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?!

I caveat all of the above by saying that I don't have to worry about bills, am mortgage free and have private health insurance so am insulated from most of the things people are complaining about

Having private healthcare doesn't help if it's gatekept by GPs.

My mum has to wait 11 days for a GP TELEPHONE appointment if not urgent (and currently they are saying unless you have strep you are not urgent) and you can't even get into see a private GP where she is until January. But she lives in the south-west with a lot of older people. I have no idea what the waiting times are where I live but I do see people praising local surgeries and saying they've got same day appointments.

I always wonder why smug expats feel the need to come on MN and say how wonderful things are where they are. We know. But we couldn't get out before Brexit for various reasons.

Having private healthcare doesn't help if it's gatekept by GPs

I haven’t had this experience, I have a few specialists I see and i email them direct if I have any concerns and get seen within the week at the latest. I always manage an appointment with a private GP within two days and very often on the same day.

I was surprised to get an NHS same day appointment today for dc which was faster than private offered, against the generally depressing posts etc. I was very thankful to surgery and felt moved to send extra feedback.

Private healthcare does not work for most complex conditions unless you are megarich. My DH and children have a rare genetic condition. It is common in facebook support group for people in America not able to find any Dr with any experience of this condition available to see them. And you really need a multi disciplinary approach. We paid for private physio as we were waiting a while for specialist NHS physio. It was a waste of money. In the multi disciplinary team the physio worked with other professionals so the physio supported other treatments. Hard to explain without going into private medical detail, but you need the team approach for complex health issues.

Everyone in my family can get seen by an NHS GP within the day.

Everyone in my family can get seen by an NHS GP within the day
That is the same for me but as I pay for private healthcare I try not to use NHS resources as much as possible. I like to think someone else can benefit more from my appointment.

All of the above plus the roads are all falling to bits!
There's no hope, most people are down, crime is getting worse.
I really want to move to New Zealand, but it's out of my reach!

But she lives in the south-west with a lot of older people
sounds like the well off & retired can afford to live there but the people who actually do the work in society are priced out...no point being wealthy if there's no one there to serve your needs!

It is pretty sgite and I am not one of those suffering!!!

I am in assisted housing. All included heating, water in rent. Still manageable but realise I am very very lucky.

It is those in full employment that still cannot manage and have to rely on food banks and have to turn heating way down low that I get angry for.

Shite not sgite

I live in France our energy rise was capped at 4% and we have had extra help for energy bills

My husband is a window cleaner. He went to one of his customers houses today and the old man was sitting in his house in a hat scarf and gloves.

The energy prices are unaffordable, food prices are sky high, petrol prices have gone up, the NHS is on its knees, we have a huge problem with migrants (some died last night trying to get here, they paid 5000 to come here from France but they were originally from India, Albania and Syria) homelessness is at an all time high.

It's not a good place to be right now.

24 hours???? WTAF???? that is a whole new level of not f-ing okay 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 hope he is OK

Maybe the uk has just had it good for so long. This is just a dip maybe? Other countries have high food prices, it’s hard to get jobs, medical well these days if you have private insurance you get seen if not you just have to wait and or miss out. Electricity we are cutting back there is a recession so we are dressing much warmer around the house. Businesses are struggling after Covid. People are fighting more generally because of politics. I don’t know what other perspective is needed. That’s the western world right now I think to be honest.

Yes it really is that bad. The inflation figures don't even tell the whole story as the cost of basic foods has risen well above the official % figures. Unless you're extremely rich, it really is a case of heat or eat.

Sadly this is all too common. It's shocking and out of control.

Yes it’s very much that bad. I’ve cried three times today because I woke up to an email from my energy company that despite the government energy guarantee they are increasing my electric daytime price (we are on a cheap tariff overnight) by 14p per kWh.
this is quite literally sending me into a spinning panic. I’ve had panic attacks all day and cried a lot. I’m putting my kids to bed tonight and then will be crying again.
it’s so so dire. My bank account is literally at 0p 🙈 and I have another 2 weeks until pay day. My car is currently in the garage and I genuinely have no idea if I cannot for it when it’s done. My living room is currently 12 degrees. My kids deserve better than this quite frankly. But I absolutely can’t put the heating on now when I know that in 2 weeks I’m going to be paying 14p more per
kwh for all my daytime usage of electric. I mean I’m wondering how I’m even going to cook for them tbh!! I already do all my heavy electric usage, laundry dishwasher etc during the cheap time. But some things are unavoidable. We need light for example!! And my son has homework to do, he needs to plug a laptop in at times.
thank god for olio quite frankly because we are managing to eat without too much worry thanks to olio. My boyfriend and I work hard, we are not on a low income (relative to our outgoings, we aren’t on a high income by any means compared to others where we live, south east) and yet this is our reality. No heat, no lights 😂 no car. If I don’t laugh I may cry, again!!

Those bashing the Tories do realize that Labour won’t be any different! We ALL need to vote in new blood otherwise nothing will change

I know, outrageous isn't it! He spent 12 days in hospital and is now at home again and being cared for by family.

I dread the thought of needing an ambulance.

And we decided in July to sell our house and move to the next town along so that we didn’t have to pay a bus pass for our son (which this year rose by £80…in 1 year!!) went on the market, and are still there because the market crashed. Nobody is buying and our estate agent has told us that most people currently on the market are selling without chain because they are being forced to go into rented because they can no longer afford their mortgages and can’t get a new mortgage anymore. Our own budget for the new house has decreased by about 50k since July when we first enquired and we have had to reduce our house by 25k so far.
the entire country is just on it’s knees. And its occupants are below that tbh.

Well my cousin was living in France but couldn't make it work business wise after Brexit so came home but living in a caravan near Cheltenham cos can't afford a house 🙄and I'm moving to Spain in New year as my partner is Spanish and retired and I can't work anymore due to accident and we will be alot better off there the Spanish government have frozen gas bottle prices as most people are on lpg electric is cheaper he built his own house years ago on family land got own water and forest 👍 we will have a big plot for growing veg and fruit and it's warmer which will help me recover 👍I decided to rent my house here and have found a lovely couple who are on benefits have friends in the village he's disabled broken back and council say they have nothing for them they are currently in a crappy caravan nearby cold and wet they re moving in after Xmas before we finally go ,Spain doesn't have an energy crisis as they get it all from Africa the other reason my cousin came home is that the French will only give foreign residents a five year pass to stay🙄

I haven’t really experienced any of the grapes that are commonly cited on Mumsnet. I got a dental appointment with an NHS dentist on the same day within a matter of hours recently. I have had to wait for GP appointments but usually only 24 hours. I do have colleagues a different part of the country data are experiencing difficulties. But then equally, I have GP friends who give me the other side of the story.

Oh yes.

the entire country is just on it’s knees
not the entire country.....the people at the top are just fine, luxuriating in their vast mansions, Rishi richer than the king with his lovely health suite whose gvt engineered all this isnt suffering at all, truss and her side kick are rolling in money despite crashing the economy,