UK officially in recession...

[Startingagainandagain]

Latest stats released show the UK is now officially in recession (Office for national statistic data).

Gaslighting has started in the media by ministers to try to minimise that fact.

Isn't it time to face the facts instead and call a general election?

I know the picture is bleak and any new party in power will need years to try to sort out this mess but something needs to be done...

The UK's decline in the past few decade or so has really been dramatic.

He firmly believed Remain would win and said afterwards that Leave was 'a bad outcome.' Then gave a press conference on Downing St where he offered his resignation, turned on his heels and whistled a jaunty little tune as he skipped back into no 10. It is completely on him that one of the most calamitous decisions in British history was made, and he pissed off and left everyone else to clean up the mess. He is a loathsome individual.

Any evidence that they don’t? Or do you agree with me?

Any evidence that they don’t? Or do you agree with me?

Surely no one would be working?

i’m certainly getting pissed off with the amount of tax I pay & what i’m getting back services wise but I don’t think a life on benefits is the solution…

Yet here he is back again in the Cabinet, an unelected bureaucrat (didn't we leave the EU to avoid those?) sporting a smart new title and having lobbied government on behalf of a company in whom he had £3m in shares.

His downfall was temporary. Ours is permanent.

They like to see work as optional, something you do if it suits you and fits in with your lifestyle and causes no hassle, otherwise you’re entitled to live off the state ‘because the corporations should be taxed more, go after them, not me’.

So who is actually doing all the 'jobs' ? Captains of industry ? We are repeatedly told on here that only rich people work hard, so are they moonlighting and pulling shifts down at the corner shop/petrol station/supermarket ? emptying your dustbins ?, providing personal care for your Grandparent ? serving in that place you like to eat out at ? cleaning your holiday accommodation ? looking after and educating your children ? Servicing your car ?

They seem to want more than any government since the war despite apparently being the party of low taxation and claim the other lot will raise taxes.
Fear not though. I pay tax on my pension and earnings, I pay VAT, I pay council tax, vehicle excise, fuel taxes etc etc.

Problem is it’s not enough, look at social care, the nhs. There’s been no investment & the future is more tax & fewer services. Soon we will have a cohort retiring who don’t own their own homes so all that tax money just goes to landlords as not enough social housing.

There is a huge amount of gaslighting around this. I’m in Ireland and the main news here is RTE news and they basically fiddle whatever tune the government ask them to play.

A few months ago on the main evening news, they were saying how interest rates were dropping and showed footage of skiers happily skiing down a mountain while they were showing the figures.

it’s unbelievable, it’s like putting smoke on bees. ‘No recession here, stay calm’

I could be wrong and apologies if I am, but I think you have to be in recession for 2 quarters before it’s officially a recession, so we could be 5 months into one now in Ireland and not know. (We are I am pretty sure)

You are talking rubbish. The majority of the working age population is in work.

• In October to December 2023, the number of people aged 16+ in
employment was 33.17 million, and the employment rate for people aged
16-64 was 75.0%. Employment levels have increased by around 100,000
over the last year, but the employment rate has fallen slightly.
• The UK unemployment rate was 3.8%, and 1.32 million people aged 16+
were unemployed. Both unemployment levels and the unemployment
rate have fallen slightly over the last year.
• 9.28 million people aged 16-64 were economically inactive, and the
inactivity rate was 21.9%. Inactivity levels increased by over 100,000
over the last year and the inactivity rate increased slightly.
• The number of vacancies fell in the last quarter and over the year to
932,000 in November 2023 to January 2024, but remain above prepandemic levels.

@Dapbag this gets to the root of it. The fact that this has happened and no one has even batted an eyelid. It seems there is nothing anyone can do in this government that gets any kind of censure or reprimand. Indeed, the more incompetent or out of their depth someone is, the more they are likely to be promoted never mind rebuked. They lurch from mistake to mistake without consequence of any kind. It's absolutely staggering.

10 million working age people economically inactive and you say it’s ‘absolute rubbish’ this is contributing to our recession 🤯🤯🤯

I agree we need stability. That's one of the reasons we need a GE as soon as possible. The Tory government is an unstable mess! They are so unstable we know their leader will resign the day after the election he leads them to.🤯

The sooner we get rid of the chaotic Conservative government, the sooner we can start fixing Britain.

The world seems a much shitter place over the last decade. My DH often talk about how our salaries haven't grown significantly and the level of responsibility has gone up. Life is harder, darker and people's compassion is declining.
I don't think you can deny everything is broken education, healthcare, local authorities, prisons, police, courts, the economy, immigration, our reputation as a country, defence, water, transportation including roads.
There is nothing which demonstrates any future planning or innovation.
I cannot believe anyone would think continuing this stagnation is the right choice.

Lord Cameron and his dodgy company do need looking into more, but the conservatives and the devil do tend to look after their own and it'll all be brushed under the carpets I suppose

10 million working age people economically inactive and you say it’s ‘absolute rubbish’ this is contributing to our recession

How many of those are students ? how many retired and not claiming benefits including State pension, which of course is classed as a benefit ? how many are disabled and living in residential care settings/with parents or other family members ?

Here is a breakdown down of those numbers -

The world seems a much shitter place over the last decade. My DH often talk about how our salaries haven't grown significantly and the level of responsibility has gone up

Wage stagnation is shocking & not often discussed.

54k today is approx 30k in 2000, 36k in 2010 & 41k in 2015 yet many salaries haven’t seen much growth.

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/unemployment-and-economic-inactivity/economic-inactivity/latest/#:~:text=The%20data%20measures%20the%20percentage,not%20actively%20looking%20for%20work

Some real interesting facts here about the economically inactive. My take aways were that students are not included, the figures haven't really changed since 2004 and more women than men are economically inactive. I think we can all guess what those women are doing

New Zealand. We have the same issues; immigration, lack of healthcare staff (even Australia seems to have that issue), lack of affordable housing/rentals, potholes, an increasingly aging population, everything going up in price etc. It seems the population keeps increasing, but services can't keep up.

Doesn’t work like that. If you make a statement, you have to prove it. You can’t ask people to prove the negative.
Amd no, I emphatically don’t agree with you. You’ve written nonsense.

The reasons are immaterial. They don’t change the impact do they?

You said:

The public don’t like to be told they have to work though.

They like to see work as optional, something you do if it suits you and fits in with your lifestyle and causes no hassle, otherwise you’re entitled to live off the state ‘because the corporations should be taxed more, go after them, not me’.
If 75% of the working population is in employment, then what you have said is simply not true.

As others have explained, the 9.28 million people ecomically inactive are not counted as"unemployed". They are either too ill to work, early retirees, carers or students or people who can afford not to work and don't need financial help.

But hey, you carry on with your benefit and ignore actual facts🤯🤯🤯

I've heard they've chosen a Shaggy song for their GE campaign.

Why do I need to ‘prove’ an opinion on a discussion forum?

Yes, but it was up to the people how they voted.