andyh wrote:
Unfortunately I,d say you are on the money digitally speaking But I am currently trying to remove myself from that impact as much as possible, by things I am doing now , as in skills ect. I,m not about to wait until that day dawns to realise I,ve left it too late.

gris

Any society that becomes wealthy via the debt monster and the becomes reliant on its survival via the debt moster versus their labour is on the last rungs of that current empire are doomed to failure.

Then add the new paradigm the digital debt monster and you become surplus to the profit monster memtality that drives in the nails to everyones coffins pilled high and waiting for the digital drought the same fat controllers have just created in order that you cannot compete.

The dole is equivalent to around 1.80 per hour and the tenfold profits that the corporations are making from the cheap labour enables them to put out the new workforce to grass basically, the forerunners of fortune are basicallt owned and being mothballed until such times are needed to work for the same nothing to recieve that nothing.

The recent tesco trial working sceme was basically that a trial but it came too early because the people are still not hungry enough to take iy on board, but be warned they will do it again nothings so sure they will.

Thanks to the apprentice and gris for considered and informative replies to my last post. I take what you're both saying although I'm not sure that I see things quite as you do. I think that the tradition of passing on traditional skills is alive and well. although granted not as widespread as it obviously once was. With regard to woodland management/ tree surgery for example, when I take a look at the average crew, there'll usually be a youngun on the ground and then slightly older chaps in the harnesses. Most harnessed up chaps I see are below around 45 years old. I rarely see people of my father's generation involved in this kind of work and I think the skills are strong in the 'younger' generations. Coppicing and polarding aren't rocket science, I taught many young lads the basics of coppicing when I worked in an EBD school. Those that could be arsed, grasped it fairly readily and would be able to apply what they learnt to this day I'm sure.

Don't get me wrong, some country skills have certainly got less and less held and practised. This is a terrible shame. I'd say though that I've witnessed a resurgence in a lot of them over my adult life and am actually quite encouraged by that. I know an excellent local wheelwright for example who is now only in his mid 30's. His work is just stunning. Of course, if skills are lost from a community it is very hard for them to be regained. Not impossible though. I think amongst the youth that I do see an interest in learning things other than PS3 controls. My eldest boy who is now 15 is one of the best tree climbers I've seen (and is very useful to me as a result ), is a longbow man, is doing well on learning the hedgerow plants, knows how to lay a hedge and coppice, is becoming a reasonable woodworker and has suggested he'd like to come work with me when he leaves school. My other two are only as far behind as their age dictates. This I find great

I think there are plenty of reasons to have a positive eye on the future of skills

dubmeup wrote:
That was me that was! One of the best cash in hand jobs I had in an odd way. All the climbers I worked with weren't much older than myself either. The 'older' climbers I came across tended to have gone the root of taking lads on and 'managing' them.

Sorry for that brief reminisce.

As you were.

If your talking about wheelwright Greg Rowland of Colyton he was taught by his father and are of the very best men in their field or are you talking about another of us wrights.

The skills that I am fluent in are of the most important like footware and clothing and mechanical engineering, things that most of us use in our daily lives. The other important factor is having the ability to teach these skills in house pro bono, this is what we have been doing for the last decade.

Amy governmental scheme does not produce the goods compared to the private individual sector and my freinds training scheme takes students from the former and has to start all over again.
dubmeup wrote:

The Apprentice wrote: Agreed that aren't too many that can make a fine pair of workboots like yourself, I'd say the ability to make clothes though is pretty darned widespread Classic engineering certainly has taken a downturn, hand in hand with the de-industrialisation of Britain. There are still plenty doing it though. There's even a small firm in our nearest big village that I could go to if I wanted say a set of wheel spacers milling for me. Likewise there are firms in the area that make gates, cattle handling equipment etc. Those skills are still going strong. Literally everyone around here grows food to some degree so that skill box is checked. I don't see an awful lot of governmental involvement in things around here but I'm not saying it doesn't happen. I'm sure that the average small businessman/woman will take whatever they can get that helps to keep the business going.

If we strip things back to the essentials of food, clothes and shelter, out here in the country I can see no reason whatsoever to be concerned. Our urban friends I couldn't really comment on as I kind of do my best to stay clear nowadays

It is the urbanites that worry me, in our area thete are very few who even own a sewing machine let alone know how to use one, of all oir neighbours we are the only one who has them, the next door 30 something single mother has never seen a potatoe peeling all of her life, she simply could not survive a drought including men.

www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://www.youtub...k0byNlTqsvONjDRFj0Mw
dubmeup wrote:

The Apprentice wrote:
Now stuff like that, I am scared by!

What myself and a few others intend on doing is to set up a school of traditional crafts for those who want them, finding a suitable venue has been the only problem, the knowledge and the teachers are right here as is all the tooling and work models.

It needs to be done without any government involvement and all their regulational and stifling paperwork, the teachers are their own admin and do everything that is needed, nobody not doing anything.
Purely manufacturing using older traditional machinery in many places.

The Apprentice wrote:
Well you wont go far wrong with a donkey I must say. Sweet. Will you be bringing the ould grey mare out of retirement.

gris...

Yes we have two ratchet types built to my own design which come to pieces for storage, the benches are English Elm I collected as the trees lost their leaves over several years using a sellection of chainsaw mills I made. You cannot easily get this timber nowadays like we used to.

Traditional skills have dissapered so fast over the years since the late seventies that its hard to find anyone with a 100 miles radius that is still using them for earning a living, there are a few hobbyists but not on our scope for the types that save huge amounts of cash. Over the last two years alone we have using a majority of recycled materials like new shaked PSE pines we have managed to save in the region of almost 20 grand using the skills, there are some local mechanics in our area who just earn that amount before tax and need an array of tools of a similar price like my own snap-on collection gathered over the last 20years.

In my 45 years working life I have probably done more that several life times ever try to do and boy are they certainly coming in handy today.

But with like minded watchers and teachers we will keep the life skills home fires burning, what I am sure of Gris is, we are now becoming sought after when the reality of what is happening as we speak.

I am only one man and have taught more students that some fairly large firms of late and proud of every one.

Keep the faith, ignore those who think they know and carry on doing what one knows works.

Anything else is going to take everything you have ever worked for if you cannot diversify.

Griswald wrote:

Griswald wrote:
Thoughtful and Insightful Griswald,
I do sir, which is why I only choose in-country, mid-line transit as my preferred investment. It's the pipes that are contracted, not volume.

Domestic natural gas, cement, asphalt, and yes, petroleum (mostly N. America) are transited in country.

I'm not out to get rich, just have what I need later on.

The Apprentice wrote:
Well said...