Is Britain Broken?

The view from the foodbank at which I volunteer is a bit scary. Each Monday, we have been accustomed to giving out about 50 parcels. That has crept up over the last couple of months to 80+ and last week, 106..
The shelves were bare when we left. The Tuesday team were making last minute plans to fill the spaces .
On the positive side, my local schools are doing a great job - happy children, good results, inclusive ethos. Thank you school staff.

You have to wonder. Amid all this chaos I read today that Whitehall have spent £500,000 on sleep apps that play bedtime stories etc. Yet schools are in disrepair and are even hungry. Distopian or what?

I’m sure that schools will be doing four day weeks soon.

It’s just so sad.
At the moment I’m more terribly, terribly sad, rather than angry.

*The nation’s wealth continues to grow, now nearly eight times national income. However, these gains are unequally shared, with wealth at the top soaring ahead of others.

“As the cost of living crisis deepens it’s those on lower incomes who are most in need of a savings buffer to help them through these hard times. Yet they are the ones who are less likely to have any assets and have seen little growth in any assets they do own. Increasingly the UK is becoming fragmented and divided with too many families facing a bleak future.*

This is from a 2022 report published by The Resolution Foundation, looking at the wealth gap in the UK. The report makes stark reading. I believe what we have now in the UK is a country that is broken because it is divided - divided between rich and poor. Life continues to flourish for the rich while life aspirations for the middle and poor have diminished and, for many, totally disappeared. The infrastructure that you mention Vegansrock is broken because the rich don’t need much of it, therefore consecutive Conservative governments haven’t considered it an investment priority e.g.

Bus services - rich don’t use ‘em
Education - private
Health care & social care - private
Housing - fine thank you
…and so on!

At the moment this country depresses me!

There’s a survey result reported on BBC News this morning which says a quarter of the population has less than £100 in savings. With no buffer at all, millions are going to be struggling to eat and keep a roof over their heads this winter, it’s frightening.

It's utterly depressing.
I feel sorry for younger people.

Break Britain ?

I liken the country to a property that has been slowly deteriorating over the years: now the F+&*%#g roof has caved in.

What a depressing way to start the week. I’m not criticising - I share the anger and despair expressed here.

I wonder how anyone can continue to defend the unnecessary austerity approach started by Cameron. Public services are all on their knees, or worse, have disappeared. The cost to the country is much bigger than any so called savings

12 or is it 13 years of Tory rule has crushed the soul out of the country add to that a war and a pandemic and we are yes in bits We are a divided nation in so many ways and deep division always kills any kind of caring prospering achieving society
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer wasnt it ever so but I thought we d moved on, and for a little while it looked like we had now we are heading backwards faster than a roller coaster
Extremely depressing the young need an uprising or move on to a better life elsewhere

BlueBelle, I fear civil unrest. How can this govt justify its policies. The constant refrain over the past 3 prime ministers that they need time can’t be accepted. We’ve had tories running our country down for 12 years

Daisymae

You have to wonder. Amid all this chaos I read today that Whitehall have spent £500,000 on sleep apps that play bedtime stories etc. Yet schools are in disrepair and are even hungry. Distopian or what?

Yes I saw that. Insane and insulting.

I’m sure we’ve all got lots of examples of how life is virtually falling apart for some people. Here’s one example I encountered recently:

The local bus service between my village and the local town has been stopped. When I enquired as to why this service no longer operates, I was told it wasn’t cost effective because it was mostly used by old people with bus passes! So, many elderly people now have no way of getting to the shops or even just getting out. It beggars belief!

How can it be broken when we’ve just had he truly uplifting ‘Festival of Brexit’ that I’m sure most of us attended.

Ah yes MayBe I’d forgotten about that magical moment! Taking back control has been a great success hasn’t it🙈🙈🙈

I can see public unrest coming but it will just disintegrate into a bunch of people in hoodies looting a few shops in the city center to steal flat screen TVs. The chain stores will claim on their insurance and the small independent shops (owned by individuals who cant afford) it will be f***ed. No one is going to go destroying the big houses of the banksters, city slickers and sleasy MPs. It will take something like the French or Russian revolutions to destroy the wealthy classes. Then others will rise to take their places.

LizzieDrip - here in Scotland our "free bus service" for the elderly, under 22yr olds and others who qualify is subsided by the Scottish Government. I believe the subsidy is 73% so I don't think the bus companies do too badly. Our main bus company for local areas is Stagecoach which is an internationl company these days even covering America.

I don't think Britain is broken but it is certainly badly injured.
I live in hope that we eventually get a government which knows how to govern and truly cares about people. I'm not Labour at heart but I shall vote Labour at the next election, just to get rid of this dreadful government.

LizzieDrip We are indeed somewhat protect in Scotland, due to the SG managing to mitigate from their limited powers and budget, some of the worst policies of the UK government. As a committed Nationalist, I am glad to see support for Independence on the rise, though tempered by the knowledge that the UK's bid for Independence from Europe has been a total disaster and fear that there would be similar chaos if the UK Nations split apart.

Its a whole different kettle of fish Granny23 as we well know .

The EU didn't have a stranglehold on the UK ...who were included in voting policies in ,unlike Scotland who is totally outnumbered in the WM parliament by more than 10-1 .
The EU didn't interfere in internal policies ,whereas we have to stick to a budget set by WM and paid by a portion of our own contributions AND then they spend the rest on things that benefit them .
Things like Refurb of Big Ben ,Buck house ,Crossrail and London sewers and lets not forget HS2...ALL big budget ....ALL over budget and ALL late ....Crossrail and Bond St station by 7 , yes that is SEVEN years .Yet we're getting crucified over ferries....lol
Maybe I should mention the fleet of ships in port/dock because of propellor "issues" like the flagship that had to be rescued when it broke down ...the BILLION £ FLAGSHIP ..ALSO OVER BUDGET ...ALSO LATE .

Back to the NHS. My friend will be 77 next month. She is very fit but has been having bowel problems since July. In the end the only way she could actually see a doctor face to face was to go to A&E. something she would never normally have done. Nothing showed up and her GP has finally referred her to the colorectal department. Obviously no appointment yet! Yet, as she says, we are constantly shown adverts telling us to speak to a doctor if bowel problems have lasted more than three weeks. I'm sure her MP would tell her about the huge sums being poured into the NHS. Unfortunately none of that seems to be producing more doctors.

... and yet so often the blame is heaped on refugees, the unemployed, the homeless!

^The infrastructure that you mention Vegansrock is broken because the rich don’t need much of it, therefore consecutive Conservative governments haven’t considered it an investment priority e.g.

Bus services - rich don’t use ‘em^
Education - private
Health care & social care - private
Housing - fine thank you
…and so on!

This has long been my opinion, LizzieDrip. In the last 12 years, care and compassion are qualities that have disappeared from the Conservative agenda. Devolution has given some of us an alternative, but poor England has none until the next GE.

I feel very down about the whole situation of our once great country. I worry constantly about my children and grandchildren. My DD lives alone, has a very stressful fulltime job and then goes out 2 evenings and all day Saturday as a carer to earn extra money to try and stay out of debt and get a little nest egg going. My eldest GD has a failed relationship and has been left with a small child. She has no home of her own and lives with DS and DIL this is causing them stress as they have a son and another daughter still living at home too. They are all squashed into a 3bed house with the lounge now my DS and DIL's bedroom. Their HA says they are not overcrowded. They may not be but they are all stressed at lack of a 'normal' home. Luckily my other 2 children are fine, good housing and all in full time jobs. I worry about putting my heating on even though the government are trying to help us all with the cost of living payments. How long that will last though is another worry. I feel us baby boomers saw the best of our country and now we are seeing the worst.