To wonder why Brits aren't protesting in the streets?

[ponderingpaula]

I used to live in the U.K. and I can't for the life of me work out why the British people aren't protesting the government, given how utterly shafted you have all been by them, and how things have been getting worse and worse over the last few years.

Working people needing food banks and "warm houses" because the costs of living is so outrageous, the nhs is utterly broken unless it's an emergency and even then people have to wait hours for an ambulance, social care virtually doesn't exist now, transport is crap and constantly striking, there have been so many lies it's impossible to count, multiple leaders over a short time, u turn after u turn, prioritising the ultra rich, I mean this is just off the top of my head...

In any other country on earth people would take to the streets to protest or even riot... why don't Brits?

Because protesting just increases the cost of everything and leads to less resources where they are needed.
If police are at a protest there's less time for them to prevent and detect time. The court system gets even more clogged up. If an ambulance is called to a protest that means waiting times for everything else go up. If something gets damaged during a protest it will stay broken for ages until eventually being repaired.
Of course peaceful protest is an option but I highly doubt that's what you are hoping for.

And as a PP said, our unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since the 70’s. Comparatively speaking we still have it easy, and in truth, most people aren’t struggling, they’re just having to cut their cloth a bit.

But I still see people buying new cars, booking next year’s holidays, and having to resort to buying own brand instead of branded. That’s not struggling.

Because the Police Crime Sentencing and courts Act makes it almost completely illegal to protest.

I think it's a good question OP. Judging by PPs, I would say apathy.

What would it do? What steps can be taken right now to make things better?

Major grass roots change appears the only solution. Major change is scary. We'd rather pootle along from mini crisis to mini crisis and hope it all sorts itself out.

The fall of communism??

Because rioting causes costly damage, stirs up bad feelings and achieves nothing.

Why do people want other peoples property to be damaged

Unfortunately media blackout protests, that they don’t want to cover. I am sure this will get more difficult as time goes on, and people become more dissatisfied. I can remember the poll tax riots, people will only stand so much, even Brits!

I don't think this is the just the UK, the west is in decline

Because I need to work six days a week to pay the ever increasing food/energy bills and support my children.

I literally cannot afford an unpaid day off to go march in the streets and achieve nothing.

Do they? The last protest shut a bridge which I knew about as I needed to go into central London so googled beforehand. The protests were on the BBC

There was a study that suggests 3.5% of a population protesting can bring about change www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

Protests do work, not always to the extent we'd like.

The world hasn't changed, just your perception of it. I've lived in the UK as an adult in the UK since 1987, there has never been a time when there hasn't been vitriolic hatred of the government by a substantial minority of the population.
It's always been in the interests of media and politicians not in power (which includes half the MPs of the ruling party) to focus on this anger and stir things up.

I'm not saying the level of background anger is 100% constant, but if say the long-term median is 30%, maybe it fluctuates between 20% and 40%, as various issues and personalities that people focus on come and go. (No doubt people can mention issues now that weren't issues before, there are some in the OP, but what they're not seeing is that there is always something.)

As a nation we are depressed
its also not in our nature

Most people are working so don't have time to protest.

There are more young people in the uk at uni/ college so not sitting bored and unemployed like in other countries.

Young people also more likely to live independently so have more responsibilities than yp in other countries where they can protest as they have the safety net of mums house.

No public transport to get to cities to protest! No parking for people with cars to get to protest!

Very harsh punishments for property crimes during riots etc (see 6 months jail for water bottle theft during 2011 riots).

Lots of jobs requiring enhanced criminal record checks which show up history of protest crime.

Half of the country are overweight or obese so don't have the fitness/ stamina/ speed /strength to protest/ go up against them the police.

'Politeness' and bowing down to authority ingrained in British culture.

The real pain hasn't hit yet. Mortgage holders will only feel the hit once their fixed deals end. February/ March will be when the fuel debts mount up.

There are lots of comfortable people (especially boomers) who can easily ride this out.

@MarshaBradyo For example there have been multiple huge protest marches in central London against the Covid Mandate, back in the day, which included NHS staff etc. The BBC were very inaccurate there with the reports on the rare occasions it made the news, they said a few hundred people, there were thousands & thousands on the streets. They report what suits.

Because a high proportion of the electorate voted for this shower of s*. And a slim majority voted for Brexit many of whom still refuse to acknowledge that was a mistake (you lost get over it). I think you need to be living outside the UK to be able to see the wood the trees and realise just how bad things have become.

Because there are alot of people who are getting on in like just fine, plus there are others who are managing as they just get on.

Social media and the media are at peak frenzy again and have become a siren call of doom and gloom, there like banshees whipping up hysteria, alot of people will get on board with that frenzy. Fact is even if your classed as really poor in this country your still well off and living it up compared to most of the population of this planet.

Many are seen to be struggling yes but many are not.

We are boiled frogs

The past few years have been a constant drip drip drip of increasingly awful government (and covid) so that we are now not surprised or shocked when something epically awful happens.

Because if I riot I will get arrested and lose the job I need to put food in my daughter's mouth..

Thank you to everyone who has engaged with this in a serious way and has posted some really interesting answers to this. I am genuinely interested and I can see it is multi-factorial.

I do think the boiled frogs point is right - being outside the U.K. you can see just how bad it is now compared to even just a couple of years ago I think. But obviously it is more complex than that.

I think for many the cost of living crisis hasn’t kicked in yet. I also think most of us are just worn down by post Covid life and we’re working/surviving.

if the recession really bites and enough people lose their jobs/houses they’ll be nothing left to do than protest. It’s not a great coincidence that many of the Insulate Britain protesters are students and those who are jobless. You have to find something to fill your time!

Because we can’t afford the time off. I am mortgage free but bloody hell, I am having to seek out an additional source of income presently to justify putting the heating on. I have no idea how those who pay rent or a mortgage are managing. It’s an absolute shit show.

As an aside not everyone is struggling. I can only think of a few people I know who are in trouble (and I know that’s two people too many). But one of those is bad luck and one was always in trouble.

We’ve managed to improve our lot through pay rises and me now working part time having been a SAHM so I guess we’ve never been so wealthy. It’s obviously cancelled out by everything going up but you get my point. I won’t be taking to the streets personally.