To think the uk is on its knees

[Ilovemycatalot]

Just this. Every day negativity. No one is happy with life or working conditions. The country is at an all time low. Living standards getting worse by the day people getting poorer. I know we are not in poverty like some countries but honestly can’t see us ever returning to decent living standards unless you’re the few top percent earners. Tell me I’m being dramatic perhaps I am but can’t see much of a way back from this .

Ah well.

At least the billionaires are OK

Not started this thread to be goady and apologies if this has already been said on previous threads just feeling glum with life here at the moment.

True feeling you have to be a billionaire to survive here right now.

I think theTories know that they're going to lose the next election and are determined to burn everything to the ground to hand Labour a poisoned chalice.
That and getting as much money out of the Treasury as they can.

It is the same all over Europe, strikes everywhere, healthcare failing etc.

They had a general strike in France earlier this week, never gets mentioned here in the UK as they like to pretend we are the only ones suffering (so they can blame brexit).

Tbh whilst I agree that things are tough the value of the UK and it's ability to build out is very much tied to confidence in order for anyone to invest, so the media constantly doing is down is not helping imo - there is one thing bringing issues to the fore, there is another to do ourselves a disservice

And the media is driving a lot of it - like you said there are so many countries worse off.....

Yes I agree op!

I live in France and strikes are an everyday occurrence.
There’s even an app to chk who is on strike.
C’est La Grève.

I can see your point. But it’s important to keep a relative view. All countries go through ups and downs - in the 1970s we had much worse strikes, power cuts, a worse fiscal position, and the constant threat of nuclear war. In the 1940s people literally had rationing and bombs falling on their heads.

Right now we are in a bit of a down. We can’t just rely on being a relatively advanced country that has good schools. Other countries have caught up. It won’t be the case that living standards automatically go up for everyone every year. But this is the reality of a globalised economy.

With any luck the next government will have a better handle on things and sort out some structural problems. But it won’t come from some magical thinking that we can pay nurses £100k. It’s going to involve hard choices, just like it did in the 1940s and late 1970s to turn the country around.

In the meantime, we live in a beautiful country with relatively low crime, almost no guns. We are at peace and fairly secure. Things could be a lot worse and the constant whingeing is a big part of the problem - we are talking ourselves into a crisis.

It’s just depressing to work to essentially just pay bills when it never used to be like that.

Not on its knees, it's face down in the mud 😕

It's really not. Here in Sweden we can still get GP appointments whenever needed, ambulances arrive in a timely manner, schools aren't closing, nobody is on strike, hospital treatment/appointments are guaranteed within 3 months, and you'd be hard pushed to find someone who knows what a food bank is.

It's not great at the moment, but in comparison to other countries, it's amazing! If you think of countries like Afghanistan, Yemen, Haiti etc etc then you see just how much we have and how lucky we are.

I know it's not a race to the bottom, and things have definitely been better, but I don't think we're too far off a change of government now, things are always cyclical, and they will get better, keep the faith!

The UK has a population of 7 times Sweden whilst being about half the size of it.

May have a little to do with it.

I strongly disagree that only the few top earners have decent living standards, massively dramatic.

But it's always been the same. We are not alone as a western country being constantly negative. Was shocked that it's common in Europe too.

It's not good with food and energy prices plus strikes I've given up watching the news

Sitting in McDonald's. Just been shopping. Cars busy on the roads. Life is going on and people are not slitting their wrists as newspapers would have us believe.

Just my point. Apparently it's a theme in western countries. Negativity that is Maybe it's the weather

Things go in cycles, everywhere Look at history - the last one was 2008, not as bad, but a real downturn. It was short lived... this too will pass.

Other countries will currently be worse off, some better off... they too will have cycles.

It's shit for some, but it will get better.

The media is terrible - stick to good strong reliable sources. Today they say the recession won't be as deep or as long as expected.

Exactly whenever I have gone into my northern city centre the town is rammed full of shoppers and people out eating and drinking. These are not all top earners.

having not been able to see or speak to a gp despite terminal diagnosisi heartily agree

It's really not. Here in Sweden we can still get GP appointments whenever needed, ambulances arrive in a timely manner, schools aren't closing, nobody is on strike, hospital treatment/appointments are guaranteed within 3 months, and you'd be hard pushed to find someone who knows what a food bank is.

Bingo - I was waiting for someone to mention that paradigm of the perfect country - Sweden! It is always referred to on these UK bashing threads.

TBH, my reality is as you've described above and I'm in England. Of course Ive heard of the strikes in the news but our local hospital hasn't had any strike action yet nor have the two slightly further away hospitals my friends work in. I don't get public transport so haven't been affected by train strikes etc.

Schools are all open in my area.

Have had several hospital appointments recently for dc's that have been just as quick as usual and doctors appointments we are usually seen the same or next day.

I find it hard to believe that people in Sweden don't even know what a food bank is - I don't believe anyone I know has had need to use one but we all know what they are and who they're for.

There is a lot of things going on at the moment in the economy that is affecting the whole world. I'd still rather be where I am! I feel very fortunate to have been born in this country - I think a lot of people just love a moan.

That's such a weird point to try and make. If you have 7 times the population then you have 7 times the potential tax revenue. As for size, again, what a weird point. How do you think vast areas of uninhabitable land impacts someone's abiltity to see a doctor.

Sweden has all sorts of problems (announced this week):

House price crash of 16% year on year.
Bankruptcies up 47% year on year, with a 44% drop in construction.
GDP expected to fall 0.7%.
Unemployment expected to rise to 7.8% in 2023 and 8.2% in 2024.

That is on top of the ongoing issues with the "new Swedes" which I was unlucky enough to experience on my weekly trips to the Malmo and Stockholm regions pre lockdown. I thought Husby and Kista were bad until I went to Malmo. The final straw was when a young man was shot outside our hotel on evening, luckily he survived.

I'm in ROI and the mood here is relatively upbeat. All the news from the U.K. is doom and gloom.