AIBU to think this might be it for the UK and will never get better?

[Desperado40]

I am sorry for a very pessimistic view, but I feel we are stuck in a downward spiral in the UK. Is it just me, or does anyone else think that we will be stuck in this loop with the effects of Brexit and a decade of austerity taking decades to ever recover from (if ever?).
If anyone has a better outlook, please let me know.

We had things like respite in the Blair years. And lots of enrichment activities. Eg take a bunch of severely disabled kids to the beach, take them surfing, film it, then get them together to make music for the film afterwards. All part of Every Disabled Child Matters (just one example). I meet parents now who haven’t had a single nights respite ever and their children are nearly adults.

And their mission is achieved. People are calling for privatisation. Well done 👏

Oh don’t be so ridiculous. We survived the fucking blitz fgs. This is nothing and isn’t actually as dramatic as you’re making out.

What makes me cross is that I can't see the prices of gas & electricity for the consumer falling to a reasonable level again, even if wholesale prices fell. I think the fat cats at the top will just rub their hands with glee, thinking we've all had to accept the previous increases so we're used to it now & have absorbed those costs.

1-The political choice to cut the state instead of invest after the global financial crisis in 2008 is very different - the rest of Europe invested, the Tories brought in austerity
2-Brexit - the rest of Europe is part of the biggest richest single market in the world, the UK is scrabbling for shit trade deals that undercut our own industries
3-Inequality is very high in the UK which makes problems much worse as those at the lower end are struggling, plus the number of people at the 'bootom' in the UK is a bigger group than most European countries

It really is different in the UK, even though we are all facing COVID/Ukraine fallout alike.

This is such an idiotic response

I do think that Brexit has done enormous damage to the country. Not the trade/legal aspect.... although that is a bin fire...
It's hastened the 'footballication' (not a word, I know) of politics. My team are the winners and the rest of you are all losers and it's all become so tribal and virulent. It also gave people with horrible racist/misogynist/xenophobic views validation so that things that were unspeakable ten years ago are now mainstream.
What happened to us as a caring society who looked after each other? Now it's every man for himself anyone who's struggling just isn't trying hard enough.

Oh we're totally fucked.

Not sure a thread like this is going to help if you’re stuck in a downward spiral

This is cheerful www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/10/uk-economy-disaster-degrowth-brexit/671847/ but tbh reflects the feeling I get in Europe (that we are a lot poorer).

I suspect one of our biggest issues vs Europe is our inequality (haven’t looked up the figures so may be wrong). Wasn’t is this year someone described the U.K. as a poor country with some very rich people. I wish we would look more to Europe than the US.

No, it’s the truth. You just don’t like to hear it because you want to wallow in misery instead.

It's global and you can thank lockdowns.

Is it? I don’t think it is.

The OP suggested that things would never get better (‘downward spiral’). She’s been given one very tangible example of a time when things were bad but got much better. There are loads more examples, some of which have been referenced on this thread.

I think it will get better...for some. We will be a carbon copy of America in a few years. Our food will be deregulated so the health of the nation will get worse, the NHS will pack up and be replaced with insurance schemes and drug pushing adverts. Some people will live the dream but most will spend their lives working just so that they can treat their inevitable cancer.

Although if you look at figures comparing economies you will find the U.K. doing worse in many measures. Our standard of living (perhaps one of the key measures for ordinary people) is lagging compared to Europe and set to drop further quickly.

DOOM, DOOM, PREPARE TO MEET THY DOOM! I’ll leave you all to it.

I have no idea why America is seen as something to aspire to. It’s grim.

Lots or countries have a hybrid model and it works very well. Something has to change to have a chance at any sort of functioning health service, I think people grasping on to the crumbling NHS model as is isn't helping. I also love the ethos of a free at point of use heslthcare service, but at the moment it's if you're lucky you'll recieve medical care but it'll be sub standard and realistically people are dying needlessly; I'd be scared to be one of out patients currently. It is an issue globally though so I suspect the solution is not an easy one.

I think its a combination of cyclical and structural stuff. We are at the bottom of the trough of a particularly bad economic cycle at the moment. That will inevitably come to an end... it always does. I'm old enough to remember several previous recessions and it always feels a bit apocalyptic but we always come out of it.

That said, I think there are some structural things going on with the UK system which make it worse. Our political parties don't really reflect our views and needs as a nation, our political institutions don't function properly and our infrastructure, much of which was set up in the post-war period of political consensus, doesn't work (NHS being the most obvious example). Against that there's the continual decline of the UK's relevance. We used to be a powerful empire and increasingly are an irrelevant, moderately affluent but quite dysfunctional country not affiliated to any particular power and with ideas above its station.

The Brexit delusion is just the last dying fart of these dreams of empire and its failure will demonstrate to future generations how delusional we were as a nation around this period. That said I'm optimistic that future generations will have a more pragmatic view of Britain (possibly a different shape of Britain) and adjust their expectations to create a more sustainable and grown-up nation state. It will get better but probably not in the way some people are hoping.

This explains why I feel such a difference every time set four in France twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1570832839318605824?s=46&t=A414Oy7hX-omS2Q6Q75JeQ

We should have focused on inequality (it’s why the Blair years felt different) but that is going to be very difficult to tackle within the U.K.

*foot

The standard of living has peaked in the UK and we are now on a decline. I doubt it will ever return. The amount of consumption of Energy worked wide is a huge issue and plays a massive part of our standard of living.

This video is fantastic at explaining why we won't ever see the standard of living that we have had. If you have time watch it.

So yes you are correct but slowly it will filter world wide.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=-xr9rIQxwj4&feature=youtu.be

Hopefully once inflation starts coming down things will improve.

Things could get better but will be changed

At some point in the future it may be that we look back at consumerism in horror - how could we do that to the planet , how could we ever believe it would make us happy

But any positive future requires the wealthy and powerful to become less wealthy and powerful

It will be hard , it will be slow and we might not achieve it in the uk