Are you worried for the future of GB and indeed the world?

Caleo

The biosphere as we know it will very soon collapse, a matter of a few years now. Our only hope is in new technology.

Meanwhile politics world wide is showing a trend towards the right and even dictatorships with accompanying atrocities.

You are correct, Caleo. We are burying our heads in the sand while we destroy the environment. As you say, unless science comes up with something fast there’s no hope for humans. The planet will of course carry on without us.

Iam64

Well said Dickens. In my work, it was accepted that some tasks were more easily completed at home. We shared offices, writing detailed histories or reports in the middle of a busy office was less efficient than doing that from home, 20/30 years ago.
Plus carriadagain - your conspiracy theories on covid vax aren’t supported by the evidence

Plus carriadagain - your conspiracy theories on covid vax aren’t supported by the evidence

There's a whole heap of fact-checked evidence to debunk the conspiracy theories Iam64, but it's a slog and doesn't have the appeal of short, 'catchy' phraseology that conspiracy theorists like to latch on to, generally speaking. So might be ignored.

www.factcheck.org/2023/04/scicheck-no-evidence-excess-deaths-linked-to-vaccines-contrary-to-claims-online/

CariadAgain

One thing that's been overlooked by those of a more "positive" take on things - or rather two.

The "Covid" Lockdown - when, afaik, I don't think Britain got "locked down" for literally centuries before that. That's one of the downsides of the Internet - as in They wouldnt have been able to stage a Lockdown if we hadn't had the Internet. Then the Covid Jabs coming along shortly after that started up - and people are still having "sudden deaths" and illness from them ever since.

Neither of those two types of things happened in anything remotely like our lifetime - until 2020. So yep....the evidence life has become noticeably worse than it was for quite some time before....

I did read exactly which "plague" type illnesses came along just in my lifetime alone - and there were 4 or 5 - but the difference was there wasn't a Lockdown for any of them (ie because there wasn't an Internet then and there wasn't such a culture of "work or shirk" from home then - as jobs didn't lend themselves to it). Some worked - but a lot did shirk.

As someone who WFH before, during and after lockdown, I find your “shirk” remark really patronising, offensive and inaccurate, imo, those few (not many) who did “shirk” are those who same people that when in their offices etc. “shirk” there just as much!

My grandmother, born 1901, was always complaining that things were so much better in her young day and that the world was going to hell in a handcart. She died in 1976. Since she grew up with 11 children and 2 adults in a two roomed tenement flat and lived through poverty and two world wars, I am not sure about her judgement. Having been subjected to her doom and gloom take on modern life, I was determined that I would not repeat the pattern of being an old misery to my young family members. Bluebell's post about selective memories is spot on. Life will go on for our descendents because they will deal with whatever life throws at them as we have had to so I am not worried about the future of the UK or the World. It will just be different.

Iam64

"Caleo- our only hope is in each other and ourselves. Cup at least half full always and at this time of year at least threecquarters"

For the next few years maybe but when the crunch comes it will be every man for himself and his immediate family.

Information obtained on Google for anyone to see.
Don't shoot the messenger!
The number of Sharia councils in the UK has been growing, and there are concerns about the impact of Sharia law on Muslim women and other rights:
Number of councils
There are no reliable statistics on the number of Sharia councils in England and Wales, but estimates range from 80–85

Caleo- our only hope is in each other and ourselves. Cup at least half full always and at this time of year at least threecquarters

The biosphere as we know it will very soon collapse, a matter of a few years now. Our only hope is in new technology.

Meanwhile politics world wide is showing a trend towards the right and even dictatorships with accompanying atrocities.

Well, whatever.
I’m delighted somebody saw fit to start this jolly light-hearted thread just in case any of us might be feeling down or nostalgic as we contemplate Christmas or a bleak future without loved ones.
If all else fails we can always “Put our heads between our knees and kiss our arse goodbye”
In the face of all this doom and gloom, is it worth even thinking “Happy New Year” ?

Well said Dickens. In my work, it was accepted that some tasks were more easily completed at home. We shared offices, writing detailed histories or reports in the middle of a busy office was less efficient than doing that from home, 20/30 years ago.
Plus carriadagain - your conspiracy theories on covid vax aren’t supported by the evidence

I agree Dickens. Misplaced.

CariadAgain

One thing that's been overlooked by those of a more "positive" take on things - or rather two.

The "Covid" Lockdown - when, afaik, I don't think Britain got "locked down" for literally centuries before that. That's one of the downsides of the Internet - as in They wouldnt have been able to stage a Lockdown if we hadn't had the Internet. Then the Covid Jabs coming along shortly after that started up - and people are still having "sudden deaths" and illness from them ever since.

Neither of those two types of things happened in anything remotely like our lifetime - until 2020. So yep....the evidence life has become noticeably worse than it was for quite some time before....

I did read exactly which "plague" type illnesses came along just in my lifetime alone - and there were 4 or 5 - but the difference was there wasn't a Lockdown for any of them (ie because there wasn't an Internet then and there wasn't such a culture of "work or shirk" from home then - as jobs didn't lend themselves to it). Some worked - but a lot did shirk.

...there wasn't such a culture of "work or shirk" from home then

When I worked in Norway in the early 2000s it was not infrequently impossible to get into the office because heavy snow made some routes impassable, so we worked from home.

The owner of the company I worked for was so pleased with the results that he called a meeting and asked us if we'd like to consider WFH on a structured regular basis.

Some people shirk when they are in the office, gabbing away on private telephone calls or with their colleagues, as they do when WFH.

Others get on with the job either in the office or at home. My sales-figures improved when WFH because I like a peaceful and quiet environment without the constant and disruptive interruptions from colleagues.

Your blanket condemnation is misplaced.

One thing that's been overlooked by those of a more "positive" take on things - or rather two.

The "Covid" Lockdown - when, afaik, I don't think Britain got "locked down" for literally centuries before that. That's one of the downsides of the Internet - as in They wouldnt have been able to stage a Lockdown if we hadn't had the Internet. Then the Covid Jabs coming along shortly after that started up - and people are still having "sudden deaths" and illness from them ever since.

Neither of those two types of things happened in anything remotely like our lifetime - until 2020. So yep....the evidence life has become noticeably worse than it was for quite some time before....

I did read exactly which "plague" type illnesses came along just in my lifetime alone - and there were 4 or 5 - but the difference was there wasn't a Lockdown for any of them (ie because there wasn't an Internet then and there wasn't such a culture of "work or shirk" from home then - as jobs didn't lend themselves to it). Some worked - but a lot did shirk.

I’m optimistic because of A.I. in ways we can barely comprehend yet. The young ones will harness this.

David49

For the last 50 yrs the UK has been slowly sinking, we have been spending more than we have been earning, selling ever more national assets to the highest bidder. The rich get richer the poor get poorer, do I realistically expect any polititian to change that - no, we all want jam today it’s not going to happen.

... we all want jam today it’s not going to happen.

We want jam today- because we are continually promised jam tomorrow.

... and not only do we not get the jam, increasingly the bread on which to put it is in short supply also.

I think most reasonable people just want a decent wage, food on the table, and an affordable roof over their heads. In the 21st century in one of the world's wealthiest countries, it really should not be too much to be asking.

No, I don't actually worry about the future BUT I do often wonder what this country and the world will be like in 50 years regarding ever evolving technology, climate change, pollution - etc. etc.
I'd love to 'come back' just to see the changes.

When my children were babies I was able to stay home with them until they went to kindergarten and we could live reasonably off my husband’s wage. I don’t think that is so easy these days, mums have to resume work a lot earlier because of the massive mortgages hanging over them. I don’t worry so much about climate change because that has been going on since time began and there is not much we can actually do about it. We are not King Canute. Way back then the seas were much higher and a lot of our land was under water. There were ice ages and species were wiped out. For the last 200 years we have been closely monitoring things and kidding ourselves that it is different from what it has always been. Have we had a Lake Taupo event ? Did the sky darken for weeks? Have we had a Pompey event ? Where were the cars that caused those events? Where was the fossil fuels that caused those events?

I worry most about climate change and the increasing number of appalling weather events we are seeing. Above all I want our grandchildren to be able live on a planet where people care about the environment and do their best to halt thoughtless destruction.

TeriT - we now, of course know that
the miners strikes continued with all the violence
Was perpetrated by our own government - by Margaret Thatcher's own directive.
...not her finest hour.

BlueBelle

I think sone people have very selective memories and just want continual digs and fears about ‘strangers taking over Our land’
(especially brown strangers not so bad if they're white or European )
Etc etc I m with Monica, being born at the end of the war I remember many frightening times I have a picture I painted as a teenager of my fear for the people starving in Biafra It’s a very very ‘dark’ picture, and made a huge impact on me
then there was the Suez crisis and I remember being very scared of a world war starting I remember hearing about the dreadful black shirts and Oswald Mosely Then there was the horrendous Enoch Powel and his rivers of blood
The Vietnam war remember the little girl running from te bomb isn’t that a picture imprinted on your mine then the Vietnamese boat people coming here
I remember worrying about Russia and their power many times over the years , then there were all the strikes in the 70s
(was it 70 s) with only having electricity so many hours a day
The awful fears nearer home over Ireland the dreadful IRA bombs going off in shopping centres/ malls etc
No I don’t believe there has ever been a time to not see fear or worry about the world going up in Smoke

And as for youngsters not getting houses my mum and dad were in their 60 s when they got their first mortgage I was in my 40 s when I got mine my paternal family never had one they were in council housing all their lives
Rose coloured glasses
As for the original question no it’s no more worrying than it’s always been, up and down, never smooth, just like life really

I completely agree.

I’m 66 and feel that nothing much is that grimmer than now. I still remember from my youth sad and terrible things happening, wars happening, the miners strike, power cuts, children starving in Biafra, my friend at primary school had a baby sister who died in a car accident as no baby seats or seat belts.

There was much less traffic in the roads and communities knew it each other as people tended not to move so far away from family. This meant children played outside on their own more.

There was no social media so we knew less of what went on, “nasty” people didn’t have a “dark web” in which to unite.

We have 5 wonderful children between us and wouldn’t ever ever wish not to have had them.

Dinahmo I think you are maybe forgetting the conflicts - I can't even describe the anxiety I felt for my children during the cold war.
That cast an enormous shadow over my life and my continued respect for the women of Greenham Common (remember ^Women for Life on Earth) - who led the protest against having American Cruise missiles here on our soil in the UK is real and sincere.

Don't you remember the apartheid struggles in South Africa and the thousands of us that protested/boycotted/wrote letters/saw our MPs to campaign for change?
And then the wars in Afghanistan...

I grew up in the 50’s, in a three bedroom rented house, with two families and my Nan, no bathroom and an outside toilet. Heating was one coal fire. Bullying father.
Life is so much better for my grandchildren, the girls in particular have many more opportunities.
I think the world has always had various conflicts, dating back to the Stone Age probably.

I think sone people have very selective memories and just want continual digs and fears about ‘strangers taking over Our land’
(especially brown strangers not so bad if they're white or European )
Etc etc I m with Monica, being born at the end of the war I remember many frightening times I have a picture I painted as a teenager of my fear for the people starving in Biafra It’s a very very ‘dark’ picture, and made a huge impact on me
then there was the Suez crisis and I remember being very scared of a world war starting I remember hearing about the dreadful black shirts and Oswald Mosely Then there was the horrendous Enoch Powel and his rivers of blood
The Vietnam war remember the little girl running from te bomb isn’t that a picture imprinted on your mine then the Vietnamese boat people coming here
I remember worrying about Russia and their power many times over the years , then there were all the strikes in the 70s
(was it 70 s) with only having electricity so many hours a day
The awful fears nearer home over Ireland the dreadful IRA bombs going off in shopping centres/ malls etc
No I don’t believe there has ever been a time to not see fear or worry about the world going up in Smoke

And as for youngsters not getting houses my mum and dad were in their 60 s when they got their first mortgage I was in my 40 s when I got mine my paternal family never had one they were in council housing all their lives
Rose coloured glasses
As for the original question no it’s no more worrying than it’s always been, up and down, never smooth, just like life really