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.

😩😫😩😫😫😩😫😩😫😫😩

Has the UK ever been a place where rich people were called to account?

Or are we just more def up than ever with the blatant corruption, elitism and the rich so very obviously protecting the rich.

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

I go further and many national institutions like police forces and Post office have lost their standards as people seem to have no shame any more.

I was eye rolling very hard at all the MP giving the MP a pass for sharing explicit pictures and then giving into blackmail rather than taking a deep breath and contacting the police - as if this was in any way acceptable behavior. My 17 knows not to send explicit pictures so why the fuck doesn't a grown ass man in a position of considerable authority.

God yes, forgot about that cretin. Another one who has ridden out the bad press and ended up keeping the spoils of her immoral actions.

This is not what this country use to be about and it’s perfectly normal to mourn what was once a relatively good place to live. I use to feel proud in my younger days of this country and even though I have never been a Tory voter, I never felt as I do now about this government and th big companies behaving so underhand and corrupt.

Exactly. No accountability of anyone at the top.

You or I can be jailed for lying about who was driving a speeding car. We’re still waiting for Tony Blair to be jailed for his massive lie.

As for Johnson: where do we even begin? He should be jailed for lying under oath to the privileges committee.

And let us not even get into the elephant in the room about us looking like a third world country. All thats working out really well too in my opinion. ..ffs

I have never been on a protest march but I feel I would go on one about this. I think we're at the mercy of the media if we don't speak out. The media pick and choose which stories to cover and for how long and it doesn't necessarily correlate to the injustice people feel. Nor does it seem to illicit any consequences being visited upon the perpetrators. Social media is supposed to give ordinary people a voice but it doesn't seem to help either. Perhaps our fickleness is to blame. I mean I just cannot understand how P&O just got away with sacking all those people and the CEO got to keep his job and we've all just moved on from it!

Yea I thought Hunt inserting the word Brave was really odd.

Yes the Secret Barrister is great. If a depressing read.

No I don't agree. I think the majority of people in this country don't know they're born. As the daughter of a refugee it really fucks me off.

Yes there are some corrupt, dickhead politicians but at the end of the day we live in a democracy and you can vote them out.

There are multiple other issues but it doesn't mean this is a shit country to live in.

You've never been on a protest march? Maybe join in one, maybe be part of a campaign, that's what I did.
Then stand for office, or campaign for somebody you support.
You can be part of change, but you have to be proactive.

@Superlambaanana (oh!) but big companies and their ceos can do whatever the fuck they want, their only accountability is to big money. It's not like they have anything to fear from the public.

I can only hope that now we have reached a rock bottom the only way is up 😬

I don't think the country is shit to live in overall. And there will always be debate about government decisions and grey areas where ethics aren't straightforward.

But what I'm on about is blatant disregard for the law, or other people or established social contracts - basically freely admitting that you have ignored and broken them to your own advantage at the expense of others, riding out a bit of bad press and then ending up quids in or completely getting away with it. Accountability seems to only apply to little people.

Read Barak Obama on "calling it out".
It's not part of a process for change.

Do you really think it would make a difference? The system is too far gone I think.

What do you mean ‘gone’ to? When was it ever not like this? The past was no better.

Does nobody ever read any history? You do know that there have always been instances of the type mentioned in the OP, don't you? And much, much worse.
We are a free and liberal democracy, with a safety net to protect the poorest and most disadvantaged in society. Even in 2024, there are still countries in the world who are nowhere near that, so do not take it for granted.
Of course no country is perfect, but we have a much fairer society than we have ever had.

As someone who spent half their child abroad in actual children starving to death poverty, I have to agree.

@DiamondArtists I consider whinging on MN to be taking an action! I'm raising awareness on a very popular platform! From my comfortable armchair.

You think that supporting a candidate of your choice or standing yourself wouldn't result in change?
You think successful, well organised campaigns haven't changed laws and societal norms?
Really?

That's been the case since the dawn of civilised society. It's nothing new.

As is repeatedly pointed out in these threads it’s not a race to the bottom! We should and could demand higher standards for the behaviour of our politicians and the super rich, why wouldn’t you want that??

100% agree OP. It is not a nice place to live. (just because other places are worse doesn't mean the UK isn't shit hth)