the customers want cheap c.......

[@HereticDuo]

i think we need a new scale for global wealth because the current one is broken by billionaires. the most billionaires live in the US and i think that is artificially inflating the "average wage" because I've spoken to my working class counterparts in the US and i always seem to have more disposable income in any given instance then they do. we need to start looking at the average household income of ONLY working class citizens because when you take the 1% out of the equation Americans come off as pretty poor compared to western European countries doing the same jobs.

[@michaelhart895]

We are the 5th richest/ largest economy with a debt of £2.3 trillion , how’s that work ?

[@Atomic_cheddar]

Just finished watching the whole video they are not wrong about people wanting to move to London I've been I wanted to do that for years

[@dlarge6502]

I stay away, great for a visit but living there would take a special type of person.

[@burntcrumpets5616]

Shame to say but LDN is a bit of a dump. I lived there most of my life apart from a few yrs spent in Melbourne as a kiddy. I upped & left LDN three yrs ago & relocated to the southwest. It's bliss in comparison to LDN. Would never go back to live. I never felt safe.

[@burntcrumpets5616]

@@Atomic_cheddar Melbourne is a wonderful city. One of if not the best OZ has to offer. Do yourself a favour & stay put in Melbourne. LDN was also a great place but no longer. I now live in the home of cheddar......Somerset just down the rd from Glastonbury. It's amazing! Come here instead. You'd love it! P.S. just face timed my godmother in Melbourne a few hrs ago. She told me the price of a lettuce there....shocking!!!

[@Atomic_cheddar]

@@burntcrumpets5616 perhaps I should clear things up I'm bored in Australia generally I don't care where I go in England just don't want to stay here specifically

[@burntcrumpets5616]

@@Atomic_cheddar well...if you like old things, like REALLY OLD things then you'd be in your element. If you do still have your heart set on seeing LDN i suggest doing an awful lot of research first. LDN is a very hostile & fast pasted city. I hope your rich too as LDN is insanely expensive. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

[@sharonmartin4036]

The UK has tons of agriculture, but most of it is used to make the country self-sufficient and not for export or foreign currency profit.

[@archiebald4717]

Britain made the modern world mate. We even tell you what time it is!

[@matthewjames6762]

As of 7th of November 2022 u.k is the 5th biggest economy in the world with u.s first China second Japan third Germany fourth and u.k fifth. India only recently took over France to become sixth in world

[@davieboy45123]

How is the "uk" so rich? me in Scotland-😂

[@karenblackadder1183]

In Britain we have strict animal welfare laws. Most farms are family run. In northern England, Scotland and Wales, most sheep live on a haeft system which means sheep are free to wander where they will. The ewes know where to find grazing, water and shelter. They then teach their lambs who go on to teach their own lambs. Unlike the US, British farmers care about their stock. Regular use of antibiotics and growth hormones are illegal. Many farmers have slow maturing NATIVE BREEDS, which seem to live on little more than fresh air. Farming in the US is appalling. Squash as many animals as you can into a small space and slaughter as quickly as possible. So glad I can buy my meat and eggs from a local Farmers' Market.

[@missyjet5177]

Just come and live here 😂😂😂😂

[@shanecostello9614]

The debt ratio sounds worrying for America the uk is similar so probably has about the same debt ratio maybe more because all Benefits u get here & NHS spend

[@The_Butler_Did_It]

2:30 the flag is upside down.

[@lth1072]

I enjoy watching my country through the eyes on an American. My sister has lived in the States for 25 yrs. But she knows more about Simon Cowell or Beyonce than the GDP of a nation 😄

[@jeanlind7540]

We have no farmland anymore, it’s all housing estates.

[@johnhignett7707]

due to Bexit we are now 6th and sliding down fast

[@tompiper9276]

Yup, though covid muddied the waters.

[@alchristie5112]

London is the place to live…. Err, no thanks. Give me a a rural location any day - can travel to city when needed, then get out again :)

[@Littleduck192]

We do have a lot of land unfortunately our farmers are screwed by the EU

[@astral276]

The Union Flag at 2:31is being flown upside-down. 😡

[@syttt7925]

And then we did Brexit!!!!

[@katydaniels508]

Can someone explain to me in the comments the agriculture GDP please? Because over 70% of our landmass is agricultural. I’m genuinely surprised and have very limited knowledge about it. Thank you in advance 😁

[@karenblackadder1183]

Much of it is only fit for livestock. Thankfully many farmers are now rearing native, slow maturing breeds.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Some commenters have been saying that the UK generally produces plenty of food for the UK people, but doesn't export much. With a relatively small land mass compared to the population it makes sense to keep that food at home and rely on other sectors to boost the GDP.

[@AJ-wt5zy]

In the 80's i believe we were self sufficient with produce at 80% for the UK now with all the changes and imports over the years I believe its as low as 40% but I don't know for sure... but it makes me think...

[@katydaniels508]

Thanks. I had thought is was due to low export, we eat what we grow. It’s good to hear from people with actual experience of this sector 😁

[@Robert-cu9bm]

@@AJ-wt5zy I've seen Gov ads from just after ww2 and they were saying uk needs to manufacture and export because we can grow enough food for the population. If you can't grow the food to sell the only options is find other things you can do you can buy the food.

[@iankeel7914]

The problem with the Republican party and the Conservative party in thge UK is, they focus on "Short term gain, to give long term pain", they only look to how they might get voted in one time more, instead of creating long term growth to everyone within the nation.

[@demonic_myst4503]

between 2010 and 2019 britain was the second bigest arms exsporter after america in the entire world that aerospace they mention is combat jets uk componies also own the rights to the abrams tank usa use and develop its own weapons the sa80 neing just one the eurofighter typhoon is britosh made and exsported in 2019 britain had to stop exporting aerospace vehicles to soudi arabia which made up 60% of britains arms sales due to the fact most of the jets and bombs used by saudi arabia against yeman were british made this got us in trouble when the court of apeals deemed this as contributing to a humanitarian crisis. edit checking 2022 numbers britain is still the second bigest arms exsporter especialy by aerospace technology including its subsectors britains rapiudly growing comcercial space industry, helicopters, jets, unmanned aircrafts and engines

[@demonic_myst4503]

40% of all small satylites in orbit are british made, by 2030 britain will own about 10% of all space exsports uk has a spave engine and populsion testing ground and is just finishing up some space ports helicopters britain makes its own air ambulences and police choppers ontop of militery choppers and comercial choppers as 99% of its ofshore oil and gass stations get delivery by helicopter , ontop of that britain alongside norway handles air delivery for 11 europian countries off shore oil and gass in the north sea drones well even interegated into law since 2019 you can get a drone operation licence and domestic produced drones are slowly being integrated into the economy with hopes of having search and rescue, emergency operations and delivery drones by 2030 as common sights jet wise britain has been developing some the best jets since the invention of jets the american f35lighting was actualy a joint creation of america and britain and britain is now working on a type 6 fighter called the tempest with some joint work from japan on its radar systems its being developed by bae who also were involved with the f35b and the typhoon and historicaly created the spitfire

[@mickt3390]

We have no land left everything is imported,,,our climate limits wat we can grow ,,,WERE OVERUN WITH IMMIGRANTS it Sucks been a brit right now ,,,,,,were smaller than california,,,,,and have more problems with worse weather lol

[@11nephilim]

While the UK might historically have had a strong economy, being the birthplace of industrialisation, it's currently being horribly mismanaged. Food bank use is at an all time high, homelessness is on the rise, old people can't afford to heat their homes, nurses are taking real-world pay cuts after getting us through the worst disaster since WWII. Our infrastructure and public services are being strip mined and sold off. It's a shit show and it's only getting worse.

[@1971efc]

And now you know why the EU burst into tears and spat their dummy out when we left 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@michaels640]

A lot of Britain is hilly so in those areas; sheep - not very profitable.

[@harag9]

The main thing I hate about the the video he's reacting to is that the money values are all in dollars - should be in UK pounds as he's talking about the UK.

[@pipercharms7374]

India has now surpassed us, we have dropped down to 7th as far as I'm aware but thats still pretty good in my opinion considering there are 197 countries in the world :) Though to be honest recently its been a shxt show, I do think we can improve but only once we kick the conservatives out, though our next general election is 2025, feels such a long way away (Cries) I'm hoping the prime minister will call a snap general election but very unlikely since they know they might loose.

[@shelleyphilcox4743]

@Piper charms UK in 2022 is currently cited as being 5th and 6th depending on the source. The UK and India are seperated by relatively small differences on a total GDP basis.

[@malaika2940]

There is actually a website called the UK National debt clock - it spins at a terrifying rate as the UK debt increases at roughly £5,170 per second!!

[@daviel6595]

It's dodgy Russian rubles make up gdp

[@stardate1956]

I think the UK debt is just over 2 trillion pounds.

[@stevebagnall1553]

Actually over three trillion

[@demonic_myst4503]

classing free market asd damaging and not used in any country developmenty is ignorant when the main examples are america on that america took adam smiths free market policies back beforew any country took him serously

[@iangrumpypirate568donovan3]

Japan is more impressive being a small country.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

But it's long, apparently being thick is better.

[@seansmith445]

London is way too diverse.

[@iangrumpypirate568donovan3]

Unfortunately the choice of video is not teaching you the reality of life in the UK.

[@peterw4867]

We have fertile ground but we have what's called The Green Belt, which kept land free of housing to save enough land to grow crops in the WW2. One of the posters in WW2 showed "Dig For Britain" as a slogan to encourage people to grow their own vegetables on plots of land called allotments. Rationing was in place to ensure more luxury goods like meat were available if you had enough coupons. Clothing was also rationed and people sent The Queen their coupons for her dress that had to be returned. Check out the Winsford Salt Mine... It's huge! The aberfanwy disaster in Wales killed many children as the mine slipped into a school. GMT - Greenwich Mean Time is the point that all global time is measured. It's where the Cutty Sark ship is based in dry dock and home to the National Maritime Museum.

[@Walesbornandbred]

How old is this video?? We're not rich anymore, if you listen to the Tory Government. It was even suggested by one of them that we pay for the NHS when the working population already pays National Insurance tax!! Too many people, not enough jobs. Not to mention the people living on the streets because there aren't enough houses. I pass them every morning on the way to work. A country is not rich until all it's citizen have homes and can pay their bills, not just the elite rich. Our country is not rich by any stretch of the imagination no matter what you may read. Propaganda. Yes they sold out our manufacturing industry too it is a shadow of what it once was. In lots of whats what going on in your country is similar to ours but just on a larger scale. When are not quite in a recession but we are very close the government have already admitted the economy is not grown. Inflation is 11%, the railway workers, nurses, doctors, teachers, ambulance workers, even juniour lawyers have been striking for more money.

[@nickmontague8936]

Uk Debt to GDP 85.4% of GDP (2019)

[@daviel6595]

Rich haha we get screwed by tory government

[@ElizabethDebbie24]

HI STEVE DEBRA HERE FROM SOUTH WALES UK I live in the Welsh Valleys and up until the 1980s coal mining was the main industry in the Welsh Valleys, we we famous the world over for the quality of the coal we produced and the amount. Where I live we had 7-8 coal mines (now sadly all gone) and we also had a great manufacturing industry as well (sadly all gobe as well) where I live there were around a dozen factories producing everything from toilet rolls, porcelain, make-up, clothing, car parts, book binders, and of course the pits and steelworks., so I well understand that we are big hitters in the worlds economy. Sadly all that has now gone from the Valleys and we look the worse for it. You need to find a film regarding the Welsh Coal industry it was mega up until the 1980s, I won't get into the politics if it, as it could start a very big argument especially between the English and the Welsh.

[@reactingtomyroots]

That's interesting. I'll see if I can find something about the old Welsh coal industry. It's sad when all the factories of a town close down, I've seen it so many times here in the US.

[@rachelpenny5165]

Hi Debra, My grandmother's father (and family) moved from Devon to Wales to work in the mines. Grandma moved back to Devon when she got married. When I was a child mum still had an aunt that lived in Gwent. I visited Swansea when applying to various universities in 1991. Take care and best wishes

[@Anglo_Saxon1]

Let's not forget where global time starts and ends; That's Greenwich Meantime Such a small country doesn't gain that sort of clout by accident

[@alanridout315]

England is no longer a 'green and pleasant land' our farmland is fast disappearing. We are overpopulated and building houses everywhere, yet we still take more people from overseas.

[@adambattersby8934]

Around 90-95% of England's land area is countryside.

[@nigelpilgrim4232]

We traditionally have in the past been self sufficient in agriculture & fisheries industry's but by in the euro-union !! it's them that restricted it agriculture & eu dictated what & where the European countries that allowed to fish in our British territory waters & put British fishermen out of work !!

[@missyjet5177]

Middle Eastern countries are the richest

[@2opler]

London is France`s tenth largest city.

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

Lived in London all my life. But the inequality is getting ridiculous, the expense for traditional communities is beyond our realm. I'm ready to move outwards because it isn't the London I love anymore. It used to be an incredible place to visit and live... Now for the average person (not the super rich or greedy) it is a wonderful place to visit and most definitely not settle in. The rest of the UK now has so much to offer too that it's now becoming more viable to the younger population. Basically fuck all these foreign investors who buy all the property and leave it empty... You've wrecked this place for the needy and the real people who live here.

[@0KiteEatingTree0]

Had to leave London, as nowhere to live. Telford's, not a bad place overall.. Although the whole country is... well.. yeah..

[@harrypauley2646]

Hi mate, watch some videos on the mining strikes in Nottingham when thatcher was prime minister.. it’s a key part of English history and although it was decades ago it still effects the mining towns around Nottingham today, would be a good watch!

[@karenblackadder1183]

There were many areas of Britain where miners were on strike. Wrongly in my opinion. Arthur Scargill was a self serving twerp. He certainly didn't suffer throughout the strike. In Northern England we only have 2 things left. Tourism and livestock. Thankfully, most of our farms are small family run farms, many of which are in either the Lake District or Yorkshire Dales National Parks. Many of these farmers rear slow maturing, free ranging native breeds . These breeds spend most of their lives roaming free and living off the land, much of which is rough grazing. It sometimes seems our native British breeds can live on little more than fresh air!!

[@finwilliams4550]

@@karenblackadder1183 It was the biggest industry in Wales. What would you expect thousands of fathers who had no alternative to do? Just accept being forced into poverty without making a stand? He may well have been self serving but those men were not. The most self serving people have always been in governments.

[@truckerfromreno]

@@finwilliams4550 Scargill should have had a ballot. He treated Nottingham miners terribly. But that's the far left for you.

[@angelavara4097]

If you knew how people struggle over here then you may change your mind,we have illegals coming from other countries every day,they are given free housing and the people born here are struggling.

[@Boggin_]

^voted Leave

[@andrewtwinam8528]

@@Boggin_ Nothing to do with Brexit. What happened in 2020 with people flipping their lids on "we need to lockdown etc" made the government spend money on supporting peoples wages, and now add to these people begging for help with their bill but will not alter their budget, you get a financial situation that is unsustainable. The government has spent money that now needs to be paid back, quite simple really!

[@mark.r]

@@Boggin_ most of us in the UK did and? We wanted more control of our borders, nothing wrong with that we are an island that can’t cope with illegals entering the country daily

[@Boggin_]

@@mark.r Yeah we did all want it, great to see everyone still thinks that way and Brexit was all it promised to be lmao

[@mark.r]

@@Boggin_ I never said we wasn’t sold a lie

[@primalengland]

I’m 68 and was brought in the industrial northwest, in a town relying on cotton mills and coal mines. All gone, now. Good thing is, I now live out in the countryside.

[@jeanlind7540]

Which is disappearing before our eyes!!!

[@primalengland]

@@jeanlind7540 Sadly true. My KZbin channel tries to love the countryside like I do.

[@primalengland]

@@jeanlind7540 Sadly true. My KZbin channel tries to love the countryside like I do.