to think the UK has become awful?

[ma1formed]

I can't pinpoint when, but it feels like everything that was once pretty good is now quite awful

So expensive
No doctors
Uni costs for kids insane
Terrible rent / can't buy a house
Everyone seems quite unpleasant or racist

Is it just me?

Stale government. Need an election. It won't be a magic wand but we're going nowhere under this current government.

Agree but for different reasons and I don't agree it's linked to Brexit.

Things I hate the most are:

Knife crime which is rife in my area and means I worry every time my teenagers are out the house

Our pathetic criminal justice system and sentencing laws which dish out pathetic sentences for murder, child abuse etc

Being ripped off by banks and energy companies and the government doing nothing about it

Ridiculous levels of wokeness

Generally that you seem to be penalised for working hard by paying a shit load in tax and childcare in return for never seeing your kids

Inheritance tax - friggin unfair to pay tax AGAIN on assets you've bought with money you've already paid tax on, especially with house prices the way they are.

I could go on.

There are also lots of things I still love about this country. Most people are great and we're generally a very open, caring society. It's also not that easy to up stick and move to another country as you need a visa and to speak the language if you want to get a job. Having paid into the system for 25% years and having been born and raised here, I don't see why I should move.

I agree with your post @winterrabbit and also agree the problems do not primarily relate to Brexit.

Which is less than we spend on the NHS in a month!

However, Brexit, though bad, is nothing compared to what Austerity has cost us all.

A lot of the problems don't just come from austerity Teddleshon.

The government was throwing money left right and centre during covid where is partly why we're in the shitshow we are not and why inflation is through the roof.

I feel like these claims always come with an undercurrent of entitlement and wanting everyone else to fix things.

I think austerity has been ineffective in achieving its aims and damaging. We should vote for change.

I think the future might be exciting though. So many medical advances, the promises of AI, necessary investment in replacing our infrastructure may yet transform our lives.

I also like this country in terms of the culture, people, land, climate and I think we might be quite lucky where we are in terms of climate change.

I’m agreeing with you @winterrabbit. Personally I think covid is a really significant factor in the current problems which is why so many other countries are suffering from similar issues.

@pilates, you said if you hated this country... ...you'd leave. So I assumed you have the means and opportunities. Do you not? We're you fibbing when you said you'd leave?

I think the future might be exciting though. So many medical advances, the promises of AI, necessary investment in replacing our infrastructure may yet transform our lives.

It's refreshing to hear a positve outlook. I recently watched The Last of Us and sometimes think a lot of posters on here are more akin to Joel with his jaded view of life, which Ellie doesn't share as she grew up in that environment and doesn't know any different, instead seeing the hope where he doesn't.

What European countries have 7.8m people on health waiting lists and have such awful pot holed roads? or for that matter seeing Doctors and Consultants both striking at the same time?

Euro Zone inflation rate is 5.2%, ECB interest rates @4%

We all spent a fortune on Covid support, some more wisely than others....

People come out with "Everyone has the same problems" when very clearly they do not..... got to wonder what their motives are.

@Alexandra2001 I agree with you, the NHS is no longer fit for purpose and why the UK was almost unique in shutting down cancer care etc during covid is beyond me.

Many countries around the world are suffering labour shortages, worsening inequality and budgetary pressure as a result of covid and obviously the impact of Ukraine is a massive factor in inflation. UK CPI was 6.7.% in August versus 5.2% in the Eurozone. UK unemployment in August 23 was 4.2% versus Eurozone rate 6.4%.

Fortunately unlike a number of European countries such as Germany (where the inflation rate in August was 6.1% and unemployment 5.6%) the UK is not currently seeing the alarming rise in popularity of far right political movements.

Ooh and people are so rude abd the dogs are so mean

My daughter moved house last October - her partner is type 1 diabetic and had a leg amputated 6 months before this. Her son has complex special needs and requires medication and monitoring.

She has been unable to find a GP practice near her that is taking new patients. She lives in a village between two large towns so has a wide selection. They are having to travel back to their old town whenever they need to see a Dr.

Did we? my cousin still got her cancer check ups during Lockdown and my line manager was diagnosed and treated for Hodgkinsons at the same time, two different trusts, my DD was working in healthcare back then and all her community based patients got cancer treatment.

We did stop an awful lot of elective surgery i agree.

We in the UK would love to have Germanys long term & historical growth rates.... or their GDP per capita, where in Europe we are middling at best.

Not quite sure how an unemployment rate of 6.4% is indicative of "labour shortages" & there is no standard rate of measuring unemployment rates across Europe.

Rise in the far right? A quick look at the policies the current Tory party are pursuing? they make Meloni's Govt look like Jeremy Corbyn on steroids, same with comparisons with AFD or RN... support for the Tories is still around 25% and by the next GE, will increase.

The European Commission publishes Euro Area unemployment rates.

I suggest you look at Karol Sikora’s writings on the NHS cancer care during covid, he describes it as worsening an already dire situation and the biggest crisis he has ever experienced as an oncologist. The delays in diagnosis and treatment as a result of covid is well documented.

The AFD is against immigration, denies the existence of climate change, is against same sex marriage and wants a reinstatement of conscription and an end to Germany’s culture of shame over the holocaust. None of these policies apply to the Tory party.

Like the UK, much of Europe (and Australia and NZ) is facing labour shortages in particular sectors.

Racism has increased for sure.

I’ve lived in the same town my whole life and I can definitely see a change.

Totally agree. The people who can leave because they have skills needed by other countries, will leave. Everyone who is highly skilled from developing countries like China and India want to go to the US, and are actively headhunted by them. Good luck to the elderly population of this country when there is no one to do the work to pay to keep them.

the UK is not currently seeing the alarming rise in popularity of far right political movements.

I think this is because the far right is currently getting everything it's asked for from the UK government. They have little need to march or protest.

Really? I must have missed the announcement that all immigration has stopped, that climate change doesn’t exist and the revocation of same sex marriage amongst other policies.

The ONS figures on NHS cancer care during the pandemic show otherwise... you said cancer care stopped, thats untrue.

You ve still not pointed out the EU countries that have 7.8m on waiting lists either....

You'll have to show me Meloni's stance on immigration and how different it is to the UKs?

Climate change? if Sunaks changes to net zero are correct, he has basically said tackling climate change no longer matters for him.

Contact your local ICB (Integrated Care Board) and they should be able to allocate you with a local GP surgery. In my area, it’s known as Patient Allocation Services. That surgery then has to take you.

If you move out of an area for over three months, a surgery can de-register you. You can apply to stay on their books though. Speak to the practice manager and state your case. Ie. For continuing care reasons etc.

@Alexandra2001 Other countries don’t have the terrible health outcomes of the NHS or the waiting lists because none in Europe offer free healthcare at the point of use. Cancer care became a postcode lottery during covid with a number health authorities temporarily halting scans and diagnostic assessments.

The UK is a world leader in tackling climate change and any softening of net zero will do nothing to change this. Germany has already said its target will not be reached.

You raised Meloni, not me. I only referred to the AFD in Germany which is currently attracting support of over 20% and where a recent poll suggested German youth were the second unhappiest in Europe, only after Bulgarians.

@Teddleshon Ok i accept you ve rowed back on all cancer care stopped during Covid.. you also made the general point of the rise of the far right throughout europe... not just Germany's AfD.

Plenty of European countries offer healthcare free at the point of use and all use tax payer funded models, some call it "insurance" but its pay roll deducted... then top ups on top.

The UK has some of the toughest carbon targets this is true, but so far we missed all of them....

Unfortunately, UK teenagers are the least satisfied in a poll of 24 european countries.... (in 2020) the poll you quote doesn't inc the UK... wonder why???

But your main argument that other countries also have similar problems just doesn't stack up... Brexit and in particular, Austerity has badly affected the UK.

I did not say “all” cancer care was stopped during covid. Diagnosis and treatment was certainly interrupted in some parts of the country.

There is no other European country where healthcare is entirely free at the point of use, all countries employ some form of charging for items such as GP appointments and other services. Some offer significantly more generous rebates than others. Happy to be corrected but I think Cuba and possibly Brazil are the only countries which have a similar system to the NHS.

Aside from the AFD in Germany, countries such as Hungary, Austria, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and others have far right parties gaining in popularity. Personally I’m not convinced that Meloni’s government is far right, right wing certainly but it is a coalition.

There is no other European country where healthcare is entirely free at the point of use, all countries employ some form of charging for items such as GP appointments and other services.

Correcting this to factual There is no European country where healthcare is entirely free
Dentistry and eyecare is also healthcare