So what change would people like to see in this country - given people seem to want change and are fed up with the pace of change?

[cakeorwine]

That seems to be the message from people in the recent elections.

Clearly immigration - controlled or uncontrolled is an issue for some / many people and the impact on local communities

But apart from that, what other changes do people want to see that are not being delivered?

I know that housing is a massive issue. Affordable places to live
Job opportunities in a local area
People being able to stay where they live instead of being forced to relocate
NHS waiting times, seeing a GP quickly, seeing a dentist who is NHS
Cost of living - life is expensive for many people. How can life be made more affordable for people who are struggling?
Run down town centres, too much shoplifting and a feeling that people are getting away with crime

What changes do you want to see happening?

To an extent "boat people" is a red herring. Far larger numbers of immigrants are coming in via legitimate channels, i.e. ostensibly to study or for holidays etc., and simply fail to leave again, staying in the country, often without authority/approval but disappearing into the black economy. Or obtaining right to remain and right to work after going through the official procedures, but somehow getting approval to work in kebab shops! Also the spouses and family members allowed to come in once one person has successfully obtained right to remain/right to work. So many different ways of becoming a drain on our resources rather than contributing.

No one would have an issue with doctors, nurses, accountants, lawyers, etc., coming in to work in the country, but we really don't need hoards of Uber and Just Eat drivers, dodgy kebab shop workers, money laundering Turkish barbers, illegal Chinese cockle pickers, etc., many of whom won't be paying tax on their black economy incomes.

I think we need ID cards, and a concerted mass raid of workplaces (focusing on the myriad dodgy barbers, car washes and vape shops). Why all this illegitimate ‘business’ has been allowed to take root I will never understand.

ID cards would be great. Obviously some people would whine that’s a breach of their civil liberties …. But quite frankly the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

I agree. Such a shame that Blair/Prescott screwed up the chance to impose ID cards 20 years ago. It was needed back then, and needed even more today. Too many people "sharing" ID documents, too many people with multiple IDs. The lack of a national ID card system has caused the merry go round of "normal" people having to constantly prove their ID to open bank accounts, buy a house, etc. Of course, the criminals will have "friends" who can provide fake IDs such as passports or driving licences that won't be noticed as fake by banks and solicitors etc. A proper ID card system and national ID database would make life easier for "normal" people and make life harder for criminals.

And yes, it's mind blowing that successive governments, law enforcement agencies, councils, etc have spectacularly failed to address the growing plague of illegal working, black economy, money laundering, modern slavery, etc. Even after the Chinese cockle picker disaster of Morecambe Bay over 20 years ago, which gave massive publicity to illegal working, modern slavery, etc., the authorities remained mostly blind to it and for some unfathomable reason still show no real impetus to deal with it. All the turkish barbers, hand car washes, dodgy kebab takeaways, ethnic food speciality shops, american candy shops, mobile phone accessory kiosks, hand car washers, uber drivers, just eat riders, etc etc - ever increasing numbers in plain site but completely ignored.

The black economy costs tens of billions in tax evasion, benefit fraud, etc., but somehow accepted/tolerated by governments. Why??

And mine! Red socialism without the woke crap

I would like to see tax loopholes closed so that massive companies and the very rich pay what they should.

I'd like to see the nhs stripped down and rebuilt so it is fit for purpose.

I'd like to see disabled people actually supported and carers given a living wage instead of carers allowance.

I'd like governments to stop wasting millions on various ridiculous projects like happiness surveys.

1. People should always being better off working than not working (or working less). This would take into account not just the money paid but also associated benefits (free school meals, reduced council tax, etc).
2. Minimum wage should be enough to live on / no benefits should be needed to top-up FT min wage (except because of specific circumstances: disability, child benefit etc)
3. Regardless of age, no crime should go unpunished. Repeat offenders would be punished more every time.
4. Mandatory identity card (will help the above)
5. Penalty for missed doctor’s appointments. If the patient doesn’t have the means to pay they can do jobs such as public space cleaning etc.

1 billion wouldn't solve any of the uk's material problems.. the problem is people earn too little. My constituency of 70k people collect 1 billion in income tax revenue alone. This is because I live in London. If you get a few more areas to be as productive as London that is the problem solved

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

It is a grave risk to human rights, digital surveillance on your life- no thanks, biases built into the technology and AI making decisions on our lives!

Sounds draconian and stifling!

You do realise that EU countries have had mandatory id cards for 30y+? France for ex.
The only issue it causes is that you can’t give a fake name when caught by the police / train inspector etc. And you also can’t pretend you are a minor when you are actually 18+.

Id welcome an ID card that would cut out the need to spend hours of my life that i won’t get back verifying my ID time after time after time, trying to scan the fucking biometric chip in my passport, trying to take an acceptable head shot on my iPhone to then try to upload into some box on the screen, to enable me to get a mortgage, bank account, driving license….

its absolute bullshit that it’s a grave risk to human rights. There’s plenty of surveillance on us all already - it’s just ineffective! Far better to have a unified system that works for all of us - except the criminals!

The broadband in my area of Cornwall is almost all fibre to the premises. My connection runs at about 400GB right now. There's no buffering; it works.

ID cards are a waste of time, just chip people like dogs.

not fully read the thread, don’t know if previously mentioned but we need to invest in our prisons

asap!

Not a hope in hell with wet starmer, and that’s a good thing as he’d let the dangerous people go free and imprison those whose thoughts he didn’t like. It was his tenure as dpp that led to a lot of our current problems.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-dpp-tories-autobiography-prosecutions-b2499759.html

Although not a fan I think Keir Starmer is unfairly criticised for his DPP career and no evidence to suggest he would imprison people for improper thoughts?