To panic about the dire state of the UK?

[moveblues]

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.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Feels like the 1970’s to me.

I was only young but remember power cuts, having no money, everything costing too much.

'The sick man of Europe' tag is back as a return to the 70s as well.

The 70s were a simpler time though. Low house prices, social housing, much much smaller gap between rich and poor, the underclass and benefit state hadn't come into effect (Thatcher's 80s saw to that).

Also the music was bloody good.

Also in the EU...zero shortages, no problems getting food/all supplies available. Doctors running as normal, and have been throughout the whole pandemic.
I recently debated moving back to the UK but the state that it's in right now means it would be a huge reduction in my and my family's quality of life. I worry for my family in the UK very much and hope the govt wakes up and starts to make real plans to get out of this mess.

I don’t think that quote means they live like actual victorians.
You don't say...

The average Victorian lacked many basic things. Sanitation, nutrition etc. All indicators of poverty. By what measure is poverty at "Victorian levels"?

@Gwenhwyfar

"A good opposition doesn't stop at merely pointing out where the government is going wrong. A good opposition points out how it would do better. "

Exactly. They present an alternative and mobilise the public around it. Starmer's opposition has been weak and the Labour party appears to be in crisis.

Well he's too busy teaching us biology. He wants us to know that it's not only women who have cervixes. Goodo, but he needs to master multi tasking. Single policy issues aren't enough.

We have the issues with fuel, the looming UC cut, still high Covid cases (with 100-200 a day being killed by it, and many more suffering Long Covid), and the public health housing emergency.

Sad to learn too that Labour seem set on following in Blair's footsteps with regards the disabled. As in erasing them. For all Labour's weak mutterings on the UC cut and the cost of living crisis, their focus has been - like the conservatives - solely on 'hard working people'.

Heaven help the vulnerable - the disabled, the long term ill, carers. Who is standing up for them? No-one it seems.

But I wouldn’t stay even if you paid me. I’m a Swedish citizen and my political efforts are better spent in my own country where my children will be living

@MarshmallowSwede yes you are doing what suits YOU. And yet you harshly criticise those who are doing the same.

What makes you think that any other political party will make a better job of it? As I said upthread, a new government brings hope for the future and a positive outlook. It doesn't last long. When was the last time the UK had a PM/government that we were happy with?

@DdraigGoch

I don’t think that quote means they live like actual victorians. You don't say...

The average Victorian lacked many basic things. Sanitation, nutrition etc. All indicators of poverty. By what measure is poverty at "Victorian levels"?

You should see the state of some of the temporary accommodation people are left to rot in. That's if they actually get anything at all. There's not much sanitation or nutrition on the streets.

In the capital of homelessness (London) alone, there are 165,000 homeless people.

The average age of death of a homeless person is early to mid 40s.

When was the last time the UK had a PM/government that we were happy with?

Probably Churchill or Atlee.

But I wouldn’t stay even if you paid me.

Tbh go and take the harsh criticism. Fine if you loathe it here some of us like it and the negativity is quite draining.

I’ll bet you anything they’ll come grin Why, I couldn’t say, but the prospect of living and working in London or the rest of the UK is still very attractive to many, many people. They may see it as a stepping stone to something more permanent.

I am one of the Europeans who came here and I feel Inwas pretty much missold the whole Englans is great developed country. (I made life here now so can't lwave anyway and I still like the people!)
Wages are shit, life quality is shit, pound dropped over the years, now even EU people need visa to come, iirc top 6 for child poverty in EU (well not now...), healthcare has been a joke for decades (not kidding it's famous abroad kind of), and so on.

People abroad are becoming aware of the shitshow. There are better options now with pound being so close to EUR and wothout need for visa🤷🏻
Last articles in my native country about Brotain wdre, the fuel shortage, the reported food aupply issues, the biggest tax hike.
Great ad saying to immigrants "come".

*When was the last time the UK had a PM/government that we were happy with?

Probably Churchill or Atlee.*

Churchill got voted out straight after the war they weren't happy with him.

Brexit will go down as one of the greatest acts of self-sabotage in any country's modern history. And i'm no great lover of the EU either and by no means a passionate remainer.

I’m getting a bit fed up with the ridiculous posts on twitter about food shortages. I am a remainer. I have seen some empty shelves in some supermarkets but that has been short-term. Some fool was saying her German friend is offering to send food parcels to her which she commented was the opposite of what happened after WW2. Some people have lost their heads and are loving the drama.

And an ageing population.

Smoking is the answer. High tax income, stress relief (and don't people need it in today's stressful world!) + massive savings on pension and social care costs. Win win all round.

@Againstmachine

*When was the last time the UK had a PM/government that we were happy with?

Probably Churchill or Atlee.*

Churchill got voted out straight after the war they weren't happy with him.

He got voted back in a few years later.

Atlee was probably the best though.

I work for the Civil Service so have seen some of the awful decisions our government have been making over the years that maybe others don't see. It's been getting me down for a long time.
But when I went to the shops this afternoon and saw all the empty shelves and the queues for fuel, I was actually really shaken and for some reason I feel quite scared about what else is to come.

@Againstmachine

*When was the last time the UK had a PM/government that we were happy with?

Probably Churchill or Atlee.*

Churchill got voted out straight after the war they weren't happy with him.

Atlee is widely regarded as the best post-war PM but he was voted out after one term. The post-war years were very difficult with rationing etc and a depressed economy while the country was still a bomb site.

Thatcher was great if you were doing well for yourself (and believed in 'no such thing as society' and individualism). She destroyed the fabric of community,

Pre-Iraq Tony Blair, people were relatively happy with. He won stonking majorities in '97 and '01, the economy was in good health and it was fresh in people's memories the nightmare of long term Tory rule. The left didn't really like him, but were happier Labour were in power, and staunch Conservatives obviously didn't like him, but even a lot of Thatcherites liked him and voted for him.

It was also the last time the UK felt like it was moving forwards rather than backwards and looking forwards rather than backwards.

I would say Blair too until the war. Sure he had his faults, I seem to remember smarmy came up a fair bit.

But he managed to combine Labour with opportunity and that is sorely missing with Starmer.

Very stupid question but what’s happening with the nhs? Why are they losing staff? I did hear about the ambulances not having fuel.

It’s not just UK with rising electricity/gas prices. Ireland prices are creeping up too.

I have go admit that I’ve stopped buying from UK websites because I’ve been slammed with entry tax a few times already!! Christmas shopping will be a bit trickier this year.

English peoples attitudes of entitlement, arrogance, ignorance, selfishness and general bigotry are coming home to roost .

Us English are taught that the British Empire was marvelous, and that we won two World Wars because we are so much better than everyone else.

Well guess what, we aren't.

The British Empire was responsible for worldwide genocide and pillaging of treasures and wealth.

'We' didn't win any wars. We were part of an allied force . In WW2 we would have had our backsides handed to us by the Germans if it wasn't for the Russians and many other countries.

But still, we think we are so much better than anyone else that we can leave a trading block and all the benefits rhat brought to our shores.

Now we are the laughing stock of the world, and still people fawn over lying, cheating, bigoted corrupt scumbags like Boris Johnson and his equally vile mates.

I'm encouraging my daughter , at a very early age , to be excited by languages and take any opportunity she can to learn them, so when she's an adult she can leave this pathetic, embarrassing country and live somewhere with humanity, morality and opportunity.

@Overthehillandfartaway

English peoples attitudes of entitlement, arrogance, ignorance, selfishness and general bigotry are coming home to roost .

Us English are taught that the British Empire was marvelous, and that we won two World Wars because we are so much better than everyone else.

Well guess what, we aren't.

The British Empire was responsible for worldwide genocide and pillaging of treasures and wealth.

'We' didn't win any wars. We were part of an allied force . In WW2 we would have had our backsides handed to us by the Germans if it wasn't for the Russians and many other countries.

But still, we think we are so much better than anyone else that we can leave a trading block and all the benefits rhat brought to our shores.

Now we are the laughing stock of the world, and still people fawn over lying, cheating, bigoted corrupt scumbags like Boris Johnson and his equally vile mates.

I'm encouraging my daughter , at a very early age , to be excited by languages and take any opportunity she can to learn them, so when she's an adult she can leave this pathetic, embarrassing country and live somewhere with humanity, morality and opportunity.

This is quite sad. I hope she’s happy enough here in the meantime.

[quote Pumperthepumper]@DdraigGoch you could also have lived in a country where owning a car wasn’t outside your wildest dreams and having to work a 70-hour week to afford your own house was seen as appalling. Imagine having a government that thought it was important to have choice in the supermarket, you could have enjoyed all the sweet potato you liked.

Imagine how well your children could have done in that country.[/quote]
Why would I want to own a car? Awful things. They're part of the problem. Best off without them, that way I avoid the stress of queuing behind 100 idiots at the petrol pumps.

Now why did I have to work a 70 hour week in hospitality in order to gain experience and build up to affording a house? Ah yes, there used to be a labour surplus which was driving down wages and conditions. I built up experience and used it to move to an industry where there was a healthier supply/demand balance. So in my view, unscrupulous employers who took advantage of cheap labour are now getting their comeuppance.

Why is the cost of housing so high compared with wages? Being the third most densely-populated major state in Europe probably has something to do with it.

Can you name any government in the world (or even an opposition party) who actually has a policy on vegetable choice? Anyway, I've got sweet potato in my kitchen. Leeks too. No shortages in my local shop.

Not that any of it matters when the planet is screwed anyway.

@MarshaBradyo

I would say Blair too until the war. Sure he had his faults, I seem to remember smarmy came up a fair bit.

But he managed to combine Labour with opportunity and that is sorely missing with Starmer.

Had his faults. That's an understatement! He was always a snake oil salesman.

The man seemed to have a pathological hatred of the vulnerable to rival George Osborne. He wanted to erase the disabled and long term ill.

It was Blair's war on the disabled that put us on the road towards the dismantling of the welfare state. He opened the doors for his successors (including Gordon Brown, who cut housing benefit and began the social cleansing of the poor).

Remember that Blair very enthusiastically continued Thatcher's Right to Buy. By the time he got in, it wasn't in any way possible to deny it's terrible consequences.

Many of today's problems are the legacy of Blair. David Cameron correctly described himself as the heir to Blair.

Blair's 'education, education, education' hide unemployment statistics is a major reason why people and society devalued essential work like HGV driving.

He also committed to unlimited freedom of movement - but without the spending on infrastructure, housing, and public services that necessitated.

All that, even before you get to his wars.

I remember you don’t like him Tea

Who’s your favourite?

I do agree with you about Melbourne and Australia though. Particularly with Scott Morrison, it's not an utopia there.

And you're right. The UK does, despite all the problems, have a lot going for it.

Bad governments for over 40 years, yes. But it's not unfixable. If we really wanted to fix things.

@Journeyofthedragons

Why then have I seen more graffiti in cities as varied as Geneva, Berlin and Brussels than I do if I travel to Manchester?

Maybe, but do they have as many people wandering around during the day off their faces like you see in Piacadilly Gardens?

No idea. I met a fair few high-functioning alcoholics when I went to Poland though. Many European police forces don't mess around though, they're often much more willing to forcibly move a problem on. No asking nicely, just get the baton out.