Is it too late to turn the uk around?

Indeed, but even more recently than that, in my lifetime we had the miners strikes, 3 day week, IRA bombings, serious concern over nuclear war.

The NHS might be struggling, but go back say to the 1970s, if you were diagnosed with cancer, then your chances were a lot slimmer under the NHS then than the NHS now, and if you had mental health problems they popped you in the local mental hospital for a few weeks (my grandmother had depression in the late 70's, for her trouble got two weeks in the "bin" as it was called and they hooked her up to the mains, in her words, it put her off being depressed)

I think none of this will matter as we are at a great risk of running out of tap water. Since Margaret Thatcher privatised the water industry in 1989, there have been no completed reservoirs built. The UK population has increased approximately by 12.8 million since then.

OP, you haven't put much of an opinion or a case forward for why you think things are so bad. Are you sure you're well informed enough to come to such a strong opinion? I think it might be worth you really testing out whether what you think is true. It would be a shame to hold such a negative position based on little deep thinking and reflection.

I know, AI just puts words together. It all depends on the information you give it.
But, if you have 1000 peer revised publications on the best way to build a particular type of battery, AI can put them together in a brief in seconds. And make sense!
So, if you are an expert in batteries, you must read the 1000 papers yourself. If you are just putting together a few words because you have used said battery, you can use AI and get an expert to just read it.
That is my view.
We should not use it to write an assay, or instructions for something new or that you are learning. But you can use it to shorten the time invested in finding information you need and that is well known to other, in the net. So well published and researched, for example.
It is more in use each day. Really, it translates to supercomputers that can piece together information in a few seconds.
But, if we are going to use it, why not making our own, secured with our own codes, rather than paying someone else, who will hold the codes and updates?

No it’s bullshit. On cancer surgery day in the ward, the only patient sent home after waiting all day was the one that needed an interpreter. Forget GPs, can you imagine going to hospital at 7am for cancer surgery and having to wait until 7pm only to be told no surgery for you because your English is too poor for us to be sure you have really consented? And the staff didn’t lift a finger to get an interpreter so they were struggling to get one by themselves on their phone all day, only to be told hah hah it has to be an official NHS interpreter.

This is one incident I witnessed, as I was accompanying a relative for cancer surgery. By itself it is distressing enough because the staff acted like it was normal, nothing unusual, to send home a cancer patient and cancel their surgery because they didn’t like their English.

We have the lowest growth possible. Poland has the highest. Maybe we could learn from Poland, that would help us.

The best era was late 90s early 2000s when Blair was first in power. I’d happily go back to pre-Brexit days.

Im not particularly affiliated to any party now but I hate that politics has become so polarised. Can’t bear either Reform or Green.

My local High Streets (I live in London so am near a few)) are full of dodgy barbers and vape shops - and these are decent areas with expensive housing. A couple are better than others, but they have gone downhill in the past few years too as ‘nice’ shops close and are replaced by barbers, vapes, charity shops, kebab shops. Just no!!
I’m also Jewish and that’s a whole other level of worry. I don’t want to leave the UK, but the level of antisemitism is horrific.

Recognising and acting on this reality does not need to be the same thing as supporting Farage/Lowe etc.

Recognising it includes holding your 'own side' to account and spelling out why they are haemorrhaging support to Farage etc.

The reality is that Farage is able to gain traction because he offers a quick fix solution to a problem that has been ignored by other parties. Until these problems are acknowledged and alternative solutions which are more reputable and understand the problem are offered you have an issue. Denying the existence of these type of problems by fudging data or trying to discredit people talking about a problem they have first hand experience or visibility of, only fuels Farage.

Understanding why Farage is popular is not the same as supporting Farage. It does not legitimise him - he already is legit to others - it merely says yes this is a problem he is capitalising on and misrepresenting for his own gain. What's the alternative understanding of this legitimate problem and how do we address it better.

It looks at problems and rather following Farages narratives it works to create others.

The point is Farage is recognising a priority that is valued by a particular group. We don't get anywhere by ignoring how others have this value for something and working to de-prioritise it in our own minds. We have to understand why that's of value and importance to this group and listen to them.

Last night DH received an AI written report for something. It was produced by someone who apparently is intelligent. I have never seen such absolute drivel in my life. It's not my field but I could have easily written better.

I do think we have a national problem with slipping standards, corner cutting, lazy attitudes and wanting a quick fix to everything.

Culturally a lot of the problems we currently face as a nation are due to people wanting an easy life and avoiding dealing with problems properly. We have chosen a generation of politicians where this is all they do. It is across the political spectrum.

There is poor accountability and proper oversight on so many things. People don't both to understand problems properly which is basic level management.

It's a middle management gap. We have the ability to change this, but I'm not sure we are ready to do this or want to. All political options we currently have are actually the same in this context. The public do have the power to change this, but we need to stop being lazy. It will hit a crunch point at some point and change will happen but right now we aren't at that point. These things come in cycles. The question is how long it goes on before we get there.

I think I know where you are coming from on this Gertrude. But to a large extent those who hold this nostalgia for how things were are really one of the biggest things holding back and attempt to solve the nations problems.

So much has changed both externally and internally since 2010 that we cannot just roll the clock back. Very significant change is required.

So many well meaning people are quick to criticise Farage etc. I don't like him much either. But until we have a common acceptance by a majority that the route we are pursuing - high taxes, high spending, low growth - is just a recipe for long term decline that decline will continue.

What is necessary is for all the nice people, like you, to recognise this fact (for it is a fact) and then act on it.

Recognising and acting on this reality does not need to be the same thing as supporting Farage/Lowe etc.

So what country are you living in OP?

(Second time of asking)

This. A lot of this country is an absolute shitstorm at the moment, mainly due to the failures of a lot of governments - including the current one.

I think we may still have enough to put our economy back together, bringing back manufacturing and using the current challenges as an apportunity (AI looming.... ler's make our own AI)
But the further we leave it, more skills we will lose and more difficult it will be, plus we will have less capital.

The buzz words are a cop out for people living in denial. Reform and Brexit sick - of hearing about them as the dark destroyer and saviour respectively.

The UK - the western world, actually - has always peaked and troughed. Modernity has it that the current predicament is the worst ever faced, but it's really not. No where near! Over consumption of social media will have you believe all sorts of nonsense. The internet is the home of hysteria.

Really, the only thing you can improve is your own lot in life. It sounds very simplistic because it is, however getting off the internet more will genuinely improve your mood and your outlook. I promise you that no one in the real world is going to tell you their enjoyment of a stroll to the coffee shop was ruined because they couldn't stop thinking about brexit. Or that a good session in the sack with their man was tainted by the thought of Nigel Farage.

No, denial in yours.

Probably too late. We are a shitty little backwater and becoming poorer by the day. Hurray for Brexit! Next we'll be seeing the effect of holding the triple lock for far too long for the 'luckiest generation' while working people suffer... Delayed retirements for all!

But yet, we'll continue to sell each other overpriced houses (that is after all what our economy is based on) and pretend everything is okay for at least another decade before it all sinks in. This is not a blip, we are a poor country.

This is pure fiction in your head.

Too late for what?

Why are there some people hell-bent on making out that the UK is in a crisis. Usually as a prelude to how the current government is crap and how Reform are the answer to the country's problems.

Reading some of these responses, we have the country people want.

Most people don’t seem to care about declining living standards, declining global influence, an economy on fire, fewer big companies and less economic activity. As long as they can champion ‘diversity’, fly pride flags, tell everyone what their pronouns are, and strain every sinew to find some kind of disadvantage or disability to tick ever box on the intersectionality wheel. Basically find every kind of disadvantage and generally follow the cult of woke.

It’s all about priorities. And they have chosen theirs. While the sane minded people loom on in bemusement and now increasing horror. Looking for an escape route and leave these people to indulge each other while fighting over scraps.

No not too late. Just need to get a govt that has some clue about how the economy actually works and a little respect for work and wealth.

Great post Red - absolutely agree.

Agree with this point.

I don't think we should have left and it's a massive loss. However rejoining will not magically fix many of the problems we face. It a solution which comes with it's own problems especially as rejoining will not look like remaining. The two are completely different beasts and there's issues within this difference which are negative for the UK too.

Before what? Before we had peace, the NHS, rights for women and minorities, social security perhaps? None of these things are perfect, but I don’t think I want our country to be without them.

I came here to say it is never too late and steps in the right direction are being taken..... then I read many of the responses here and I was quickly reminded on why we got here in the first place! So many people just refuses to acknowledge that UK, and many other West countries, is plagued with big problems that we need to address ASAP.
I think we need to invest heavily on renewables and, till we get there with the renewables, our own gas and oil, whenever possible. That will shield us of much of the finance chaos from Russia/ Iran wars, Venezuela's oil and any other wars to come. We need to get back manufacturing our own goods. That will create jobs, keep young people happy and productive and translate in growth. We cannot carry on buying everything from miles across the globe, shipping it through sea routes and air spaces that are at war.
Whether you are left or right minded, I think we can all see that we have to push for British manufacturing. I am left, so I will favour national companies. Our national energy, military weapons (that sadly we need), ships, IT and AI developments, better personal transport (EV, but personally I would bet for hydrogen fuel cell). Let's jump on top of the wave of change with our British companies. A natiinal owned company that is run as efficiently as private investors one is what we need. But, even if the company is not nationalised, in the meantime is British and independant, the money and jobs will stay in UK. And that is what we need.
Labour is doing well, in my opinion.
But Starmer is acting against them. He has worked hard to tangle himself with Mandelson and his unrecorded meeting with Palantir, for example. Palantir will take our money abroad. Contracting them will not create that many jobs in UK. Why can we not make our own IT/AI company? That will employ our nationals and that will ensure our military AI and NHS and police, or any other IT based service are completely safe? It should be a 100% British job, made by our people, no access from any outside server to fix issues or install updates or whatever.
Rachel Reeves had to promp her colleagues to contract British companies recently. But this should be the policy from Starmer himself.
We need to keep the tax payer money invested in UK, create jobs, jobs paid well enough to scrap the benefit system to only those unemployed or disable, improve services ( NHS, potholes, roads, edycation..), then the social tension will ease.