1992 referendum on the UK joining the EU...

I don't disagree regarding the Empire but the question is would they have wanted to leave had they been treated differently, had they been treated as equals and not as subordinate. I lived through most of the turmoil and saw enough of the turmoil that broke up the empire. Strangely, I think thgere's a good deal of the empire, particularly thirld world, who might think they went from the frying pan into the fire.

Yes skilled labour was short but in some cases, like construction, they couldn't wait to demob them, and even then their housing program fell well short of promises. The sad thing was that in addition to keeping pewople in the services thay continued with widespread conscription, depleting the poptential workforce still more.

What happened in that immediate post-war period still affects this country.

Industry was in an excellent condition after the war how else could British equipment and ammunition's have been fed to British forces. The question is why did the industrialists, the rich and the captains of industry waste their opportunity to flourish. 

__"Clement Attlee became British Prime Minister in 1945. During the ensuing six years under his leadership, the nation was transformed from a wartime economy on the brink of bankruptcy to a prosperous and more egalitarian society. A serious, modest, and patriotic man, Attlee is heralded as one of the greatest Prime Ministers of the 20th century for his economic and social reforms, creation of the modern welfare state, and effective style of leadership. Attlee’s socialist policies focused on the fundamental needs of society, delivered by a supportive government where Attlee played the role of leader of a diversified and representative cabinet."__

 buffinfoundation.org/britains-post-ww2-economic-recovery-profiles-in-leadership-clement-attlee/#:~:text=The%20Attlee%20government%E2%80%99s%20commitment%20to%20reducing%20income%20inequality,iron%2C%20steel%2C%20railways%2C%20and%20the%20Bank%20of%20England.

You won't be able to talk with any of the average adults who suffered under the atrocious conditions that existed before the war.

My point was that the industrial opportunity was there. According to what I've read in the past the Industrialist etc. thought they could plod along in their old way and did not recognise the threat from other countries that had no option but to rebuild their industries. 
The UK had an open market in other countries in which to sell cars, they sold inferior cars that gradually lost the market preference. Meanwhile Germany were building car producing factories in other countries. 

I think the first part of your post was true of the likes of Germany and France. 

I haven't checked but I've been told in the past that there was a major war roughly every 25 years.

This post is more in the line of a PS.

Apprentices would be expected to start their apprenticeship at age 16, and were not conscripted until they were 21 years of age, by which time they would be expected to have completed their apprenticeship. 

Link please to back that accusation against John Major

Because if you're referring to his April 1993 speech it's not what he said.