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Original poster

Uk is in big trouble - what do you think will happen?

1000 replies

hippysun · 13/08/2025 10:03

Thames water on brink of collapse. All those CEOs getting fat bonuses. Water shortages and rising bills.

the cost of living is off the chart. Every bill has gone up. Pop in to Tesco for toothpaste, butter and chicken and it costs an insane amount for just a few items.

the government are crap and taxing the hell out of us.

my salary is stuck. I feel constantly poor now. 10 years ago when I earned significantly less, I felt ok money wise. Chatted today to a colleague about science graduate son who is stuck doing a minimum wage job as there are no jobs here. I’ve noticed this myself in my town. The council have a few, other companies outsourced to India years ago, the pharma company moved out years ago and the land will soon be a new housing estate.

the nhs is a total mess.

housing costs make me want to weep! No chance of moving. Feel bad for my kids. They just keep building expensive houses here all packed into poorly designed estates. Tiny gardens. But no infrastructure. The promised schools get cancelled and drs surgeries and hospitals are rammed with patients. My mortgage of course is up.

in my industry… everyone is obsessed with AI and I’m sad to say it has taken some jobs already. There is a huge push towards AI.

there seems to be underlying tension here re migrants. People getting increasingly annoyed.

this country feels like a right mess. Making rich people richer and poor people even poorer. The middle earners are getting squeezed. I hate it.

i don’t remember it being this bad ever before.

why is it so terrible? And what do you think will happen?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:44

We have to agree to disagree @EasternStandard I think people prefer Reforms lies.

Alexandra2001 · 14/08/2025 08:45

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:41

Under Sunak, in the months running up to the election the economy grew 0.7% and was the fastest growing economy in the G7 group of countries with advanced economies in the first three months of that year.

0.7% growth over a few months is shit & what is the baseline? Growth has been pretty much none existent since the crash.

"Figures from the House of Commons library show the UK’s real GDP growth is only 1.7% compared with its pre-pandemic level; it is 8.7% for the US and 3.4% for the eurozone."

Austerity?

The Tories continued with it for far too long, now we are having to find money to to fix the issues that policy has left the UK with.

twistyizzy · 14/08/2025 08:45

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:41

Under Sunak, in the months running up to the election the economy grew 0.7% and was the fastest growing economy in the G7 group of countries with advanced economies in the first three months of that year.

0.7% growth over a few months is shit & what is the baseline? Growth has been pretty much none existent since the crash.

"Figures from the House of Commons library show the UK’s real GDP growth is only 1.7% compared with its pre-pandemic level; it is 8.7% for the US and 3.4% for the eurozone."

"0.7% growth over a few months is shit" yet Labour are claiming that exact figure as something positive? Ie first 3 months of this year = 0.7% but last 3 months = 0.3%. So yes I agree it's shit.

Again, all economies are pretty shit and have been since pandemic.

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:45

Absolutely austerity was a disaster

EasternStandard · 14/08/2025 08:46

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:44

We have to agree to disagree @EasternStandard I think people prefer Reforms lies.

I don’t entirely disagree. Polls show more do prefer Reform rn so I agree with that. I just think Labour’s lies have undermined trust anyway.

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:47

Again, all economies are pretty shit and have been since pandemic.

Not quite as shit as us though...

I do think 0.7% is rubbish regardless of the party hence why I haven't ever said anything about it in a post...

DuncinToffee · 14/08/2025 08:49

Again, all economies are pretty shit and have been since pandemic.

Even shitter for a country that sufferes the damage of Brexit and a Truss budget as an added bounus.

strawberrybubblegum · 14/08/2025 08:50

The difference between 'investment' and 'consumption' is that investment results in a future return which is higher than it would have been otherwise - in fact, the extra return should be more than the initial spend. In real terms.

It's bandied around way too much in politics with absolutely no analysis of - or seeming interest in - the return.

People think that 'the outcome is nice' means that it's an investment. But that's just consumption.

twistyizzy · 14/08/2025 08:50

DuncinToffee · 14/08/2025 08:49

Again, all economies are pretty shit and have been since pandemic.

Even shitter for a country that sufferes the damage of Brexit and a Truss budget as an added bounus.

I would be wary of bringing Truss in. By the very measure that Labour accused her of crashing the economy, they have done twice! At least Tories got rid of her!

MrsSkylerWhite · 14/08/2025 08:51

CountryCob · 14/08/2025 06:58

@BlueJuniper94 are you sure that is social housing and not build to rent?

I imagine some people don’t understand the difference.

strawberrybubblegum · 14/08/2025 08:53

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:33

I don't think it's particularly reasonable to expect anyone to know off the top of their head

I assumed if you were advocating for making some NHS services unavailable you would have least thought about it & had some ideas.

Surely you're not suggesting that we can't ever reduce government spending?

Why do you think that? Because I don't buy into making fewer services available on the NHS?

And that's the 'don't bother doing the analysis' attitude which has made Labour policies such a disaster.

Analysis isn't weakness, it's strength.

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:53

I don’t entirely disagree. Polls show more do prefer Reform rn so I agree with that. I just think Labour’s lies have undermined trust anyway.

And lies under the Tories didn't impact trust? Don't bother to answer that.

These debates are so pointless, I don't understand the tribal politics & lack of critical thinking, the issues the country is facing need years to sort with cross party solutions.

EasternStandard · 14/08/2025 08:54

strawberrybubblegum · 14/08/2025 08:50

The difference between 'investment' and 'consumption' is that investment results in a future return which is higher than it would have been otherwise - in fact, the extra return should be more than the initial spend. In real terms.

It's bandied around way too much in politics with absolutely no analysis of - or seeming interest in - the return.

People think that 'the outcome is nice' means that it's an investment. But that's just consumption.

Good point

curiositykilledthiscat · 14/08/2025 08:54

There’s a lot of naivety on this thread.

No, it isn’t cyclical. The threats from Russia and China, climate change and the impact of AI means that we’re on the edge of a new world that is frightening and will eventually screw us all over, one way or another.

EasternStandard · 14/08/2025 08:55

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:53

I don’t entirely disagree. Polls show more do prefer Reform rn so I agree with that. I just think Labour’s lies have undermined trust anyway.

And lies under the Tories didn't impact trust? Don't bother to answer that.

These debates are so pointless, I don't understand the tribal politics & lack of critical thinking, the issues the country is facing need years to sort with cross party solutions.

No need to flounce out. Ik you and others don’t want to hear negativity re Labour but that’s not consistent with general public sentiment.

DuncinToffee · 14/08/2025 08:55

twistyizzy · 14/08/2025 08:50

I would be wary of bringing Truss in. By the very measure that Labour accused her of crashing the economy, they have done twice! At least Tories got rid of her!

Show quote history

The same Tories who elected her.

Average mortgage rates are now finally below 5% for first time since the Truss budget, too easy to dismiss the damage she caused.

Alexandra2001 · 14/08/2025 08:56

twistyizzy · 14/08/2025 08:50

I would be wary of bringing Truss in. By the very measure that Labour accused her of crashing the economy, they have done twice! At least Tories got rid of her!

Show quote history

Labour haven't caused Gilt Yields to go from 1.6% to 4.5%, thats the main reason we are paying 100bn in debt repayments.

Labour also haven't crashed DC pensions or forced the BoE to have a 65billion bailout fund.

There is no comparison to be made between Labour now and that period of Tory "governance"

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 08:58

And that's the 'don't bother doing the analysis' attitude which has made Labour policies such a disaster.

again nonsensical,

Think logically about public enquiries & how the NHS works. How long do you think a detailed analysis into the cost benefit of treatments weighed against social costs etc, this study would take years!

Analysis isn't weakness, it's strength.

Is that why you haven't done any?

MrsSkylerWhite · 14/08/2025 08:59

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 07:44

Keep reading. It's not that simple.

the basic premise is that simple. An ageing population leads to an increased healthcare spend.

As does a fatter population.

childofthe607080s · 14/08/2025 08:59

curiositykilledthiscat · 14/08/2025 08:54

There’s a lot of naivety on this thread.

No, it isn’t cyclical. The threats from Russia and China, climate change and the impact of AI means that we’re on the edge of a new world that is frightening and will eventually screw us all over, one way or another.

And none of that is the fault of the current government and how any uk government can respond is limited by the divisive nature of our political system and the power of the unelected

and some of it is our collective fault - we want ever more and don’t want to pay for any of it

BIossomtoes · 14/08/2025 09:01

the issues the country is facing need years to sort with cross party solutions

Wisest post on the entire thread. If only. Maybe we’ll get a coalition government in 2029 and it will become reality.

smugmugg · 14/08/2025 09:01

No need to flounce out. Ik you and others don’t want to hear negativity re Labour but that’s not consistent with general public sentiment

What are you taking about @EasternStandard? What have I posted that infers I cannot hear any negativity re labour? Why whenever something says something you disagree with rather than having a robust debate and adding a valid contribution you dismiss them as labour fans? Using your logic are you a Reform fan?

PeonyPatch · 14/08/2025 09:01

Brex-shit has not helped us.

childofthe607080s · 14/08/2025 09:02

I think the biggest trouble for the UK is the use of social media to convince everybody how awful it is and blame random sections of society

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