Why are we on a steady downward decline

[Neverknowno]

What is the root cause of the UK’s downward slide? What is behind the low productivity?

Is it because we do not tax high earners enough to fund public services? Or are our taxes too high?

Is it because of the increasing number of the workforce going permanently off ill?

Austerity. I believe the effects of austerity resulted in brexit. Brexit (in the form of boris johnson) resulted in clearing the capable tories out. Now, we are left with very poor politicians and a mess of short-term political decisions. The effects of which theoretically could take decades to reverse. But realistically, bearing in mind, the globally situation may never be.

Also the lack proper (any?) teaching of civics. We live in northern europe. Ds started doing civics at 10 and will continue to 16 as a core subject.

Austerity
Brexit
Tory corruption

I bet you that you'll be able to say exactly the same thing in 10 years if a Labour Government were to get in. You could substitute "Tory" with "Labour"

any government that's been in power for over a decade becomes complacent and arrogant, short-termist and only focused on maintaining their power base.

let's not kid ourselves - there's no party that will be any better.

coalition is a better option, cooperation for the common good, but it's never going to happen.

I think coalition is inevitable at the next GE.

Is it because of the increasing number of the workforce going permanently off ill?

Could it be the state of the waiting times for those needing treatment ? Around 7.33 million people waiting for treatment,nearly 3.3 million of these patients waiting over 18 weeks; around 360,000 of these patients waiting over a year for treatment – which is around 261 times the number of people waiting over a year in March 2019, before the pandemic began.

Then we're fucked

The population as a whole seems to be too easily swayed towards what the rich want. Brexit, for example. Look at the media, look at the politicians. They swayed people with lies and half truths and the people fell for it. Not enough independent thought and absolutely no real leadership . Not just the UK, though. We believe what they , the rich and privileged, want us to believe.

Because we are all scrambling over each other to move slightly up the ladder while the rich keep extending it. Education is fantastic but there needs to be resources and community for people who do very ordinary but needed jobs - cleaners, shop assistants, factory workers. Much better for society if all have a secure roof over there head.

I suppose a lot depends on what you mean by a downwards trend ? Who is this downwards trend effecting ?, the country as a whole or just some of its citizens ? The very rich are getting richer and the poor much poorer, and everyone else is feeling the impact of sky high inflation, interest rates rises and the cost of living crisis.

We are also really rubbish at privatising things, can anyone name one single privatised utility or service that has been improved considerably for the consumer in terms of value for money and actual service ? I can't !

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-productive-countries

Most league tables show UK productivity is extremely similar to the most similar economies in Europe: Italy, France, Germany. Alternate way to measure productivity differences, If you look at GDP per worked hour, France & Germany are similar to each other with a similar advantage over UK for about 40 years. But the difference is small in absolute terms.

Plot below is from FT, which is fixed relative to 2016, in which case the productivity fall started around 2008. That rules out quiche, kings, Brexit. ONS also says the productivity divergence has start in about 2009.

If you want to think UK does something especially wrong, you may need to go back to at least 2008, maybe 1980, to see roots of it. 1980 roots would rule out Brexit, who collects household waste, quantitative easing, quiche, kings....

Since rest of Europe has these conditions as bad or worse, think we can rule out Covid, high density housing, some part or entirely all quantitative easing, high net immigration, benefits scroungers, energy crisis & aging population

Resolution foundation blames relatively higher social inequality in UK than Europe, or longer working hours with relatively higher taxes compared to USA.

In Scotland where taxes are higher
I accept as a higher earner I should pay more tax,but not to bail out the financial incompetence of the Scottish government
With the marginal rate at over 50%,where is the incentive to work hard

My son is currently signed off work because he probably has petit mal epilepsy. He is office based at a University. He could work from home. He wants to work. They have done a risk assessment and have decided its all too dangerous and he must sit at home doing nothing until further notice. He needs an MRI scan in a specific type of machine to confirm the diagnosis. He rings everyday for a cancellation. He is not allowed to drive now . He will not be able to drive until he has been fit free for a year and is having tablet treatment. He is fit and healthy. His fits do not cause him anything other than a weird aura and a feeling of 'otherness'. He has waited weeks. He will have to wait more weeks. His symptoms are entirely text book but he cannot have the tablets until a neurologist has confirmed it so he is totally stuck. Other people in his department are carrying the work load so no doubt they will burn out eventually. The machine he needs is not available as a private patient. The University want him to work but have admitted that they can't take the risk of being sued if he has a fit whilst at work and bangs his head. He is likely to be off work for 6 months and is on full pay. Utterly ridiculous situation.

Brexit
Huge lack of investment in services
Lack of joined up thinking and investment to support business growth

Basically the tories are crap and don't know what they're doing, so they have run the country into the ground.

The welfare state .

Piss poor leadership for decades. Brexit. Substandard underfunded state education system.

The welfare state .

I presume you are including the state pension in the welfare state ?

If you hate the Uk so much then feel free to go and live somewhere else.

Population increase, strain on resources, people are becoming lazier and self absorbed (forever glued to their smart phones), Tories, Brexit, Russian war and greedy companies driving greed-flation.

The combination of a class system, terrible media, capitalism and post colonial white supremacy

Britain believes itself to be great because it was once top of the hierarchy through empire. However, it’s really the rich who benefit. The media embed the capitalist/Tory message and people vote for things that are mainly good for the wealthy, who then use power to privatise, deregulate and accumulate money for themselves.

Class keeps people in their place while everything crumbles. Maybe they even come out and wave flags and feel proud on behalf of the very system that created the downward spiral.

I think most people are not aware of how the world works, how financial systems work, or why Britain, a small island, ever managed to have global power and influence…

Plot below is from FT, which is fixed relative to 2016, in which case the productivity fall started around 2008. That rules out quiche, kings, Brexit. ONS also says the productivity divergence has start in about 2009.

If you want to think UK does something especially wrong, you may need to go back to at least 2008, maybe 1980, to see roots of it. 1980 roots would rule out Brexit, who collects household waste, quantitative easing, quiche, kings....

Since rest of Europe has these conditions as bad or worse, think we can rule out Covid, high density housing, some part or entirely all quantitative easing, high net immigration, benefits scroungers, energy crisis & aging population

Productivity is certainly related to QE which happened after the 08 fc.

Resolution foundation blames relatively higher social inequality in UK than Europe, or longer working hours with relatively higher taxes compared to USA.

Inequality & low wages/high taxes is also related to an ageing population as so much wealth is tied up in housing & there is intergenerational inequality here plus we have the NHS.

If you hate the Uk so much then feel free to go and live somewhere else.

Bingo !

Seriously though, if you love the UK, what is wrong with discussing what it's fault's are and where improvements could be made ?

As far as 'riding on the back of Victorian infrastructure' is concerned, the Water companies keep harking on about the fact that the sewerage system is from Victorian times and they need to borrow 10bn to make it better, after it being in their hands for the last 30 years !

Fairly obvious I would say:

• Tories
• Brexit
• Apathetic population who just puts up with years of mismanagement by government.

Lack of insight, lack of adult conversations.
Short term political cycle.
Promising easy fixes to complicated/complex issues.
Poor leadership AND poor followership. Obsessed with one issue things rather than seeing interconnection.
Austerity - a flawed ideology that no sane economist thinks ever works.
And the outcome and symptom of all it = brexit.

And we avoid these conversations in real life.

If only it was that easy. People have family and friends to think about.
Parents getting older, children in schools doing exams, 1001 reasons why just upping sticks isn't that easy.