Is Britain Broken?

I think it is. There are so many issues I am worried about. An Absolutely Useless Government, The loss of European support, The NHS, Climate, The Economy & Cost of Living, in fact just about everything! We desperately need a Government who actually understand the 'common man', that will work for what the people need, not what benefits 'the party'. I can't imagine how bad it is in England, at least in Scotland we have slight relief through our Government's devolved powers. If I had to pay for my prescriptions I would have to choose - eat or deal with the consequences of no medication. We need to get rid of the Tories asap, but how?

LizzieDrip

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!

We have lost our bus service to our nearest city. The service to the nearest town finishes at 6.30 in the evening with no Sunday service. So hospital visits, cinema, theatre, dentist, swimming, almost everything needs a car or a taxi. Taxi firms are making a killing doing school runs because local primaries are full so don't want to do the late night runs.

But why should older people get free bus travel? Many pensioners can more than afford to pay for buses. My grandparents paid a reduced fare on the buses. They never expected anything for free.

When my sons travelled to school on the service buses they paid while 60 year olds went for nothing. These were well off able bodied adults who should have been paying for the service.

I'm sure lots will disagree!

Also I can't really remember a time in my adult life when Britain wasn't broken for the less well off. A relative died in complete squalor in an NHS teaching hospital in the late 90s. We tried our best to clean the room ourselves. I was advised not to visit in the end because I was 7 months pregnant and they didn't want me to catch anything.

Education in the shire counties has always been poorly funded. Our MP campaigned for things to change but was simply told the reason our children didn't get a fair share of the funding was 'historical' and nothing could be done.

I'm sitting here in France, watching from the sidelines what's going on and listening to James O'Brien at the moment. It's so depressing but also saddening.

Every night on the news, there are reports of investigations into a disaster or mistreatment. A lot of it comes down to the lack of staff. Nurses are overworked so many are unable to do their jobs properly. Insufficient care home staff - not only the elderly but also young people. A lot of it's down to privatisation and the profit motive.

Energy companies making massive profits just because of the price of energy, not because of any thing that they've done. And yes, I do know that they have sometimes made losses but that's because they've often diversified into totally unrelated businesses about which they know little or nothing.

Most of the extremely wealthy just don't care. They seem to be quite happy for the lives of the poorest not to be improved so that they can pay less tax. In the 21st century it's unacceptable.

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.

^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.

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

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.

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 .

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.

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 - 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 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.

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

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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

Break Britain ?

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

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.

*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!

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.