I don't think we are a rich country anymore

[ThisHairColourIsTooDarkIThink]

I've been feeling for a while that the country is in a bit of a mess financially.

Are you feeling this and cutting back where you can (I know I am).

Telegraph headline today
Rachel Reeves ‘heading towards 70s-style IMF bailout’
Economists warn of 1970s-style debt crisis unless Chancellor changes course

I think this is why people are so up in arms about the inflow of all these young men from abroad seeking refuge.

Nobody minds helping others when we ourselves are sorted.

Lets be honest though - it's hard to get an NHS dentist or a doctors appt. Our police are falling apart (which is very scary given what they keep at bay in society), ambulances don't come fast when you have a genuine emergency, housing shortage, food prices rocketing etc.

How can we help all these people when we can't even sort out ourselves?

Anyway watched a few things recently and alot about our economy being in serious shit. It seems we are indeed in a position much like the seventies.

So I just wanted to know if others are feeling like we are on a bit of knife edge and are you all cutting back financially to 'brave the storm'

No need for other comment. That's not in good faith. I have explained how your comment read.

I said to you,

"you need to share token Times articles"

For some reason you couldn't read the above correctly and replied with

"Eh? Cos The Times isn't a serious paper is it? I posted Grauniad too which says similar thing but i suppose you automatically approve of that paper 🙄The amount of debt and borrowing isn't an opinion, it's a fact."

And you are accusing me of not being in good faith!

🤣🤣🤣

You can't make it up!!!

Yes because I'm a subscriber so automatically have access.

So you do understand how subscription models work?

Oh I give up. I explained how it read because I didn't know about Times tokens.
You can jog on now though, you're just being supercilious. No need to engage further.

Well you could just apologise for jumping down my throat and accusing me of things that are untrue because you couldn't comprehend my helpful hint @twistyizzy.

I presume that's the bit you are struggling with.

You can jog on now though, you're just being supercilious. No need to engage further.

As I thought 😆😆😆

Wowsers!

The Telegraph, whether you agree with the right-wing politics or not, is a reputable newspaper printing / publishing researched, fact-checked journalism.

One problem is our oppositional Gov - it’s either left or right and anything one does the other rubbishes and neither can make the needed changes without getting voted out. Sadly greens and Lib Dem’s got their knickers in a twist over transgender rights and mad side issues rather than improving life for voters.
Look at the US for extreme L and R.
But it’s who we are voting for so our fault.

@YelloDaisy Absolutely it's tit for tat when we need cross party thinking but as you say the voters play into that too.

And if any party was truly honest about the issues we are facing the majority of voters would be turned off.

I'm going to be pedantic. It would be impossible for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle. The reference to the eye of a needle is to a gate into the city of Jerusalem which was smaller than all the other gates but not impossible to pass through. So those Christian billionaires may be taking solace in an imprecise translation from ancient Greek into English. But they should be seriously concerned because the gospels are an argument for socialism.

A example of a Nordic economy, Denmark has high taxes and good social provision. It is now quite tight on immigration and insists that new citizens embrace the Danish culture. Denmark puts great prestige on its citizens working whether they are scientists or e shop barristas. Re u.K,, The few very wealthy in this country can protect their wealth. We are no longer a rich country imo in terms of what we offer the bulk of the working population. Child care, housing, travel etc. are too expensive and taxes too burdensome.. Healthcare, police, schools etc. are too poorly funded.

Well the thing is, when we are in financial straits it seems many other Western countries are too. But RR will make damn certain we are, whilst blowing my tax money at the same time.

Denmark also has the sovereign fund

Well the thing is, when we are in financial straits it seems many other Western countries are too.

Much of the West has the ageing population issue but I don't think other countries have the triple whammy of low wages, house prices vs wages, lack of investment in services. And then throw in Brexit.

Compared to life in poor & middle income countries, oh yeah, UK is definitely still very much in the rich group.

@Sunshineandoranges Denmark has quite a strong trust in their government/institutions so the average person is invested in their country. High taxes work if you feel you benefit from them.

I have always said child benefit should be universal for example but a lot disagree.

Based on GDP the UK is the 6th richest country in the world but 26th for GDP per capita.

Exactly and it’s that per capita bit that’s the problem

And the GDP per capita is low because productivity has stalled since 08.

Oh don’t be silly. RR has an impossible job. Her successor, from whatever party, will also have an impossible job. We’ve been going down the shitter since austerity began and Brexit made it far worse. The studies also show that we’ve also failed to recover from Covid as well as the rest of Europe has done, despite being the fastest to get the vaccines out.

It’s more accurate to look at GDP per capita i.e per person. On this metric the UK lies 18th.

You only have to go on holiday to Europe to see how shabby the UK has become. It’s not rich.

The UK is pretty far down the list of 20 richest Western Countries

As of 2025, the 20 richest Western countries by GDP per capita (adjusted for purchasing power parity, or PPP) are:

Luxembourg – $141,080

Switzerland – $111,716

Ireland – $107,243

Norway – $90,320

Iceland – $90,111

United States – $89,678

Macau – $84,276

Qatar – $72,760

Denmark – $71,967

San Marino – $69,000

Sweden – $67,000

Netherlands – $65,000

Finland – $63,000

Germany – $60,000

Austria – $58,000

Belgium – $57,000

France – $55,000

United Kingdom – $53,000

Italy – $52,000

Spain – $50,000

These figures reflect the most recent data available and are subject to revisions as new economic reports are released.World Population Review

Completely inaccurate, The UK isn’t even in the 10 richest countries in the western world,

As of 2025, the 20 richest Western countries by GDP per capita (adjusted for purchasing power parity, or PPP) are:

Luxembourg – $141,080

Switzerland – $111,716

Ireland – $107,243

Norway – $90,320

Iceland – $90,111

United States – $89,678

Macau – $84,276

Qatar – $72,760

Denmark – $71,967

San Marino – $69,000

Sweden – $67,000

Netherlands – $65,000

Finland – $63,000

Germany – $60,000

Austria – $58,000

Belgium – $57,000

France – $55,000

United Kingdom – $53,000

Italy – $52,000

Spain – $50,000

These figures reflect the most recent data available and are subject to revisions as new economic reports are released.World Population Review

GDP capita wise we are alongside France & Germany. We can't compete with tax havens like

I think you should visit a poor country before believing the UK is not ‘rich’ also don’t believe everything you read in The Telegraph.

I’m not saying there are not economic problems or that the gap between rich and poor is not getting wider, but it really is all relative.

If you genuinely believe you’ve got a short straw living in the UK please go and spend a couple of weeks in any of the many many developing countries where people live on less than $1 a day and there is no state support. And then come back and complain about the UK.