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?

Where to start?

We are a tiny little island, with ideas above our station. Most of us still seem to believe that Colonialism is alive and well, and that the might of the British Empire will save us all from abject poverty and irrelevance.

The reality is that our tiny little island IS largely irrelevant, we just don't want to admit it. Our armed forces have been cut to the bone, we could just about muster together enough men and equipment to invade Swansea.

Public services exist only to serve the aspirations of whatever Minister is in charge, the actual public can go swing.

There are 65 million of us, who live in the real world, work in real jobs, have real worries and concerns, but we have let ourselves be ruled over by twelve Eaton educated idiots, who take daily baths in "old money", have never had a real job, or lived in the real world.

"Climate Change" is being used as a stick to beat us into submission. Despite the fact that the future of the planet is going to be decided by China, Africe and South America. Neither of whom give a toss about the fact that Tabitha in number 17 has installed a heat pump and has been forced to give up her independence because she can't afford the congestion charge. China doesn't give a flying fuck about the Bristol clean air zone or the Welsh Government's 20mph speed limits.
But we will be made to pay regardless.

We make nothing of any value. Have no value to other countries. Our biggest asset, as far as the majority of other countries are concerned, is our seemingly bottomless welfare budget, we'll take anyone, from anywhere, and give them a council flat in Crawley with weekly handouts for them and their seventeen cousins.

We're basically fucked.

A grown up coalition might be the very thing we need. It probably wouldn't be like the last one as the Tories can't play nicely with anyone.

Why do you say this regarding a coalition? out of interest

And this is an example of the lack of grown up conversation. Shutting down of conversations by aggressive statements rather than the curiousity of why someone might feel like that.

Coming back to this as looks a decent well thought out answer

Yes, low taxation as well as failure to invest in infrastructure and manufacturing industries. Plus 13 years of the Tories in government and Brexit.

You need private investment and jobs to create the money to tax. And we are running out of bits to sell.

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

That kind of sentiment adds to our problems. Improving a country means being realistic about its issues and coming up with a plan to improve it.

Tories
Brexit
Poor management
Creaming off all the profits for the fatcats
Money to Ukraine (second biggest contributor globally)
The general decline of the West, and the inability of governments to deal with it effectively.

Politicians are not made of the stuff they used to be. Kier Stamper is beyond boring, does not seem to have a single original idea and does not like to rock the boat. No good leadership any where.

Tories and Brexit

Boring is not bad. We need a competent economic policy. Instead voters seem to vote for people good at soundbites who haven't a clue what to actually do.

For the country as a whole Brexit was a big mistake but ultimately for millions of minimum wage employees the shortage of labour has led to wage increases. The EU is great for business and economies but less good for individuals if they are low earners if countries like the UK who are hopeless about immigration don't restrict numbers when supply is too high (so didn't implement the gradual 7 year introduction of freedom of movement like almost every other EU country). Productivity was high because millions of lower paid workers didn't receive a fair wage to live (to build a future etc..).

I loved the MATT joke in Telegraph yesterday with Adam and Eve telling the Serpent in the apple tree '' We don't pick fruit, we're British''.

I find world wide economics hard to get my hesd around.

I can see we have made trade difficult
I can see we have stopped being the English speaking gateway to europe
I can see quantative easing seems to have stagnated wages
I can see we dont seem to be investing in things that make money

But i think, in terms of local issues, we have ridiculous housing. It seems most of the countries wealth is tied up in houses and most of our disposable income that we could be doing stuff with is going on rent or mortgages.

Oddly, a bloke predicted all of this around 160 years ago in stunning detail. His name was Karl Marx.

Our system encourages short term policies. Not just Tories. In the 70s the trades unions in conjunction with a Labour government practically bankrupted us so we had to go cap in hand to the IMF for a bailout. In return for that we had to mortgage North Sea oil revenues for 30 years. Tony Blair, a Labour Prime Minister, encouraged unlimited immigration which seems to have been the major reason people voted for Brexit. Not helped by our modern media driven culture which has become generally ill educated, unkind, lazy and entitled. Oh and the NHS. When will some politician be brave enough to take it out of politics and form a cross party committee to sort out a decent insurance based health service like most of Europe has managed to do.

Insurance based scheme will simply increase costs and massively increase bureaucracy.

Increasing house prices as wealth creation is a significant issue. You want brave? A policy limiting house prices to inflation and banning homes being empty for more than a year would have a significant impact. After a year councils should be able to compulsory purchase houses.

coupled with a public who now expect everything for free, and to never take responsibility for their own actions. Plus an obsession with introspection which has ruined the public’s mental health and therefore productivity. Our approach to mental health is almost obsessive and it’s had the reverse effect.

🤨hmmmm

I get nothing free…. Scotland gets free prescriptions and university education. Why shouldn’t these be free?

Maybe people are depressed because of the shite conditions we live under? Have you tried getting an appointment with CAMHS?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow there isn’t the money to have everything free. Even if we didn’t have ££ wasted on Tory cronyism and dodgy contracts. It isn’t there. If it was, Labour would promise us the moon on a stick. As it is, they’ve u-turned on their free university policy.

As for MH, I think our MH services are overused as well as underfunded. So many people go straight to the GP rather than practising basic self care which can make a huge difference to MH. The first port of call for minor-middling mental ill health should be fresh air, eating properly, trying to get better quality sleep. But that takes discipline and effort so everyone heads to the GP expecting instant counselling and medication. We have an epidemic of people wanting help for mental health problems and the system can’t cope. Plus assessments for ND conditions have rocketed.

of course you can move when you have kids.

very difficult with dc close to or in exam years.
british or international schools for contingency are very, very expensive. even more expensive than most private schools in uk. only on very high income or employee benefit that's feasible.
and of course restricted fom due to brexit doesn't help.

On the "go and live elsewhere" bingo entry.

I spent years trying not to have to go elsewhere, wanting to make the UK better, I marched repeatedly, shouted and screamed outside Downing Street, lay down in the road in Trafalgar Sqaure, worked for the NHS for 35 years, paid my taxes religiously, voted for whoever could beat the Tores anywhere I lived, voted Remain and was vociferous about the insanity and evil of Brexit both before and after the vote. It all came to nought and in December 2019, the day after the election result, I gave up and made plans to leave, and then did. Best decision I ever made. I am two years away from being able to apply to get my EU citizenship back, and more importantly, my DS's.

But i think, in terms of local issues, we have ridiculous housing. It seems most of the countries wealth is tied up in houses and most of our disposable income that we could be doing stuff with is going on rent or mortgages.

It is ridiculous, QE inflated housing & think of how much tax & income just does on servicing high housing costs.

This!!