The country is a shit show - why is there so little mention of Brexit's role?

[Neonskytonight]

That's it really.

Surely all our woes can't be placed at the door of covid and war - it is a good political narrative, but is it really true?

I'm amazed how little questioning by the media and public there is about the role of Brexit.

you talk about rejoining the single market or a customs union.

what a fine idea.

which is how the eu started. And should have stayed.

I think a great percentage of the vote was based on jealousy- my H actually got comments on twitter from fat bald headed tattooed overgrown 50 plus year old yobs saying it was worth voting 'leave' just to piss off people like him , because he had options in Life and they didn't I suggest they take a look in the mirror and at their attitudes to see why their opportunities were a bit shit . It wasn't the EU or foreigners limiting their opportunities, it was themselves .

"it's nothing to do with companies training-- the shortages are because there are not sufficient numbers of people remaining in the UK who actually want to do certain jobs , regardless of pay or conditions"

Rubbish. If a job pays enough money, there will always be people who want to do it. The problem is employers aren't willing to pay the right amount to attract applicants.

"If hotels and restaurants now need to double wages to retain staff, guess who's paying for that?"
People who stay in hotels and eat out at restaurants. Largely middle-class people. Why shouldn't they pay more? Why they should expect to have people working for low wages so they can have cheap hotels and cheap restaurants? Surely it's more important that the people working in hotels and restaurants earn enough money to live a decent life?

@UrsulaPandress Well im pro EU, but there is no reason we couldn't have done a Norway or Swiss type deal and that's what you would have got- but that would involve freedom of movement both ways- and that didn't sit well with UKIP (sorry- the Tory's!!)

I genuinely think that normal voters have lost the will to question anything TBH .
BJ behaviour is beyond hideous..he could be accused of kiddy fiddling but get away with it!!! Our PM is a real shocker 😢

Embarrassment. People are embarrassed that they voted for it.

Agree 100%!,

But they can't afford to pay more. Middle class people are already squeezed to the gills. So they simply won't go to hotels or restaurants, and they will close. You think that's better than how it was pre-Brexit? I don't.

@Florenz but if it's hugely expensive then the custom will just die away, meaning businesses fail and then no jobs anyway- its a fine line - it's plain economics. Do I gather you voted for this shit show and have a chip on your shoulder about anyone middle class - because to be honest it's a good job the middle classes do spend- keeps a lot of people in work -

You seem fixed in your delusion. The facts speak for themselves - UK currently has very low unemployment and significant shortages of trained staff in various sectors, both high and low skilled. Wages have risen but the vacancies persist.

If wages were to double, those businesses would simply become unviable as there has been no increase in productivity, just wage inflation. My wages will not rise to enable me to buy the services at inflated prices.

You can see yourself the economic problems the UK has. They are worse than in the rest of Europe due to the effects of Brexit.

Brexit was not the cause of the UK's problems - look how wealthy the Germans were in comparison to us. Brexit is going to make the UK as a whole poorer. Brexit is also, sadly, going to make the poor in the UK even poorer in comparison to the rich.

@MarshaBradyo There is an element of that too , we saw this in Denmark, particularly in airlines-
but it's enhanced in the Uk because of Brexit- it's the icing on the cake and we can't easily recruit now from within the EU because of the conditions that were set to come and work here

French article also covers bus drivers, healthcare, construction workers and seasonal workers shortage

Spain talking about shortages

inews.co.uk/news/world/britons-heading-to-spain-face-hospitality-chaos-with-100000-worker-shortage-1660839

same issue

‘The problem is because of the pandemic many staff left. Now we have to get them back in time before the high season this summer,”

I wonder if all the people who voted on the basis that the foreign workers were taking their jobs are now working?

Erm now you’re blaming the unemployed?

Brexit has defo had an impact but tbh we never really recovered from the 08 financial crisis.

And we have the looming issue of an ageing population along with many other Western countries so I'm not sure how things are meant to get better.

I think @AllyCatTown may have guessed right. It's divisive and people are sick of hearing about it.

Media provides what sells, and they seem to have moved on. They're getting past Covid too. Ukraine/Russia and the cost of living crisis have taken over the headlines, and since they are affecting countries that haven't left the EU, just as much as they are the UK, Brexit as a cause, takes second place (or third).

I’ve noticed quite the opposite, it’s the numpties who blame everything on brexit that get all red and angry, constantly spitting insults.

This country is turning in to a total shitshow, not just Brexit but having a government who can do just what they want because of their 80 seat majority & a clown for a PM. Inflation is going through the roof, 90% of what we were promised with Brexit has never materialised. We have a climate emergency, people going hungry, a massive homelessness problem, no industry to provide well paid jobs to young people who haven't or can't choose to go to university. Unless things change fast we will end up in a depression like the 1930's. We need all energy companies, railways & things like Royal Mail renationalised, much more funding for the NHS which is one of the biggest employers in the country, a big increase in house building which will create jobs. Apparently there have been more than 54 letters asking for Boris to go, it sounds like it will be called in the next couple of weeks, hopefully after the by elections & if both seats go to Labour or the Liberal Party it may make more Tory Mp's realise he has to go. Even if he clings on it could push him to call a General Election & looking at the latest polls Labour would win comfortably taking back all the red wall seats they lost in the last election.

You can really see by responses in here what the remainers real concern about Brexit is. They want to be able to eat out at restaurants, stay at hotels, and they are up in arms because the staff are demanding proper wages, close to, if not equal to the wages that the middle-class people earn themselves.

This is ridiculous.

If you voted for Brexit you voted to make people poorer, and now we are watching it happen.

This is on you.

No, this is your delusion and projection.

We're intelligent enough to recognise how these things contribute to the economy. If the positions cannot be filled, or can only be filled by paying people £30 an hour, the businesses will close, the owners will go bankrupt, and we'll have even more boarded up businesses on our high streets.

We're not Switzerland. We don't earn high enough wages to make paying £40 for a pub meal possible.

It gets mentioned regularly in our local news but I live in N.ireland. only one party here, DUP wanted it and now they're complaining about the protocol which Boris agreed too. Only two of my friends in England voted for Brexit and I'm still upset with them.

This December 2021 article, so during covid but pre war, round up of how the country is doing is interesting.

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-22/how-a-year-of-brexit-thumped-britain-s-economy-and-businesses

As is this report which highlights we just don't have trade agreements in place to allow us to recover in line with global trade.

obr.uk/box/the-latest-evidence-on-the-impact-of-brexit-on-uk-trade/

I think there is a thinking that Brexit is done. This is so wrong. There is so much to do as this thread has shown - investment in training, negotiating trade agreements..

I'm very worried that none of it will actually ever get done and we have ruined the country for nothing.

People need to be told what is going on.

I'm on holiday at the moment. There are lots of Brits here who used the Dover crossing. Some were stuck for over 24 hours. What an absolute nightmare.