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Loss making and inefficient industries, not precious silverware. Often dead ducks that cost the taxpayers a fortune.
Producing cars that didnt work, steel that even subsidised no-one wanted to buy except to build merchant ships for Poland, in subsidised shipyards so these subsidised Polish ships, could compete with unsubsidised British Merchant Navy ships. Just one reason for the shinking of our merchant fleet...
Then of course, there was the first privatisation, the NFC. Sold to its employees (including me at the time) making losses for the Government paid for by the taxpayer, turned around by its employees to a profit making tax paying company.
Then there was BT which, when it had a monopoly of the telephone service, you had to wait 6 weeks for a phone (usually black, big, with dial - unless you paid extra for a trimphone...remember those?).
Remember 34p basic rate tax to pay for it all and top rates at 85p. Remember 29% inflation.
Yes, those were the days.
There can be no comparison with the sale of gold.