To think it’s shocking how bad Britain has fallen apart compared to other European counties

[TheColourofspring]

I am in Spain at the moment in one of the big cities. It’s clean, modern, well maintained. Transport is cheap, food is cheap, healthcare seems to work pretty well (from talking to local). Parks are noticeably well maintained- even saw park keepers! Clean & tidy.

Pensions higher, if you lose your job you get a portion of your salary in unemployment benefits while you look for another and there are no penalties. Based on the premise that if you have paid in, you will get looked after if you are in need.

I am not saying it’s perfect- no country is but it was the same when I was in France last summer.

In Britain, everything is underfunded and close to the edge. Schools, the NHS, local authorities are all at breaking point. My local parks look shabby & there is very little maintenance. Roads have pot holes. Yesterday I read an article about pharmacies being the latest at ‘crisis’ point with major drug shortages (thanks to brexit). Queues at borders, people can’t heat or eat properly, food banks, housing is ridiculous for many people.

I think it’s just so noticeable when you go to other places just how run down Britain is.

Finding it shocking and a bit depressing - like I said, all countries have their issues but I think Britain really has been pillaged by the tories & Brexit really is a disaster.

I completely agree.

Don’t vote Tory next year and give the new government the time they need to turn it around.

Yeah, but they don’t have blue passports, do they?

Depends where you are of course. The media loves a drama and likes to ensure we are in a permanent state of crisis. We're not.

Things work fine here. Other European countries have their own issues to deal with (increased gang violence in Sweden for example).

Life is just life.

@YellowAndGreenToBeSeen yea I have never voted Tory in my life

@GCAcademic Lucky us eh 😬 What an absolute shit show

@mellongoose except that’s not true. Things really aren’t fine in the U.K. at all and it isn’t the media. We really do have a dreadful shitshow going on

Totally. Its a bit like this boiled frog metaphor which people use to describe abusive marriages. You don't really notice because it's slow and gradual until something really shocking happens which jolts you out of it.

For me that moment was last Autumn when I queued up at my doctor's surgery from 7.30am with my daughter who was having an asthma attack and was told (while she was visibly struggling to breathe) that there were no appointments that day. We eventually got treated almost 24 hours later after an eight hour wait in A&E and congratulated ourselves that it "hadn't been too bad".

But someone will be along shortly to tell us that it's worth it because we have won back our "sovereignty" and all will become clear in about 50 years.

Yeah, just last week people were rioting and burning shit in the street...oh wait, that was Paris!

Not knocking France, but everywhere has their issues. I guess you're also going to nice places when you sporadically visit? The nice parts of London still look nice, Padstow etc. I very much doubt your comparison is like for like.

@Thepeopleversuswork sorry this happened to you- my son has serious asthma too & it’s scary.

And yes, it’s incredibly noticeable as soon as you leave the U.K. how bad things are!

Completely agree, however the content majority don’t seem to want change.

Yep, we’re in Stockholm and planning a move to Sweden. No litter on the streets, no dog poo, public transport is clean, reliable and cheap, buggy parks everywhere, lots of well maintained children’s parks. Schools are good and education is valued, childcare is both affordable and good quality.

We viewed some schools last week, one teacher showing us around apologised because they do have some classes where they have too many children, too many was 23 students.

@BeautifulWar padstow? In Cornwall where the locals can’t find secure homes & has a massive housing crisis?

And the French riot because they don’t put up with the things we put up with

I agree. And the economic statistics bear out the impression that the U.K. is doing worse than other major economies. Brexit was an act of national self-harm, that has been compounded by Tory mismanagement of the economy.

YABVVU.

@Simonjt yes! I said yesterday that there was no dog shit anywhere! And it’s also free in most European countries for Young people to go to Uni- another ridiculous thing in the U.K.

Spain has an unemployment rate of 12.87 compared with 3.7% in the UK. Youth unemployment in Spain is even higher, around 31%.

I am in a major Spanish city at the moment and it was all kicking off the other day due to a protest. Not sure what they were protesting about, but we joked with the taxi driver that was trying to get us through the city that it was just like London!

Tories, right-wing media in the pockets of a few billionaires and Brexit = disaster for the rest of us.

@Florissante do tell me why? Because I can’t see any evidence to prove otherwise at the moment.

So the French riot, we sit on our arses and shrug and say "it can't be as bad as all that". That's all hunky dory then. Nothing to see here.

I wish people would stop saying: "oh but all countries have their problems". Of course all countries have their problems. We have no power to change the situation in France. We do have it in our gift to do something about the UK.

''@Florissante · Today 07:06
YABVVU.''

And your counter-argument is what exactly?

I was going to say, the fact the French riot is partly why they have a better quality of life!

@Dibblydoodahdah not sure protesting is a bad thing. Sign of a healthy democracy. The Tories have banned it for all intent and purposes in the uk

I agree but also know a lot of people not affected who just don't care. I live in a fairly nice area with nothing too noticeable. I'm in Scotland and the NHS here doesn't seem on its knees quite as much. But I'm very aware of the struggles of others and have never voted Tory and never will. We live in a very self obsessed society sadly.

Lets all move to utopia...yay!

Well, it's awful but it isn't shocking, really. This is what people have voted for.

The combination of 13 years of Tory rule and Brexit was never going to put us in a good position, but that's what people have chosen so that's what we've got.