Little Britain - the state of England today

Agree MawBee

Wow can’t believe you put a post to criticise Uk. Hadn’t realised France was perfect. Oh racist live in every country not just the uk so maybe stop reading things and actually talk to ppl instead of slating them off. And you shouldn’t judge everyone by a few

I care deeply about my country and the things that are not going well. I hate to say it but it is capitalism, populism, Toryism stirred up by the tabloids which are owned by the few but read and believed by the many.
I sign petitions, my MP rarely responds! I am a town councillor so try to help my community.
Until the electorate see otherwise we are lumbered with this appalling government of mainly Eton educated men plus the token woman Priti Awful! They are now stopping us protesting. At the age of 70 I am so disheartened by the lack of enthusiasm by voters. Life has beaten many of them into submission. 11 years of negative investment, austerity, cuts and now NHS privatisation is on the cards. Wake up England!

lemongrove

Hmmm, I care about the dreadful social problems and poor housing for immigrants and the poor in France, but I wouldn’t go on social media ( on a French Gransnet) to complain about conditions there, when I live in England and only know what I see on some tv news programmes. See?
Things in England and the whole of the UK are much better than they ever used to be, particularly as regards housing, but in other areas as well.People have more than they have ever done before.

Walking through our town centre where I have never seen so many homeless huddled in doorways I'm not sure that's universally true.
Knowing people who are unable to get carers for basic needs or medical treatment, when they had been able to do so previously makes me question whether everyone has more than they have ever done before.
I think there was a reason that Rashford stood up to get free school meals for children and helped out at food banks. I don't think it was because people have more than they have ever done before. Some do.

In France, there's the horrendous conditions at the "jungle" near Calais, rife with illegal activities and a feasting ground for people smugglers. Huge security fences surrounding the roads into ports to prevent people from boarding vehicles to England. Outside Paris, unsightly "shanty dwellings" line the roads for many kilometres. Illegal immigrants breech your southern beaches. Terrorists regularly attack your major cities and indescrimately kill innocent people and children. You've had years of unruly social protests.

No different to England really.

Most of your comments are completely incorrect, the NHS is not being privatised, utter rubbish , zoom calls etc are because of COVID, it was Labour that privatised some services.
racism is nowhere near as bad as the Left wing biased media make out but BLM , itself an anti Semitic, racist, Marxist organisation funded by George Soros, has stoked up tension and idiotic footballers and the media continue insulting the vast majority . There is no place for racism or any other discrimination in society, the UK is one of the most tolerant societies in the world. Stop believing main stream media rubbish

Oh dear, what hope is there when we compete over who had the most basic outside toilet experience... The facts remain that in the UK today there are disgraceful levels of homelessness and child poverty. Children go to school hungry after a night spent on a mattress on the floor.

Despite the rhetoric about levelling up, the Government is not tackling these issues. Nor are they facing up to the scale of problems in the NHS and social care. To them, tax is a dirty word and in all likelihood the NHS will slip away from us.

The scale of the problems is overwhelming. As individuals the only power we have is to lobby and keep putting pressure on those in power to act decently and to work towards achieving a fairer society. They need to know we care.

Just at the moment all the bad news is coming out at once. Its not all bad. As far as most things are going we need to sort our own country out before we can help others. This pandemic has really been very expensive. England helped more people financially than a lot of other countries.

I am so sick of people running England own as to be honest a lot of it is the people's own fault. People NEED to start taking responsibility for their own lives and earn a living and most importantly LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS. Learn to budget for their essential things and to save for the other things. We did it in the 70's we had no car and no telephone and no colour TV until we could afford it. So maybe the things we didn't have are now essential but there are plenty of other things that arent. Dont always blame the Government even though for the last 30 years there's not been one thats actually for the people.

I think we are where are because none of the politicians are qualified in the job they are given to do by a prime minister who is doing the job in a mist / fog he doesn’t know from one day to the next what’s to do. I used to vote Labour but at the last election I voted conservatives because there was no way I wanted Diann Abbott to be in charge of the police as Home Secretary, when she talks of stop funding the police and Corbyn was talking of prolonging the unrest about Brexit and I was like many others sick of hearing it.

Brownowl564 totally agree the blinking media has been nothing but trouble for the last 5 years and even more so during the pandemic.

Lizzie44 half of those children that go to school hungry are because their parents cant be bothered or have spent their money on something other than breakfast. I know that their are people that are genuinely struggling to make ends meet but they should be taught to budge and to cook from scratch. No child should go hungry but if they do don't just blame lack of Government help because there is a lot of help about, quite a lot more than some other countries.

Nannashirlz

Wow can’t believe you put a post to criticise Uk. Hadn’t realised France was perfect. Oh racist live in every country not just the uk so maybe stop reading things and actually talk to ppl instead of slating them off. And you shouldn’t judge everyone by a few

Nobody has said France is perfect. No one.
You've addressed one of the 7 items listed in my opening post. That's all.

MaggsMcG

Lizzie44 half of those children that go to school hungry are because their parents cant be bothered or have spent their money on something other than breakfast. I know that their are people that are genuinely struggling to make ends meet but they should be taught to budge and to cook from scratch. No child should go hungry but if they do don't just blame lack of Government help because there is a lot of help about, quite a lot more than some other countries.

How do you know it's half?

How do you know the parents have enough money in the first place? Even ingredients for cooking from scratch cost money - as does the fuel to cook them.

How do you really know - and I don't just mean gossip and hearsay?

MaggsMcG

Brownowl564 totally agree the blinking media has been nothing but trouble for the last 5 years and even more so during the pandemic.

In what way(s) has the media been trouble?

I totally agree with you but the reason no-one is fighting against it is the government have terrified the majority into the thinking covid will melt their faces off if they don't wear the muzzle and stay away from others. We were told we have herd immunity months ago but still they are so single minded. I think whenever the govt concentrate on trivial matters it's so they can push new laws through govt that no right minded person would agree to.

MaggsMcG

Just at the moment all the bad news is coming out at once. Its not all bad. As far as most things are going we need to sort our own country out before we can help others. This pandemic has really been very expensive. England helped more people financially than a lot of other countries.

I am so sick of people running England own as to be honest a lot of it is the people's own fault. People NEED to start taking responsibility for their own lives and earn a living and most importantly LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS. Learn to budget for their essential things and to save for the other things. We did it in the 70's we had no car and no telephone and no colour TV until we could afford it. So maybe the things we didn't have are now essential but there are plenty of other things that arent. Dont always blame the Government even though for the last 30 years there's not been one thats actually for the people.

Did you have a roof over your head?

Did you eventually buy your council house?

Good post Maggs ??

Yes Ellianne you are correct, this thread is political.The OP won’t turn out to be a fan of the Conservative Party ( that’s putting it mildly am sure.) Starting a contentious thread about the ‘state’ of England and not the UK was the first clue.
Hardly worth bothering to debate this subject really, but heartening to see so many posts rebutting it.
As stated, the OP doesn’t know who does what to question or help in their own small way, from giving to charities, food banks to writing to MP’s. Am hoping Dinahmo does the same things in France.... when not cleaning the three bathrooms and weeding the massive garden.

I think whenever the govt concentrate on trivial matters it's so they can push new laws through govt that no right minded person would agree to.

They can push laws through because they have a very big majority in the House of Commons.

'Right minded' people are horrified at what is being pushed through, but unfortunately the workings of the political system meant that a slogan and a clown triumphed. In terms of actual votes cast, the 'right minded' actually outnumbered those voting for the tories, but their votes were distributed among 3 or 4 parties.

It has nothing at all to do with mask wearing.

I think OPs reading matter and choice of t.v. programmes feeds in to her confirmation bias.

Nannashirlz

Wow can’t believe you put a post to criticise Uk. Hadn’t realised France was perfect. Oh racist live in every country not just the uk so maybe stop reading things and actually talk to ppl instead of slating them off. And you shouldn’t judge everyone by a few

What is the point of the “France” comment ?this is about the UK. Nobody would deny that other countries have problems.

If you read the thread OZ says she does talk to people .

More to the point what are your views on the issues she raises ?

“ but BLM , itself an anti Semitic, racist, Marxist organisation funded by George Soros”. Really ? Is this true ?

Dinahmo

I have picked upon England since I am not as aware of what is going on in the other countries of the Union with regard to the state of the nation.

I've been sitting in my home in France, with tempests outside, watching the Channel 4 News. It was so depressing.

90,000 families living in sub-standard temporary accommodation.

Racism

Water companies deliberately releasing sewage into rivers and sea, despite all the rules and regs and heavy fines.

Cuts to overseas aid - by one of the richest nations.

30,000 children in care moved last year away from their local area, schools, support networks etc, often without prior warning (not on Channel 4)

Cuts in the arts lessons in schools.

Football

We came to France, bought a plot of land and built a house. I guess we were lucky to do so. It was an adventure, something to stop us getting bogged down in our retirement. At the time we didn't intend to stay here but now I'm not so sure. The England that I loved has disappeared.

In the early fifties we moved to Dorset. Parents under 30 with 3 children. We got a council house, possibly because of my Father's job - I don't know. In those days we had one bath a week and didn't have individual towels. The loo was in the bathroom. in the early sixties we moved to a brand new house, with, joy o joy, a second separate loo. Today my house has 3 bedrooms and 3 bath/shower rooms. And at the same time there are tens of thousands of families living in sub standard housing. WHY?

The govt is picking on subjects like Voter ID. statues and BLM because they know that it will stir up a large proportion of the population. But they're not as important as other things that are happening, like the slow but sure privatisation of the NHS. How many of you have only been able to access your GP (if you have one, as we did in times gone by, who knew oneself) by video calls or Zoom or whatever?

The water companies are privately owned so they don't give a toss. Southern Water has been fined £90 million - so much but yet not enough to prevent them from continuing to release sewage into the sea. Channel had a map showing where there were releases along the south coast today. At least a dozen. it's lucky it's raining and there are heavy seas so people won't be swimming there any time soon.

The behaviour of football fans towards supporters of the opposition. Forcing their way into the stands reserved for the Danes and being abusive. Pulling a Danish mother's hair and calling her a whore and spitting at people.

I care about these things and yet I don't live in the UK at the moment. Why aren't you all caring about the wrongs? And, if you do, why aren't you doing something about it?

You can tell me that it's always been like this but I've been on this earth for 74 years and it's about times things changed.

Dinahmo,
Lots of other English people, with political views like you like you, choose to board the immigrant men within their property, you have three bedrooms, the French government will pay you to assist the immigrants until their status is settled.

Why do you join social action networks in a foreign country that you do not live in or pay taxes in ??

The so called football hearo's brought politics into the game when they decided to follow the American Marxist BLM Organisation and defended a career criminal who had served more prison sentences than England scored goals.

No he did not deserve to die, but he was high on drugs and unfortunately was held by a long out of date choke hold.

It will be interesting to see what happens after the appeal.

It is perfectly all right to object to the the mural of Marcus Rashford being defaced, but completely wrong in objecting to the Statues of Rhodes and the other people who build up our history.

Chanel 4 is no more an unbiased news organisation than the Guardian, watch France 24, RTL, Aljazeera, I24 etc to get unbiased coverage.
In France you are either French or Non French, of all the recent terrorist attacks only one French national was involved, the others were non French.
If you speak to the average Muslim neighbour, they are French first, unfortunately something that does not happen within England

We learn from our history, we do not re-write it it to fit in with the woke politics of the Marxist left, who are neither in government or part of H.M. opposition.

We saw this weekend what a dictator Macron is again, BoJo and his Merry Men are left wing compared to him.
And you have chosen to live in his dictatorship and criticise the UK

Reflecting on this thread it's positively Victorian, isn't it. People beavering away trying to improve people's lives and conditions but with no support from the government in power. Radical change has to come from the top, as it did when postwar governments implemented solutions proposed in the Beveridge Report. Those 'solutions' are being gradually eroded by a government which doesn't really care about its citizens. As some one said much earlier in this thread, we're swimming against the tide now.

lemongrove

Good post Maggs ??

Yes Ellianne you are correct, this thread is political.The OP won’t turn out to be a fan of the Conservative Party ( that’s putting it mildly am sure.) Starting a contentious thread about the ‘state’ of England and not the UK was the first clue.
Hardly worth bothering to debate this subject really, but heartening to see so many posts rebutting it.
As stated, the OP doesn’t know who does what to question or help in their own small way, from giving to charities, food banks to writing to MP’s. Am hoping Dinahmo does the same things in France.... when not cleaning the three bathrooms and weeding the massive garden.

Possibly it may be political, isn’t everything ?

But, leaving aside the silliness, what are your views in the issues raised ?