Little Britain - the state of England today

The media is to blame for a lot of silly things in the UK. One of our sons, an engineer, is currently working on a big project, but a famous activist found an issue he was concerned about, went on Twitter, campaigned and got a petition going so now everything has stopped. That's millions of pounds of EU funding down the drain and the whole project was designed to improve the environment in the first place!
The media just wants to have people up in arms complaining and then moves on to the next topical issue

Granny1810

It does annoy me when someone can sit in another country and criticise their homeland. You ask why we are not doing anything, well who is to say we are not. We are not a revelutionary nation. However you are unaware of grassroots. Things will change.

What on earth do you mean by me being unaware of grassroots?

Luckygirl

Oh we do care - believe me.

I have just been watching some sort of fly-on-the-wall police documentary which focussed on homelessness, multi-occupancy dwellings and addictions. I was once a social worker and it brought it all back - that sense of being powerless in the face of malign forces and uncaring government. Nothing has changed - it has all got worse.

The crunch question is what can we do?

Vote for a government that has some sense of morality and compassion; and a real grasp of what life is like for those at the bottom of the heap?......been there, tried that and watched the little Englanders vote in what they thought was their own self-interest, forgetting that we are all brothers/sisters and we are all affected by the misery of those at the bottom by way of increased crime etc.

I try not to think too hard about it all - I have more than enough to be depressed about - and I recognise my total impotence here.

I try to do what I can in the small sphere of influence that I do have.

I feel for you Lucky girl.your heartfelt comment says it all really. I too can get so angry and frustrated with the state of us here sometimes I weep. I vote every single election for the people I feel have a handle on what real life is about, but fear (and am proven) that I'm always in minority. People are not basically"good" they're basically selfish! The "good" bit only comes out when they feel "safe" and able to let go a little generosity, if any sort of fear or instability enters their lives, the doors are slammed shut on those less fortunate. It's human nature but I feel only for the weak in society who are prepared to let others do all the shouting!. We can do the best we can when we can and never give up seeking equality for all even if it means we lose a little too?

GrannyGravy13

Exactly Callistemon

Has the OP posted what she would do if they were residing in England?

If you bothered to read this topic properly you will see that I mentioned some voluntary work that I did in England.

Dinhmo you asked the question why aren’t you doing something about it?

I will ask again what would you do about it?

I didn’t ask what you did years ago when you lived in England.

Granny1810

It does annoy me when someone can sit in another country and criticise their homeland. You ask why we are not doing anything, well who is to say we are not. We are not a revelutionary nation. However you are unaware of grassroots. Things will change.

Well, I'm sitting in England and I, and others, are equally critical. Except that I don't think the OP was being critical. It's more like despairing. She was listing things which don't look good. They don't look good to many people here and they look bad internationally.

I'm intrigued by the fact that many of the indignant people detailing their good works voted in a government that isn't intending to remedy any ills. (And I do know how many of you voted because we've had all sorts of threads on which you've told us).

Change does not come from lots of little initiatives, it comes from the political will of a government to effect it.

GrannyGravy13

Dinhmo you asked the question why aren’t you doing something about it?

I will ask again what would you do about it?

I didn’t ask what you did years ago when you lived in England.

Well, GG13. I strongly suspect that she didn't vote tory, for a start...

"Why aren't you all caring about the wrongs? And, if you do, why aren't you doing something about it?"

How very patronising and presumptive. Whatever makes you think we AREN'T caring or doing something? And is France perfect? Do you not know about the rise in the extreme right wing? If I were you, I'd worry about that a LOT.

From the Guardian
44 racist tweets among 585,000 which referred to England players!

From the BBC just 5 racist Instagram accounts from the U.K.

From the FA 70% of offensive messages came from overseas.

Whilst I think that one racist tweet or message is one too many, the media have whipped up an England is racist frenzy before they had all the facts,

That covers the Racist and part of the Football points raised in the OP

The things that are good about this country don't get crowed about because they don't make such good media coverage. There are lots of things that we could do better but to accuse the residents of not caring is quite unfair.

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/26/uk-volunteering-coronavirus-crisis-community-lockdown

Unfair and untrue.

GrannyGravy13

Dinhmo you asked the question why aren’t you doing something about it?

I will ask again what would you do about it?

I didn’t ask what you did years ago when you lived in England.

I'd do the same as I did before. Because if I hadn't moved to France, nothing would have changed for me.

There are a lot of countries in the world a lot worse than the UK. I am quite glad of my little patch of Scotland, my nice wee home, a great retirement, gorgeous weather, lovely friends, family, freedom to go where and when I want to, I have had a good education virtually free and even at my time of life could continue in education, I have a choice of food, running water, electricity and gas, a car and lots of other things that others can only dream of having, some will never realise that dream.

It is only too easy to look at the past with rose tinted spectacles - the past gave us children with rickets, TB, polio, unmarried mothers were often thrown out by their parents and their babies forcibly removed for adoption, there was no NHS, homosexuality was illegal, and my own personal favourite - fathers would often give their daughters a present for their 21st birthday of paying for the to have all their teeth pulled and dentures made as it made them more marriageable because their future husband wouldn't be landed with huge dentist bills. Good old days indeed!

And to people who are saying we are born bad and selfish, at least in English schools we are educating the kids and instilling the right values. It has to start somewhere.

Whether you believe this country is the best in Europe to live in obviously depends on your individual circumstances. I would agree that it is a very good country if you are well off. If you are ”just about managing” I'm not so sure.

I can't help comparing my own parents' situation when they retired to that of my English mother-in-law's. My parents would have been described as working class over here. They both received idividual state pensions that they could live comfortably on. When my mum needed to go into a care home they were not forced to sell their home. My mother-in-law's state pension was meagre.

At the other end of the spectrum a woman expecting a child in Sweden will also be well looked after. Maternity services in the UK should take a look.

No, Sweden is not paradise on earth but it is without doubt a more equal society. I'm not sure that we want equality in this country. Sometimes it feels as if we rather like the ”them and us”. By the way, I think most people here are decent and very caring.

Mural restored to it's former glory, with messages of support.

Oops. Here, hopefully.

JaneJudge

Ellianne, of course doing things within your own community isn't less valuable. I don't feel that way.

I have become apathetic though. I have stopped signing petitions and I never write to my MP any more as nothing ever comes of it. I feel resentful that volunteers are relied upon to do complex jobs that should be paid too

If I email write to my MP I usually get a full reply with details of what is happening. I didn't vote for him but I must say he responds and I often find out that a lot more goes on behind the scenes than we ever hear on the news.

Charities do receive government funding and/or lottery funding and charity workers are often well-paid but yes, they do rely on grassroots volunteers - but this gives people a sense of purpose and the feeling that they are helping to change things for the better.

My MP doesn't respond to anyone, it used to 'weigh out' because the neighbouring MP used to be very supportive and open minded (an old school Tory) but Boris Johnson put paid to that and now we have another MP who doesn't answer letters or get involved. Still people vote for them.

At the other end of the spectrum a woman expecting a child in Sweden will also be well looked after.

That's good to know.

No, Sweden is not paradise on earth but it is without doubt a more equal society.
For the fit and healthy; at least Sweden has abandoned the practice of eugenics fairly recently.

Well said Kandinsky...... all these migrants giving France the elbow, just to get to this awful country..... still after three months starving in sorry ...washed up .... old England they will turn right around and be all too willing to swim back to wonderful France..... where no doubt they’ll be welcomed with open arms!

The England that I used to know has gone, held hostage by a corrupt and greedy bunch of entitled thugs. It makes me profoundly sad. Like other Gransnetters, I sign petitions, write to my (useless) MP. I also voted Remain and went on two marches for a confirmatory vote. If I think too much about the country my grandchildren are growing up in, I despair.

Liquidate the British Royal Family AND it's holdings and England could feed, house and clothe most of the world.

I suspect most posters with the ‘our lovely country not what it used to be’ blah blah attitude are forgetting how things really used to be.
It’s a failing sometimes in the old.
For those of us with good memories, we know things have improved here for the population in general.There will always be areas where more money needs to be spent.
If the OP had worded things differently, as in ‘ what do you think we can do, or what do you try and do to improve things in your country, as I try and campaign for less racism and sub standard housing for poorer people here in France’ ......things may have gone better!
A whinge about England from over the Channel was never going to go well.