Reality of life in UK under current government

[Melisha]

I think people need reminding of what life is currently like in the UK and did not used to be the case.

1. Potholes galore. Every time I drive I am trying to avoid potholes.
2. Our local river keeps getting sewage discharged into it.
3. Our local beach is no longer safe to swim in because of sewage.
4. We have more street homelessness than I have ever seen in my life time, and I am old.
5. More local food banks than ever before.
6. More litter and less street sweeping.
7. Much longer queues at A and E and queues of ambulances outside.
8. Long waits for operations. I have been waiting 16 months for a gallbladder operation.
9. Shoplifting way up. I live in a well off area and yet have seen people blatantly shoplifting in front of staff. I never saw this ever until a year ago.
10. Rape practically legal as conviction rate is tiny.

Please add your own.

But it seems to be the economists and their analysts and predictions that haven’t help our situation, Banking crises, Covid, handling of interest rates, etc

Are economists often called upon to predict global health pandemics?

Of course not, but how to exit it economically,

No it is not. There are people in banking and other sectors who do what is best for them financially or their employers. The banking crisis was the fault of the government in getting rid of some important regulation and it could easily be foreseen.
We have another crisis coming as the deregulation of private pensions has led to many people cashing in pensions early and as a result taxpayers are going to have to pay out more benefit as some of these people get older.

The bar isn't low though. The Financial Times, The Economist and the Sunday Times are all backing Labour. The shadow Chancellor has been meeting with the City and big business to ensure Labour can 'Hit the ground running' on the economy. Their influence has fed into the Labour manifesto. Keir Starmer said Labour's root focus will be growing the economy and their manifesto supports this.

That's quite a high bar.

Even if it was 'just the whiff of a change' that would be better than 14 year's evidence of failure/no change - but it isn't. It's the weighing up of all the evidence, taking advice from those in the know and making an informed decision.

@Unphased the country is in a mess. Economically and public service wise. People like you do not help the situation. It is people like you who voted for the Brexit bus with zero understanding of the economic impact.
Vote for the current conservative government, you clearly are going to. But if you got your wish and they got in, our economy would sink even lower.
I am ambitious for our country. I know things can be better.

Have you been to the USA? Their pavements and road make ours look perfect. Just back from Chicago and they were awful

I just fail to understand how anyone can look at the last 14 years and go "yeah i'd like some more of that please"

The Financial Times tend to be sound on judging economic policy. They were also against Brexit. That does not mean I liked everything about EU membership, but leaving was obviously going to negatively effect our economy.

So the governments economists could foresee that deregulating the banks would cause the crisis, Was that under a Labour Government?

Economists might not be called upon to predict and advise on potential pandemics.

However a panel of experts were. Operation Cygnus provided a report in 2016 telling the government what needed to be done to prepare for potential pandemics.

The Tory government ignored the recommendations of the report and the desperate scramble, struggle and often failure) to cope financially and practically when the pandemic hit was the result.

@Unphased 2008 - Conservative government.

Seriously talking to you about economics is painful.

I don’t think many people are, but I think many people don’t think Labour are the answer, it such a shame there is not a new forward thinking party to throw a different light on government

Perhaps you should be in government or an advisory as you seem to have the answer, where have you been for the last few decades?

2007, Labour were in government, Alisair Darling was the Chancellor of the exchequer

so what policies would be for a new forward thinking party then? actual policies that can be enacted, not just ideas than won't be upheld.

No. Bank deregulation took place under the Tories in the 80s.

I bet you Keir Starmer's Labour do throw a different light on government.

His calm, intelligent, measured approach is a huge contrast to the musical chairs, aide snogging, partying, fridge hiding, lies and corruption we've become so ground down by.

We have suffered this Tory pantomime for 14 years now, so long that we've got lost sight that there can be a different way.

If I had all the answers, I would be trying to form my own party, but isn’t the two party system Cons or Labour run its course now?

Banking crisis happened in 2007

Hopefully you are right, time will tell,

did cupcake stutter?

Sorry I've not RTFT but you post made me think of this OP

in that case Labour could have re regulated the banks,

???