Are things in the UK as bad as it sounds in the news?

[Lolobella]

I left the UK in 2017 and now live in Europe. I obviously still follow the UK news closely and visit, although I have no family left there.

In the last few months the UK news have become increasingly grim and concerning. I can't tell if it is just the news painting the country in a worse light than necessary, or if things are genuinely as bad as the news make it sound.

Obviously this is a tough historical moment for many countries, but the doom and gloom in UK news is just on another level and makes if sound like the country is in free fall. Poverty, strikes, crazy energy prices, failing NHS and public services.. Is it really so bad?!

Its also relative to other countries. Yes in the 1970s and during the war, many people suffered but the UK was still a relatively rich country compared to many parts of the world. If we go down this route, parts of the UK might even become poorer than many parts of China and India. Poland is set to overtake us in terms of average household wealth.

It is a problem if we are poorer than many other countries. It means that when we buy goods and medicine overseas, we would be outbid and many essentials would become affordable. Like how we managed to get covid 19 vaccines so easily for every single person. That would not be possible if we were a poor country. Poor countries also don't tend to be able to afford universal healthcare systems or welfare systems. And whether you are rich or poor is also dependent on how it is relative to other countries. The UK was rich during the war and 1970s relative to other countries.This is no longer the case. We are number 20 in the world and a lot of that is bolstered by the City of London.

I think this is a really important point. It feels as if society is more divided than it has ever been in my lifetime, and I can remember the 1980s. Corruption seems to have increased (just look at the PPE contracts) and institutions that used to be well run are struggling.

The group Teresa May used to describe as 'just about managing' have been affected in a way they never expected to be.

Yes, all of Europe has been affected by the war in Ukraine and the rise in energy and food prices but it certainly feels as if it's worse here than anywhere else.

GDP per capita is higher though and tax is lower.

but the doom and gloom in UK news is just on another level

Now imagine if the people who were dismissed as “doom and gloomers” had actually been listened to…

If we go down this route, parts of the UK might even become poorer than many parts of China and India. Poland is set to overtake us in terms of average household wealth

There was a report in l think the FT. Pets of the north are poorer than some third world countries. Britain is thought of as a rich country, but it’s mainly in the SE. A lot of the rest of the U.K. is very poor.

Soon we’ll all be in dingys heading for France 🤣

7% of the country being rich still means that the country is overall very poor. They have lots of rich people in China but i would still classify it as a poor country. The richest people I have ever met were indonesian Chinese- they were so rich that it was unbelievable. And in their home country, they would not go anyway without a chaffeur, they wouldn't even cross the road as they knew they would be in tremendous danger, one of their handbags (Chanel/Hermes) would have fed a family for years as a big part of the population live on $1 per day.

Absolute fucking shithole of the highest order. I was in the S of France over summer, and it felt so civil. We don’t have that here any longer.

Put it this way, I left the UK December 2021 and went to live somewhere lovely and hot. I have just recently came back due to parents ailing health and FML it's miserable.

I am STILL dealing with the culture shock of it all, and planning desperately to move again in the summer for good, but I can't live being this miserable knowing how happy I was a few months ago. Some things that stand out to me since returning :

• The sheer pettiness of people about the most silliest of things
• Immigration getting worse
• Crime out of control
• Media news (cost of living, Harry & Meghan constantly shoved down your throat)
• Everything is pretty expensive
• No GP appointments
• No decent school for my DD
• No NHS dentist appointments in my area (happy to go private, but DD needs NHS).
• The weather is beyond shit
• So many health issues since I've returned
• Lack of housing (had to put down 6 months to get anywhere).
• General doom and gloom

This is a moany post andI know that other countries have many issues too. But this isn't a country I even recognise anymore and I've only been gone less than a year.

I think it may depend on where you live to some extent. Here in a SE commuter village nothing has really changed - I was at the beauticians today for a pedicure and they are still busy, coffee shop across the road was busy too - even a couple of postmen in there for bacon bagels while out delivering. Still a 2/3 week wait for any tradespeople. Even the GP surgery is still functioning, though at the minute you can be on hold for 15/20 minutes to get through to reception. Due to the postal strikes my repeat prescription has been delayed, as I normally get it posted to me, and they just said to come in this afternoon as they had already printed out another copy while I was on the phone.

I bet the French would be a lot more strict if Brits started washing up on their shores than they are with Albanians leaving and heading to Britain!

Because 1. They already speak some English and 2. Benefits system.

It’s much harder to claim benefits in France or Germany than the U.K.

So basically in a nutshell up you are extremely comfortably off and you don’t watch the news ,read a newspaper and walk around with your eyes closed ! Either that or you couldn’t give a toss !
Can I suggest you take a bit more interest in your surroundings ,the country you live in and potentially do some voluntary work …it might just educate you about how things are ,for the majority of people!

Very much depends how rich you are, as usual.

Yes, it's definitely the fault of a few migrants and nothing at all to do with 12 years of chronic mismanagement, underfunding and corruption. I'm wearing gloves indoors because...Albanians.

Good grief.

Yes, it is. Illegal immigrants (45000 just this year) are in 5 star hotels, whilst we've still got people living on the streets. Gas and electricity prices are high. Strikes of postal workers, train drivers, and now nurses and other medical professionals are going to strike as well. The NHS is knackered (hours to wait for an ambulance then hours to wait to be seen when you get to hospital). Food prices all higher than a few months ago.

A few 🤣.

Oops wrong quote

Oh no right one 😀

iirc Swiss use a lot of hydro and nuclear power so are probably pretty insulated from the vagaries of the global energy market. Most of Europe is not so lucky!

@Lolobella

worse than other places due to poor tax rules and Brexit.

The state of the education system is shocking. Run into the ground in all aspects. Tory tinkering through the Academy system, removing democratic control of our schools, playing with ideas that do not create better outcomes for our children ; services around schools so stretched they may as well not be there.
A cycle of deprivation and poor parenting with no support to improve children's lives, standards and expectations so, so poor. A real backlash by some parents who do not want to be held to account.
Struggling families with really high need children, not enough support or specialist schools, children at home, or schools finding it really hard to meet needs.
Awful times, a real downward spiral.

Yeah it’s the Albanians wot dun it🙄

It says something about the level of unadulterated fucking insanity that reality has descended to that it's so hard to tell the difference. 😁

Sorry.