To think the UK is in terminal decline

[ThisOchreBiscuit]

Jobs Civil service to cut thousands of jobs

Nothing positive is happening in this country. It’s just cuts, cuts and tax increases but these arent doing anything to scratch the surface.

The whole country is being propelled up by a massive Ponzi scheme: house prices and immigration. House prices make all home owners feel richer and immigration makes the GDP figures look better.

I suppose I shouldn’t complain as I am a child of immigrants. My parents came here in the 70s from India. They were virtually penniless but they have now been retired for 15 years, earning a state pension from 65 and still getting their final salary pension. They own their home in London and have thousands in savings. They were able to achieve this whilst working in low skilled factory jobs.

Now, professionals with university degrees would struggle to achieve their life style.

I think we are heading to a social mobility and quality of life that is closer to India and than the traditional western view, with wealth in the hands of a small number of landlords.

A has just purchased a completely nice family home near me for £500k and added a back and loft extension and turned it into a 6 bed HMO charging £800 per room.

They will make a 15% return on their £250k investment.

Find a way to be more selective? Well just ask for their qualifications and work experience -I mean if I apply to be a bank manager they won’t just give me the job I need evidence of knowledge and skills, cv etc if they come from abroad do a verbal test of English and check their certificates

It's funny how so many articles say the whole world population is actually in radical decline and under threat, due to low birth rates across the world, but this mythical 'overpopulation' myth continues to prevail.

I guess we must accept ourselves as a deserving sacrifice to the inevitable decline of humanity as punishment for being born.

Stop listening to David Attenborough!

Really? We need people who'll do care work , who work behind tills, man receptions in hospitals, pick fruit on farms, drive buses, work in Maccys. I think you're incorrect to think these jobs are easy to fill with "locals". These types of immigrants will stay and make a future. Their kids will ho onto to be your "educated immigrants" if you don't scare them away.

For goodness sakes, do you really think that we're just going to get highly qualified drs who have to put up with frankly awful attitudes of the population post Brexit and they'll just stay here? They won't. I remember my banker friends saying London, you get in and make as much as you can and get out, you don't want to stay here. This is what people think of the UK.

I do think the civil service does have efficiencies it can make - from knowing people who work there.

That said, I largely agree with your conclusion. Things feel very bleak and there doesn't seem to be anyone capable of sorting it out. It's quite depressing. Due to another political shit show (Brexit) I can't even move back to my home country because my husband wouldn't be able to come with me.

In the words of the late, great, Stanley Baxter "We're all doomed" 😉

I heard an interesting lady on Woman's Hour talking about feminist economics the other day - Emma Holten I think (book called Deficit). It's a really obvious think but the economic models are based on the idea that low paid jobs are effectively worthless and therefore most women are a net deficit to society. This is really where we have been going wrong as we don't value what actually makes a community and society a good place to live.

You can see men being paid 10x what nurses do for a job in sales. Best I saw was a man getting paid £300ph to do basic mastik jobs FFS. These jobs do not contribute to society at all but are rewarded excessively. No-brainer why everyone is so unhappy and frazzled.

Was it Stanley Baxter?

Thought it was John Laurie? (Private Fraser)

Sorry, Going off on a tangent … 😁 (and showing my age).

You're right that John Laurie kept saying it in Dad's Army but I have a sneaking suspicion it was Stanley Baxter who had it as one of his lines in a black & white film before. Either way, "we're all doomed"! 😉

You make a good point. In my experience, the best example is the hospitality industry where (generally) people working in it are treated appallingly and it seems as though it's largely considered a temporary job while looking for something else. By contrast, many European countries have careers in hospitality which, again in my experience, results in far better service and contribution to community life generally. I think it has something to do with the way we see the whole business of eating and drinking, viewing it as a "pit stop" to refuel rather than a place to enjoy company as well as refreshment.

I expect you’re right: nothing’s new 😄 agree though, he was great.