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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To panic about the dire state of the UK?

999 replies

moveblues · 25/09/2021 20:39

So... all things considered... aren't we up sh-t creek?
-gas and electricity prices
-covid (masks? Pfft completed Covid mate (in England))
-council tax hikes
-inflation
-food shortages
-Brexit
-petrol

Sounds like something out of a dystopian nightmare. I'm worried dear reader, and 'keep calm and carry on' doesn't help.

OP posts:
wewereliars · 26/09/2021 11:30

MarshmallowSwede I agree with every word you have posted. Can I come too!

Sarahlou63 · 26/09/2021 11:32

@MarshmallowSwede

Great post.

What jumps out at me at the situation in the UK, and the response to it on here and in the media is everyone is looking for someone to blame.

Blame the immigrants, the EU, the refugees, the Government, the opposition, the Leavers, the Remainers, the Royal family, the oil companies, the media, Corona Virus, the weather.

Why? Because as long as there's someone to blame you don't have to change your own behaviour. Well, at some stage you will run out of people to blame and you will have to look in the mirror and take responsibility for your own actions.

Time to grow up, UK.

wewereliars · 26/09/2021 11:35

People in the UK are still impressed by a posh accent, and still buy and believe the rightwing rags owned by billionaires who print whatever suits their agenda.

People knew Johnson was a lying incompetent twat when they voted for him in 2019, and we are all now living with the consequences.

DdraigGoch · 26/09/2021 11:36

@wellards

plus I don't think we have volcanoes here but flooding is a problem.
Uniquely so? Nah, flooding happens all over, the continent was badly hit recently.
FreddyMercurysCat · 26/09/2021 11:36

@MarshmallowSwede

Swedish here.. no. Things are not bad in Sweden. Energy prices are going to rise, but we don’t have people worried about getting food, we don’t have people who are going to face being homeless on the street because they had to choose food or a roof over their head. We don’t have people worried about if they will have a warm house in the winter.

We are in the last stages of our move back to Stockholm and I can’t say how relieved I am. It has come to a point where I would be afraid for my life and the life of my unborn child if I had to stay here. Your government has no clue how to actually run a country that works for everyone. So I’m going back where I come from.. which seems to be the most common retort I get whenever I dare say any criticism about the UK government.

So please stop saying “it’s worse or it’s just as bad in other countries”… no it’s not. You are telling yourselves this because you bought a load of bullshit and are too proud to admit that you bought a load of bullshit and told the person selling you bullshit thank you sir.. then you sent them a gift basket for said bullshit.

You make yourself sound foolish when you say “others have it worse”. No.. Germany. Fine. All of Scandinavia.. fine. Holland. Fine. It’s only you and your screwed up ideas of what is a functioning government and healthy happy citizens means. If this was happening in Sweden there would be help for citizens to make sure no one is hungry, and to make sure no one is without heat. It would not even be acceptable to have someone have to cut down so much in heating considering how cold it gets. This is cruel to even ask someone to do this . I have read a many people worried about heating and food. What is going on?

You don’t have any idea what it means to have a nation that works for everyone. Why do you have homeless people on the street and people living so poorly they are worried about food now? Good god.. do people in the UK not understand that there are so many nations where this is not happening.? You are the only country that is lying to its citizens saying that this is normal and ok. No it’s not. It’s unacceptable.

As long as you keep making excuses then you’re going to sink lower and further away from any sort of functioning society. But maybe this is what your government is wants. None of this hurts them, but it will certainly hurt you.

But you can be sure, that most Northern European nations at least are doing fine. Thriving.. yet here you are with petrol shortage. Good shortage. High energy prices, labour shortages. You don’t even know how bad things are because you are brainwashed into thinking that how you live is acceptable.

I hope you one day wake up and demand that your government do right by its people and make sure it works for everyone. It doesn’t seem to work for most people in the UK. In my opinion, whatever you are doing is not working. It hasn’t worked for a long time.

You don’t have any room to criticise any government considering the appalling way the people of the UK are being treated and live. And it helps no one to keep on “well we have it good compared to this and that land”. I can assure you that you live worse than any Swede, or any Scandinavian. You live worse than the germans. You live worse than the Dutch.

Parts of the UK live in poverty levels like Victorian times. You should be ashamed that you have a government where they think this is ok. And what are they doing to help the citizens in this crisis?

I have not heard a sound from your government about any initiative to help the families and households right now. Mother and baby incentives to ensure pregnant mothers will have enough to eat. Food prices will hit hard for many people. What are you going to do to make sure pregnant women have enough? What are you going to do to make sure that all children will be in warm houses and have enough good food ? Where is this?

Do you wait until darkness comes to gather wood? No.. you get the wood before the sun sets so you can build the fire. Why has there been no plan to make sure citizens get thru the winter? Visas for Lorry drivers? That’s your plan? That’s the only thing you’re doing?

This is undoubtedly a crisis. Therefore crisis action needs to be taken now. What is it with the UK government waiting until the last minute to do anything that is remotely like governing the nation? Will they wait until you have people freeze and hungry?

Meanwhile Boris is asking Brazil and USA for a trade deal ( trade deals should have been done before ink signed on brexit deal- that’s a different story) when he should be looking into the National budget seeing how he can make up the difference in the family pocketbook so that food price hikes don’t pour stress on people. There should be emergency initiatives rolling out now.

And for those saying this is all an over reaction.. you’re part of the problem. And it’s people like you that will hasten the descent of your country into even darker days.

What do you pay taxes for? Your health service is about to collapse, your streets (at least in London ) are filthy. There are homeless people everywhere. Where do the taxes go to?

Now food shortages. No one else is Europe is having shelves bare. And instead of your government doing anything, they are just shrugging and saying ok. We will get more drivers. What about the price of food going up and less being available? People are in real danger of going into winter being cold and having less to eat. And not one initiative, even a temporary initiative until the spring, to ensure food and heat for everyone stays going.

I really pray for you to get your act together.

Thanks for this - perfectly put.

This government is an absolute disgrace. I am ashamed and embarrassed at the depths we have fallen to.

There is no point comparing our current situation to that of the 70s - it's a completely different set of circumstances.

The entire public sector is crumbling before our eyes and this will affect all of us.

DdraigGoch · 26/09/2021 11:42

Yes how do we fix the NHS & manage the Taliban & stop natural disasters?
@wellards Well for the last one, perhaps if people stopped buying petrol then we might stave off climate change which is causing fires and floods.

Sonarl · 26/09/2021 11:42

I couldn't agree more. I've lived in Europe so I knew Brexit would be disastrous. The problem is many people here have been on brief holidays to Southern Europe and that's it. Not many have lived or worked in Parts of Europe where things function well and hence just can't quite believe (yet) just how badly the UK has fucked up.

LakieLady · 26/09/2021 11:42

@Jaxhog

The 1970s were worse.
I have never been so well off as I was in the 70s. I had a relatively well-paid job, lived in a relatively cheap rented flat (our rent was £8 week each, and I was earning £3.5k pa, I can't begin to think what you would have to earn to have a similar rent:wages ratio now).

We had 2 holidays a year, went out drinking or clubbing most nights, ate out at least once a week and frittered shedloads away on expensive clothes and stuff.

Stupid really, if we'd saved all the money we wasted on shite, we probably could have bought a house outright by the end of the decade.

The occasional shortages and a few weeks where the power was out for a few hours at a time was no big deal, really.

MardyBoudoir · 26/09/2021 11:56

It’s awful and depressing what’s happening to the UK and it pains me to watch it as a Brit.

It didn’t need to happen either. But the country keeps electing individuals who put themselves and their wealthy mates first.

We are also leaving in 2/3 years (dh is Dutch) as we think it will be better for our dc to live and have careers in the EU.

BoPeeple · 26/09/2021 12:02

[quote Sarahlou63]@MarshmallowSwede

Great post.

What jumps out at me at the situation in the UK, and the response to it on here and in the media is everyone is looking for someone to blame.

Blame the immigrants, the EU, the refugees, the Government, the opposition, the Leavers, the Remainers, the Royal family, the oil companies, the media, Corona Virus, the weather.

Why? Because as long as there's someone to blame you don't have to change your own behaviour. Well, at some stage you will run out of people to blame and you will have to look in the mirror and take responsibility for your own actions.

Time to grow up, UK.[/quote]
What are we supposed to do? (Genuine question)

MarshmallowSwede · 26/09/2021 12:03

Disclaimer: Sweden is not perfect. Scandinavia is not perfect. But we have a good working model for societies where we believe and do our best to make sure everyone lives well. We have crime yes, we have anti immigrant sentiment as well. But overall it’s a good place to live. If your politicians were smart and not walking mounds of custard brained pieces of human excrement, then they would be studying why things work so well In Scandinavia and not out to line their pockets while screwing on desks in your government offices.

You have to do better. You have to demand that your government work for you. Not for themselves. We recently ousted a politician because he forgot who he worked for. And we will bite to oust any politician who gets beside themselves and starts tk work against the interest of the Swedish people. You are owed a government and a nation that works for you to make sure you are happy and healthy. It should work so that your children and grandchildren will live well.

Boris .. I’m sorry. What were you all thinking? Was the entire voting population drunk or in drugs? All of his cronies are a bunch of Fck ups! Why do you all keep putting people in office who have so much disdain for you, that they are willing to let this nation descend into chaos, let some of you be homeless and starve in the streets? And all this talk about attracting business.. what good does that do for your nation when it’s in the state that it is in? Serious question here. So many companies are moving their headquarters and operations out of the UK now.

I don’t know what you consider a functioning nation and government, but you are walking around in a fugue state many of you seem shell shocked. You live day at l day in a state of waiting for the next bullshit thing your government throws at you. And then you just shrug and go along until the next thing.

I can assure you that comparing yourselves to a nation in a war zone and currently in chaos shows where you are at. For those saying “Afghanistan is worse”. No shit Sherlock! It’s a war zone. What war zone are you currently in?

And for the ones here with their “oh ho hum.. I’m drinking tea and living my best life.. looking out at my lovely garden.. isn’t lifr grand.” You’re pretty much scum. You’re a disgusting example of disregard for your fellow man. You hold your nation and neighbors in such disdain that you think being apathetic is cute. You don’t care that your fellow citizens are struggling?

I’m extremely privileged as is my husband. I’m extremely proud to be Swedish.. one thing I’m proud of is that while not a perfect nation, we have a well functioning nation of healthy and happy people. Stockholm was one of the top ten safest cities in the world (#10)…it’s clean, safe, affordable childcare, a good health service, good education, university is free. And some idiot will no doubt scream “but you pay high taxes.” Yes we do. But look what we get back.

And your people are here fighting over scraps that your supposed “elites” have thrown to you. You fight one another like rabid dogs, stand like dogs shaking in front of a shop for the scraps they give you.

You all really need to demand more from your politicians. Because they are pretty much f-cking you in the a$$ with no lube right now.

RandomLondoner · 26/09/2021 12:20

So... all things considered... aren't we up sh-t creek?
-gas and electricity prices

If a 2% increase in annual outgoings depresses you then you have a very easy life

-covid (masks? Pfft completed Covid mate (in England))

Not sure what the point is, other than it would be nice if Covid didn't exist. Why not wish for world peace and the end of climate change while you're at it?

-council tax hikes

I've estimated this is a half-a-percent increase in cost of living. See my remarks re electricity and gas.

-inflation

As long as you income is from a broadly inflation-linked source, like salaries, this should not be a problem, on average over the long term.

-food shortages

What food shortages? A food shortage (that's worthy of mention) is when someone goes hungry or experiences a huge drop in the quality of what they can eat. I don't believe there is a single person in the UK who has been put in this position by general failures of food supply.

-Brexit

Happened a while ago, you should have adjusted to the new normal by now. Maybe you just enjoy contemplating things that make you miserable?

-petrol
A minor tabloid-induced hiccup, won't last as long as the similar toilet-paper "crisis" of 2020.

Poofurburrball · 26/09/2021 12:20

@MarshmallowSwede
Great post. It hurts to read because it's so true and I wish it wasn't. No doubt there'll be some on this thread along in a minute to tell you how wrong you are and "what about the queen, Shakespeare, the houses of parliament, cricket on the green, cosy pubs, Stonehenge, vicarage fucking tea parties, etc."
Actually, I like a lot of those but still!!Grin

pontypridd · 26/09/2021 12:22

Gosh @MarshmallowSwede you’ve hit the nail on the head. Thank you.

You actually made me laugh. It is so accurate.

I feel as if the government I never would vote for has landed us in this mess and is currently abandoning us.

There are many people who are awake and care but what can we do when so many are so stupid and keep voting these people in?

We’re not even allowed to protest anymore. I could go out on my own but that would do no good.

How do we change this? Even you chose to leave. Granted - back to your home country. But you must also have a sense that this is too big a problem now to change or reverse.

wewereliars · 26/09/2021 12:23

Randomlonder every word you have posted is wrong

ColorMagicBarbie · 26/09/2021 12:24

Stockholm was one of the top ten safest cities in the world

But on the whole, isn't Sweden facing some pretty serious crime issues?

Sweden is the only European country where fatal shootings have risen significantly since 2000, leaping from one of the lowest rates of gun violence on the continent to one of the highest in less than a decade, a report has found.

“The rate in Sweden ranks very high in relation to other European countries, at approximately four deaths per million inhabitants per year. The average for Europe is approximately 1.6 deaths per million inhabitants,” it said.

Of 22 European countries analysed in the report, data from 2014-2017 put the country in second place, behind Croatia and ahead of Latvia. In 2018 it topped the ranking, although data from some countries was not complete that year.

“The increase in gun homicide in Sweden is closely linked to criminal milieux in socially disadvantaged areas,” the report said, noting that shooting deaths had more than doubled between 2011 and 2019 and now accounted for 40% of violent deaths.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/fatal-shootings-have-risen-in-sweden-despite-fall-across-europe-report-finds

pontypridd · 26/09/2021 12:25

I ignored @RandomLondoner

I have no energy left for these people. They are the ones who got us into this mess.

Royalgalas · 26/09/2021 12:29

@RandomLondoner careful, your privilege is showing.

If you're unaffected by the increased cost of living, cut to UC, hikes in gas prices and increases in Council Tax then well done, give yourself a little pat on the bum for doing so well.

Believe it or not, very many people in this country rely on our essential services - education, health and social care, energy and other supply chains - functioning properly and don't have the headroom in their finances to absorb even small increases to their fixed outgoings.

This "I'm alright, Jack" attitude of the British public is precisely what's grinding us into the ground. What nasty, redundant little island we have become.

HarrisonStickle · 26/09/2021 12:29

One of the major problems with the UK is that lowering taxes is a vote winner. And it's a vote winner partly because successive governments have wasted the taxes of us plebs and given tax breaks to those who could be paying huge amounts in tax. Our FPTP combative political system is partly to blame for that. High taxes in Norway for instance are scoffed at and the people deemed fools for paying them. There is a disconnect where people can't see the connection between those higher taxes and higher standards.

UK exeptionalism also results in people believing we're better than anywhere else when that's not the case. Yes, we're better than Afghanistan but that's a pretty low bar.

Sarahlou63 · 26/09/2021 12:32

@BoPeeple;

Figure out what your national and local priorities are, and why they are important to you.

Research the political parties to see which are mostly closely aligned to your key ideology. If there isn't one, then look for an independent candidate - if there isn't one then consider standing yourself (OK, out of reach to most but there are plenty of people on MN who have the time, drive and ability to stand).

Be active within your chosen party. Get involved in local politics. Ignore the petty stuff - stay focused on the big picture.

Stop demanding answers. Start suggesting solutions. Educate yourself to see problems from all angles. Step outside your comfort zone. Stop believing everything you are told, ESPECIALLY when it comes from those with an agenda that goes against the common good.

Be prepared to proved wrong. Be open minded and curious.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/09/2021 12:34

"Healthcare is more or less back to normal, just with masks."

Only in the sense that it's normal for it to be difficult to see a GP, ambulances taking forever and people being told not to go to their A&Es because they can't cope.

Poofurburrball · 26/09/2021 12:37

@ColorMagicBarbie
What's that got to do with anything? Marshmallow was clear that Sweden isn't perfect and there is crime. Those figures are broadly comparable to our own knife crime stats. I note you left this bit out:

"The report found Sweden had slightly lower levels of other forms of fatal violence than the European average, with violent fatalities other than gun deaths declining over the period."

The key difference is in how one's government tackles the issue.

OrangeBlossomsinthesun · 26/09/2021 12:39

@Gwenhwyfar

"Healthcare is more or less back to normal, just with masks."

Only in the sense that it's normal for it to be difficult to see a GP, ambulances taking forever and people being told not to go to their A&Es because they can't cope.

I think that quote was about Spain?
Gwenhwyfar · 26/09/2021 12:39

"-Brexit

Happened a while ago, you should have adjusted to the new normal by now. Maybe you just enjoy contemplating things that make you miserable?"

Not really. The transition period ended at the beginning of this year, but not everything has been implemented yet. There are no checks on goods from Northern Ireland yet, for example.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/09/2021 12:40

"Uniquely so? Nah, flooding happens all over, the continent was badly hit recently."

With many people dead, something I don't remember hearing about in the UK at all.