To think the UK has gone to hell in a handcart?

[Superlambaanana]

I’m just so fed up hearing about powerful people (usually men) getting away with things. It seems to have become the norm for them to do whatever the hell they like with zero consequences beyond a bit of handwringing in the media, which dies down fairly quickly, and never results in anything changing or being overturned. Leaving us ‘little people’ just having to suck it up.

Examples:

P&O sacked 800 workers in 2022. The CEO, Peter Hebblethwaite even admitted it was illegal. Yet nothing was ever done about it and he’s still CEO!

Liz Truss’s honours list. Bit of a roasting in the press for a day or two, but all the Truss supporters still got their honours in the end. Add to that Boris Johnston’s and the very dubious Charlotte Owen, and now Rishi Sunak creating a whole new honours round to make sure some party donors were rewarded in a blatant exercise in corruption.

Prince Andrew. Apparently still thinking of making a return to public life!!!!!! I mean, wtaf?!!!!!!

Michelle Mone. Has she really faced any actual consequences?

Phillip Scofield. Cheats on wife, bullies colleagues and his boyfriend, but achieves victim status because he was coming out of the closet.

Post Office scandal. Yes it’s managed to get some traction, but people will tire of it eventually and I bet that happens long before the sub-post masters get any justice or decent compensation.

Cost of living crisis and energy companies making absolute fortunes at all our expense with no prospect of bills actually coming back down to where they should be - no, instead we should be happy that they aren’t going up just as fast as last year!

Water companies. Borrowing money to give shareholders big payouts instead of actually managing the water and sewage systems to the extent that rivers are now full of faeces.

😩😫😩😫😫😩😫😩😫😫😩

I agree, everything seems shit and hard at the moment with no end in sight.

Phillip Scofield actually lost almost all his contracts. This morning, gone. We buy any car, gone. Etc.

But yes whole heartedly agree about the others.

you are a delight 🤣

You have it spot on there. These people need to be held accountable. I think most of us have quite had enough of them.

Agree. I used to think our political system had standards and some ethics but I think that’s gone now.

CoL is insane.

A number of those on your list are facing significant financial and legal consequences

It’s

• the bullshit that we, the people, actually have a say, because we can vote.

• And the horrific take that it’s only ‘hardworking taxpayers’ that count. And yet so many hardworking people are horribly underpaid and undervalued. While people who can’t work are just parasites.

You are being unreasonable - it went to hell in a handcart several years ago. It's just that people are finally noticing now.

Well, it does seem like that at the moment, I agree.

I’m sure there are some good people doing good things, but it certainly feels like the everyday is a struggle.

What offends me is the conspicuous consumerism and waste of money, such as spending hundreds of thousands or more, on a wedding, or holidays or just ‘stuff’.

Of course, many would say that people are entitled to spend their money how they choose and, of course, they are. It just seems particularly thoughtless when many are having such a hard time.

I think Philip Schofield got what he deserved and I’d like others to get the same.

Totally agree OP. I am ashamed of this country as it is now.

I too am ashamed of this country now. I look at the state of it and it makes me angry and hopeless in equal measures. I think the UK is all but finished as we ever knew it and not for the good.This is Britain someone took the Great bit out of it and it wont come back.

I feel I’ve been screaming about this for years and years.

You’re not wrong OP it’s the lack of consequences/accountability I struggle with.

the line from the great gatsby resonates with me about all this “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” they have smashed everything up and then fucked off with their wealth leaving other ppl to try and sort it out

Maybe so but this is the one we live in and it's not a race to the bottom.

Totally agree with your examples, OP. I would add that captain Tom’s daughter to your list.

I’d love to see a similar list of people in the public eye who have genuinely done good stuff, or even policies and politicians that have benefited people in this country. But I can’t think of any examples right now!

Who?

🤣 lols. Fair point.

I agree OP the level of incompetence + brazen profiteering is totally insane. And it's move on, nothing to see here. Plugging of holes with chewing gum and distracting with non-issues. No long term thoughts, everyone just sitting at the through pigging out, from top to bottom.
In politics, here are no leaders, no long view, nothing.

I travel quite a lot and it's shocking to come back to the UK and compare what we are getting for our taxes, it's a complete joke. Feels like the country is being asset stripped. The col is just carte blanche to seemingly sink the economy and really screw people?

@DiamondArtists what else can we do except call it out? I actually do wish we didn't put up with so much but the UK isn't really a 'take to the streets' type place. If we just keep sucking it up though it will only get worse.

What would you like to do?
Emigrate? Stand for office? Set up a charity?
Campaign in some way?

The most recent example ..the MP who flashed his bits on Grinder and gave out MPs phone numbers..ffs Wheres the sense? He could have put so many people in danger but OH no he is a poor victim.His apology was BRAVE and couragous. I mean really are we all supposed to swallow that? He should have stayed the private wanker he was but Parliament have full confidence in him..Glad they do cos I dont . Ultimate tosser in my view and probably everyone else who saw his videos!!!

Exactly! And we just put up with it time and time again. I honestly think politicians, business leaders, celebrities etc take the attitude of "Let's just do [insert corrupt/ illegal/ immoral action here] because it suits us. To hell with others. We'll get a bit of bad press for doing it, but it won't last long so we'll just ride that out and in the end we'll have got what we want."

In fairness, several of those may be the subject of legal action at some point.

A related scandal is the way the courts service and the CPS has been pared down to levels where justice is either poorly served, not available or very costly to many - research the so-called Innocence Tax if you're interested. It's explored very thoughtfully in The Secret Barrister. Unfortunately it's not a cause that features highly with most voters.