When did UK governments lose their way?

Callistemon21

Nannan2

When the Tories got in.First Thatcher hatcheted as much as she could then all the other Tories following have all wanted to put their own stamp on dragging Britain down and ruining the economy further!Odd thing to be infamous for but those 'poshies' do seem to love it.🤔🤨

Mrs Thatcher got in because the previous Government under Callaghan was so abysmal!

Honestly, anyone who thinks that governments of the past were any better perhaps didn't live through those era.

Nannan2, is, however, quite correct in her analysis of Thatcher's government. Thatcher paved the way for what we have now. Her economic 'insights' weren't any better than Callaghan's, they were just different.

The cavalier attitude of some MPs, especially Cabinet Members can be traced back to Johnson. A totally unremarkable and unreliable man who was never good enough to lead London let alone the country. All current MPs with this arrogance follow his narcissistic trait.

It's easier to discuss their shortcomings on social media.

I can remember my father discussing their shortcomings many years ago!
Affairs etc were hushed up too.

Callistemon21

It's easier to discuss their shortcomings on social media.

I can remember my father discussing their shortcomings many years ago!
Affairs etc were hushed up too.

Yes and social media is why we are more aware of their failings.
Things that were out in the newspapers only reached those who read them. The news occurred less frequently and was only watched if you were interested. Probably people did vote as they had always voted, rather than looking at policies.
Thatcher told us it would get worse before it got better-and for us it did and then it did improve. Our fortunes took a dive under Labour and have never really recovered.
I do think it’s to do with career politicians, especially when they have no real knowledge of what being without money really means.

I think with so many wealthy people in the Tory party and a news media that reinforces that benefit claimants are lazy & disabled people shirkers you are going to get people with a distorted view of other people, A couple of months working in a supermarket on a limited income would do them well, we might get policies that suit the majority.
I'll be voting Labour next time, I want a properly funded NHS etc. not run by fat cat business people who only have their own interests at heart.

How about shortening the length of time to say 15 years that an mp can sit ? This would make it easier for new ideas to percolate through and have a fresh less entrenched perspective?

Not too sure how to break the connection between wealth, influence and government. Although just now, it doesn’t seem to be working out too well, if it ever did.

I still think we need proportional representation rather than an adversarial two party system.

Spabbygirl I won’t be voting Tory either, but I don’t hold out any hope that we won’t be fobbed off with the usual new government excuse of being unable to fulfil their manifest promises because of the mess left by the last government which has been used, usually with some justification e.g. by Thatcher after Labour, Blair after Conservatives.
The wealthy people statement applies whoever is in power. Just read this www.spectator.co.uk/article/fact-check-labour-on-second-jobs/.

I think that they began to loose trust by the electorate when they started to lie.

I can respect anyone who is honest, trustworthy, intelligent and has the country’s interest at heart (on their terms), even if I profoundly disagree with their politics, but what we’ve had to put up with this century, particularly this last decade has been imo a disaster for British politics.

Whitewavemark2

I think that they began to loose trust by the electorate when they started to lie.

I can respect anyone who is honest, trustworthy, intelligent and has the country’s interest at heart (on their terms), even if I profoundly disagree with their politics, but what we’ve had to put up with this century, particularly this last decade has been imo a disaster for British politics.

Yes.

I’m absolutely and completely disenchanted with our Politicians, and all political parties. All spewing out the same inane platitudes, their narratives all coming from the same polluted source. Feeding us baby food talk-speak as if we’re incompetents. There is no vision, no ethical/moral underpinnings, no desire to make the radical reforms so evidently necessary.

Many of us are disenchanted with many politicians - but I still believe that there are honest politicians who are motivated to do what is best for the country and for those in need. It's the others who have made us doubt politicians - so we need to be willing to see that there are some good ones in there too. Not perfect - but good enough. BUT we desperately need Fair Voting! We are scarcely a democracy with first past the post - did you know that there is only one other country in Europe who uses this method of voting for their government? It's Belarus. Lets get Fair Voting on the agenda and become more like a democracy - when we've done that, it will be harder for the politicians who are more interested in themselves than the country to get elected.

Have you heard of Compass? It is a movement to bring together ordinary people and politicians from different parties who share humanitarian values and aims and work together for the good of the country. It gets support from anyone ready to believe in what they are doing. I am working on the principle that it's better to do something positive than despair at what has been going on.

Callistemon21

Nannan2

When the Tories got in.First Thatcher hatcheted as much as she could then all the other Tories following have all wanted to put their own stamp on dragging Britain down and ruining the economy further!Odd thing to be infamous for but those 'poshies' do seem to love it.🤔🤨

Mrs Thatcher got in because the previous Government under Callaghan was so abysmal!

Honestly, anyone who thinks that governments of the past were any better perhaps didn't live through those era.

Quite right.

www.compassonline.org.uk/ This is a link to Compass - bringing together people who want to work for a good society. They are already working with people from many different parties and backgrounds. I am impressed by them and have just joined.

Career politicians, out for what they can get. Most have never held many "real" jobs before entering politics. Uni, political researchers, then put up as an MP

Perhaps there should be a minimum age before sone can become a politician - ideally around 40 years old.

You can fiddle with the voting system and requirements for people to become MPs all you like, but until you vote for politicians who are prepared to address the glaring inequalities in our society, in which the gap between the rich and the poor is steadily widening, we are not going to see anything better than what we have experienced over the past 40 years.

Unless, that is, you think that inequality is a desirable outcome...

Sadly I don't believe there is much of a difference now between Tories and Labour. The politicians on both sides are similar and will work to make money for wealthy backers. We need a change of government but I don't think much will change for the poor in our society but I can live in hope.

The UK government lost its way when Edward Heath surrended our soveriegnty to the EEC in 1973! Even though there were only 11 members at the time. Now there are 27 and we sure are in a bad state.

I’d love to address the gap between the poor and the rich, though I’m not sure that it will ever close.
Equality doesn’t help - giving everyone the same e.g. everyone gets a 100% pay rise does not help.
What I want is equity-in this instance. everyone to have a decent standard of living, but that’s not achieved by treating everyone equally.

Good pic, Mollygo!

Thanks. Should have been like this.

I’m embarrassed and ashamed by our government.

This is the government voted in by a stonking majority. It seems to me that this society has been persuaded, I'd almost say trained, since the days of Thatcher to put self-interest first.
Privatisation of utilities, the right to buy council houses (without replacing them), rampant inflation of property prices, these have contributed to huge inequality in our society.
Yes, there are many whose wealth has increased, and they would like things to stay that way, so they vote for the party that assures them that it can. The same Tory wing of government which tricked the less privileged into thinking they would be better off if they voted Leave, it is still supported by so many, even with evidence of the negative effects of Brexit. As the saying goes, the country got the governmenr it (thought) it wanted.
Proportional representation is unarguably fairer than FPTP, and I'm glad the Labour party has backed it. We need other examples of fairness after Labour takes over. I think I'd start with a tax on second homes, like in Scotland. Enough for now.

At the Labour Party conference this appeared.

Labour to make a commitment to introduce proportional representation for general elections in the next Labour manifesto.
During its first term in office the next Labour government must change the voting system for general elections to a form of PR.

Labour should convene an open and inclusive process to decide the specific proportional voting system it will introduce.

During their first term in office -would be good, but the third point makes me wonder what sort of PR they will organise.

The biggest harm to politics has been perpetrated by the traitor Johnson; his lies, disdain for the rule of law and for the electorate has brought about the situation where many think "they're all the same, all corrupt" . Too many will use this mindset to justify their lack of research and subsequent vote for the Tories, yet again.