Why does life seem to shit in the UK

[RosieLeaLovesTea]

Endless threads about schools going down the pan and poor behaviour in schools making teachers want to leave.
NHS waiting lists and quality of care medical is poor.
housing market market in crisis and affordability of housing

I read the threads and it feels like life in the UK is really shit. Plus crap weathe for 8 months of the year.

how did we get here snd what is the solution?

I do think the look of the town centres has contributed a lot. Those shops that are still open seem to have an ever declining quality and quantity of stock , listless shop assistants and an overall feel of nothing very exciting. So many boarded up shops, so much litter and so much homelessness.

So after 14 years of uselessness..... you judge the new Government is even worse, after just 3 months?

Seems fair!!!

Standard of living is far higher here for most that China/India, ridiculous thing to claim.

Ftse has lost out due to poor valuations caused by poor access to capital, hence companies list elsewhere, much of this has occurred since Brexit, possibly the worst possible decision the Tories have ever made, as its irreversible in any meaningful timescale.

The Tories have also given us Truss... several PMs...Chancellors etc making us at times a political basket case and not somewhere to invest in.

We are now seen globally as politically stable, that will help UK plc, i wish people who claim to be patriotic would get behind this instead of constantly trying to destabilise the government.... often with ridiculous false claims.

Again, tory govt defunding of central govt, councils then have to ramp up parking and business costs... less footfall... less trade.... less stock... more closures.... & less footfall.... vicious circle!

Cornwall Council has had to hike car parking charges so high that its now (one reason) putting people off coming here on holiday.

Thank you for posting that. I can really tell when people haven't been in hospital in years by how they write. The conditions for staff and patients are horrendous.

My point is that my electrician is not exceptional in any way, neither is his house. His lifestyle is pretty standard for Australia. Whereas I’d wager most Uk electricians don’t live in large 1740s houses. It is easier here for Joe Bloggs to have a comfortable lifestyle than in the UK. It’s not perfect of course, but I’m glad I emigrated because the UK looks pretty grim to me right now. And I wish it wasn’t, as my family still live there.

We could have emigrated years ago but didn't because we wanted to be near family for DC to have a relationship with them. Except we never see them because everyone is working to death, other than my parents whose life is basically endless holidays and cruises.

We should have emigrated basically.

That account is really shocking. My father was reporting pretty awful things in 2010 when he was dying. People left on the floor of the ward ignored by the nurses, crying out for help. He was really scared. Though I’ll himself, he got out of bed to help them up.

@ByMerryKoala

not at all. The uk IS dirty and there are dog shit on the streets . And some people do put their feet on seats and spit on the pavement etc etc. yeah there will be some bits of the uk not like that but there most definitely bits that are like that. And some other countries are absolutely not like that. Simple 🤷‍♀️

You can't compare the two. Two completely different countries, climates and lifestyles.

Electricians here earn quite a bit, so do plumbers any trade person can. Being a qualified tradesmen pays well.

@SquirrelSoShiny

be happy for your parents enjoying their retirement! They’ve worked hard for years, raised their kids etc - why not?!

Austerity, at least in recent years is a bit of a myth - some budgets were cut, but still functions like education and the NHS have spent with total abandon, often wasting money hand over fist.

We have seen Austerity measures, like those that ran from the end of ww2 to the mid 50's and at that time peoples living standards were very low.

Today, we probably have the highest living standards that we have ever had in this country, the NHS offers more services and more treatment options than ever before and the vast majority of people have a home with luxuries that even our recent forbears did not have, such as a fridge, washing machine, TV and phone - as recently as the 1970s not every home had a fridge by a long shot, a vast number trekked to the launderette of washed clothes in the sink, rented a TV if they could afford to and used the phone box for the odd call.

Its not perfect, but a hell of a lot better than it was.

My wife and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary yesterday. We were talking about how much things have changed, over that time, and most of it is not good.

It is the familiar life cycle of civilisations. Unfortunately for us we are in the latter stages of this one, apparoaching a paradigm shift.

I can really tell when people haven't been in hospital in years by how they write. The conditions for staff and patients are horrendous.

You can't tell at all - because everyone's experience will differ depending on their area, what treatment they needed and probably what time of day they happened to be being seen.

A relative of mine received end of life care on the NHS a few months ago and you couldn't fault it. The staff were excellent as was the standard of care she received. It's just an awful shame that it's not the same for everyone.

Similarly I was at the GP two weeks ago for a dodgy mole - it was checked, determined to be benign and I have it booked in to be removed in a month as it keeps catching on my clothing and bleeding. Again, faultless care and the staff have been excellent.

I'm not for one second saying that people don't have bad experiences with the NHS or that it doesn't have its fair share of problems - but when it works, it really works and it's a fantastic resource.

People shouldn't be shouted down (as so often happens on here) for sharing a positive view or experience. It may not tally with your view but that doesn't make it any less valid.

Of course you can compare them, I just did. My point is that it’s easier here to have a good standard of living. I’ve lived in the UK for over 30 years, Ireland for 10 and Oz for 11, and despite Australia’s flaws, life here is better and easier for most ordinary people. Every time I go back, I can see how things have got worse and I’m glad we left. I’m not saying the UK is a bad place, just that right now it’s in a bad place, and it’s sad to see.

Oz and the US are good examples of how differently people live in other counties on average incomes. It's simply incomparable.

Many Northern European countries view property as abodes not investment vehicles so property is much more affordable and lifelong rental is not looked down on at all. This translates to young people not being locked out of the housing market or paying out such a high proportion of their income in rent as they are here.

People have mentioned Oz and America. I did a stint in Japan - average rent is £300 per month, tenancy agreements are strict and fixed for 2 years, (properties are well maintained with underfloor heating/AC/wet room bathrooms with smart baths) salaries the same as ours, restaurants, public transport in every town and city, bicycle is main transport, many people only use their family car at the weekend for trips away, alpine mountains/white sand beaches, free access to numerous wonderful portside developments which would be chargeable in the UK either through entrance fees or by being associated with a restaurant or business, no stigma on renting for life, houses depreciate so your kids can get a place to live if they would like, and 4 proper seasons - 35°C in summer, and winter delivering powder snow in the mountains and dry, cold forever blue skies in the cities and lowlands.

They have 4x4s and campervans for the outdoors, ski, dive, surf, eat out all the time.... and still have the highest savings ratio of any nation on earth.

It ain't just the Northern Europeans, Yanks and Auzzies.

@MrsSkylerWhite I was in A&E a month ago, I was in for close to 12 hours. What was evident, it was a big city A&E so maybe worse was that around 20% of people were there due to alcohol, violence and drugs including stuff like a car accident involving a load of teens who had been driven off the road by their drunk mate. The police bought in six different lots of people over that period, some in handcuffs. I must admit at that point my liberal sensibilities were severely tested. I hope your DH is feeling better, I’m still recovering with months of physiotherapy ahead of me.

I don’t know the answer I spent a good chunk of my life studying social policy. I remember helping writing an equality policy for a council as a very young local government officer way back in the 1980’s. I worked in the NHS, local government and then most of my career was spent in higher education. You could not get more public servant than that. Sometimes front line being puked on and then sometimes thinking about it and writing about it and attempting to influence. I remember naively thinking I could make the world a better place, I’m just totally jaded now.

@xxSideshowAuntSallyxx There is a huge knock on effect with people not buying treats or replacing stuff, that debate is not as discussed as the heating or eating one understandably. Just as everyone knows that the NHS is in a state and education in schools is under a huge strain. Lesser known is the state of higher education. Currently almost all Universities are offering voluntary severance deals and are shedding dozens of staff. My DH just got out on a deal. Any sector under threat is sad but with this it’s the loss of original research, a real brain drain.

Also, being a tradesman seems to pay well if you’re Gen X or older with your own business from my experience.

If it paid so well, more young people would be training. They’re the ones on the rubbish min wage money.

There will also be a knock on effect for some trades as without disposable income - a lot of people won’t be enlisting their services except for crucial stuff.

I'm talking about the UK, where services have been cut to the bone and the NHS has people dying on trolleys.

We have millions using foodbanks because of the cost of living, low wages, high rents and cuts to benefits.

We have some of the highest amounts of child poverty in Europe and Victorian diseases such as rickets have made a come back.

Due to Austerity, our economy hasn't bounced back from COVID and we've been scuppered by Brexit.

There's been lack of investment in vital infrastructure such as roads, GP surgeries and hospitals. People are dying because an ambulance can take hours to come in an emergency.

There's been a notable increase in child death cases through abuse as social services are stretched to breaking point.

There's seemingly unregulated businesses dumping raw sewage into the sea and lakes, creating open sewers because they can do what they like. They make billions in profits, keep costs high and wages low because the interests of business is more important than the people's welfare.

Doesn't seem shit to me. I've not experienced any of the issues people are posting about in this thread but I don't live in a big town/city. There are only a few countries I'd rather live in (Finland/Norway/Iceland).

Much nicer than America/France/Spain/Italy. Germany is prob equivalent.

Considering emigrating to Canada as wife has an excellent job offer and I could move easily as I'm essentially self employed/remote - just doing some research on the specific locale (Squamish).

@Passwordsaremynemesis Aus still has issues for housing shortage and it’s unlikely someone young will find it that easy

And here I live near plenty of people who have very ordinary jobs and live in London houses, it’s just reflects when they bought

I'm afraid that you may be viewing life through a rather rose tinted lens.

The 1970s, did I hear you say? When lifetime council house tenancy was commonplace (young people could get their own place) and private houses were affordable at an average of £70k in today's money.

Or when we had a national bus service with extensive routes even in rural parts of the country which meant car ownership was not a necessity for every single adult human being living outside London?

Or when final salary pensions were the norm with people retiring in their 50s with a golden handshake and then spending 30 years gardening?

If you have grandchildren, you must be find it quite perplexing why they are apathetic about their futures if you think the fact that people having washing machines and TVs indicates that life is good.

Be clear in your mind: - a young couple buying a 2-bed house in the south east today will pay 300-370k for a 25 year old property that was 69k when new. Salaries have been largely stagnant over that period. So, in 2001, the new owners would have needed a combined family income of £15k to buy that house. Today, they would need to earn 77k. In addition, they will have to have saved a 35k cash deposit whereas that would have been 7k 25 years ago and in fact 100% mortgage deals were commonplace in the early 2000s.

Two average earners can just about buy a 2-bed house in the south-east now whereas it was easy just 25 years ago. And what happens when they want to have a family? They will need a bigger place which they could not afford, and they would not be able to have anything but the shortest of maternity leaves to minimise reduction in earnings.

Even a single, early career, high earning professional (doctor, accountant, business professional) would struggle to buy that 2-bed today.

So, head out of the sand, think of your grandkids. It's not washing machines they covet - they need access to housing and a whole raft of other things that PP have correctly outlined.

I am not sure you read what I wrote very carefully.

You mention Brexit. The productivity issue in pan european and in the UK began in 2003. The decline in UK listed companies began in 2008 well in advance of Brexit. All of this is written above already. Brexit may not have gone well but Brexit in 2016-19 didnt start trends and problems that began respectively in 2003 and 2008.

When i referred to standard of living I used relative words like declining and increasing when comparing to other countries. Your reply suggests you didnt read what was written.

Yes after 3 months I feel quite happy to say the tories were crap and Labour are even worse. I had hoped for some competent government but that seems too much to expect.

I'm glad you like Northern Europe.

You've misunderstood what others are doing on this thread. Some people are able to look beyond their own comfortable existence and empathise with others less fortunate than themselves.

Well, if that's what we're doing I'd rather be poor in the UK rather than the US.