To think a lot of the Uk looks like a state

[Novembermummy88]

Not sure if I am being dramatic or if years of austerity are really starting to show…? Lately I’ve really started to notice how filthy, run down and falling apart everywhere looks! I live in a town in the south east on the borders of the M25. Every where there are gapping pot holes (can hardly avoid the volume there are now and genuinely concerned I will lose a wheel at some point!), broken lamp posts, the volume of litter / filth on the roads seems very high and can’t remember the last time I saw a road sweeper, and things like pathways are a state, road markings worn out, SO many closed/dilapidated shops….the town just looks awful as do many of the nearby towns! Is it just the South East looking like this? Aibu?! Or have I watched too much Selling Sunsets and setting my expectations too high…???

I agree, but I don't use the word "economy". Overpopulation spoils quality of life. Economists wave figures at us, but they are meaningless if you want a type of life that depends on fewer people. My late father used to talk about how much more choice we had on the high street, for example, he thought that was great.(talking a few years ago). I think It was nicer when there was less tat. No wonder recycling centres have to be picky what they take.

Similarly, quality of life in London was much higher with fewer people, fewer food joints, and fewer people on the Tube. And civilised rent! I thought there'd be a tipping point and population would calm down. That was 20 years ago. Now I think there's no hope.

The decline set in a long time before covid - but why do you think people refer to the UK as 'plague island' and say it's rubbish? Do you think loads of Brits just randomly hate the place for no reason - or could it be that they're sad and disapppointed with how it's being run?

I’m not from the UK but have lived here for ages - whenever I visit family I. My home country and come back it always takes me about a week to “visually adjust” to how grey and rundown everything looks here… I actually find it pretty depressing and agree that it seems to be getting much worse everywhere..

I have not read the whole thread, but I agree. But it’s not just a recent thing - I think it’s decades of neglect and not really caring about areas which are not main tourist centres. But it’s not just down to government - there is so much rubbish everywhere in my part of London even though it’s quite a “nice” area. Where I grew up there are no street cleaners in residential areas but it’s very clean because everyone takes responsibility for the street they live in. My street looks like a rubbish dump in parts, with people in £1 million houses just dumping their rubbish and recycling in front of their house. Dog poo everywhere. It’s a disgrace and I have felt embarrassed when my family has come to visit.

The last election was 2019, a landslide so not that unhappy then.

And Covid was soon after

Where is your home country?

I should add, like pp, I love it here and I get sick of the bashing. I just commented because the petty crime, anti social behaviour, and council / government disinterest in dealing with daily basics is way out of hand.

Leeds is looking grim at the moment with all the sleeping bags everywhere, the highstreet full of junkies and drunks with their clothes, toiletries and rubbish on shop windows. I don't blame them though, just saying how scruffy it is.

How was the fudging and manipulation of the statistics accounted for?

We used the NHS extensively during the Brown/Blair years, both my mother and father in law both suffered long term (ultimately fatal) health issues that necessitated lots of hospital stays, operations, A&E admissions, etc.

We actually joked about the waiting list/waiting time manipulations that were so obvious. I.e. being moved randomly from one hospital to another whilst waiting for an operation - clock restarted each time after a "new" examination/treatment plan etc - funny how the moves were just a few days ahead of the original deadline for the operation/treatment! Same in A&E, we'd joke that you'd be ignored until around 3.5 hours (even in a virtually empty A&E dept) and then it was hell on roller skates as the staff rushed around chasing test results, doing ecgs, etc and finally seeing the doctor/consultant at around the 3 hour 55 minute mark where they'd usually "admit" you to an exploration/monitoring "ward" for no real reason, where ultimately you'd be discharged or admitted to a "proper" ward a few hours later - so basically fudging the figures!

I don't know about the whole of Europe, but outside of the tourist areas, Italy is pretty horrid, very grubby and run down, Pisa is dreadful. Parts of France are covered in dog shit, litter and graffiti.

And everywhere looks better in sunshine, or covered in fresh snow!

Totally agree. We are sliding downhill really fast now.

It was a landslide because Labour wasn't fit to govern under Corbyn. It could well have been a landslide the other way had Labour got their act together with a sensible leader.

Leeds is looking grim at the moment with all the sleeping bags everywhere, the highstreet full of junkies and drunks with their clothes, toiletries and rubbish on shop windows. I don't blame them though, just saying how scruffy it is.

I was thinking the same about Paris last week...

Oh well that’s Labour’s poor choice of leader.

The point was people voted as they did in 2019 and happier to do that than the alternative. Pandemic wasn’t long after re earlier post

Catspyjamas17 - You are responsible for your own behaviour, no one else. So you think it's ok if you walk past a bin that's full to drop your rubbish on the path rather than walk a bit further to find one that isn't full, or take it home with you? Stop making excuses for yourself and other lazy people.

I don't know what all these grey houses are that people keep saying they're building. I spend a lot of time on newbuild estates and most are pretty smart. Red or multi brick and often black wood cladding etc.

@horseyhorsey17 the plague island is just one example of how people refer to the UK in a disparaging way. I felt that after Brexit a lot of middle-class people who are used to getting their own way decided they hate Britain. That’s fine, their choice. I voted remain but I was on the fence as a bit of a Lexiteer. The EU is far too right wing for my liking in all honesty. Same people are now moaning about a lack of tomatoes, not caring about the air miles and damage to climate and the fact 800,000 children are living with food poverty. Absolute twats the lot of them.

Ah the old Labour shill response…

Always a good un

I have a friend who is a Lexiter and although I understand her reasoning, it was never going to work out like that given that it was a project orchestrated by the most right wing villains in our society that they were using as a Trojan horse to destroy the NHS, worker rights etc and funnel even more money into the hands of big businesses/shareholders/donors. And so it has proven to be.

The UK has declined since 2016 - partly because of the way the referendum divided the population and created the 'us and them' narrative of 'Leavers and Remainers' which you describe. Unfortunately this is just the usual 'divide and rule' stuff which works out well for the ruling classes. We attack each other while they continue to enrich themselves at our expense.

Agree with you. visited South Coast quite recently (we’re in the NW). During the car journey I was surprised how very run down public areas in expensive commuter towns looked.
Its not perfect here, obviously but it was so noticeable in the SE.

I have voted Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat in general elections, never Conservative. I'd vote for any of the above more likely to be able to form a government to get this lot out.

The size and increase in the global population is the biggest issue the world faces. But nobody will acknowledge it. You can have all the global green conferences you like but until someone in a position who can puts it on the agenda things won't get better for all concerned. People witter on about pensions but seriously, millions and millions of people using raw materials, more planes, more water, more forests cut down, more food produced.

It needs a conversation.

Our nearest place of any size for shopping is Cambridge. There are loads of boarded up shops, particularly in one of the two shopping malls. When you see that in an affluent city with a high tourist count, you know this country is in deep trouble. It sailed through 2008 unscathed.