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Where have we gone wrong....

(150 Posts)
MargaretinNorthant Sun 07-Apr-24 12:18:27

I've been reading the thread about what each would do should they win the next election. I will confess upfront that I have always voted conservative until now.
I am 86, mother, grand-mother, great-grand-mother. Looking back, and I know hindsight is the best sight of all, where do you think it all started going wrong? Not just politically but socially too? How has it come down to twelve year olds carrying knives and murdering people in the street? I know times have changed, but its obviously not been for the better in some ways, yet compared to the poverty extant in the 30's when I was born we are all better off....or perhaps my eyes do not see the worst situations? I don't know about that? I would have thought TV pushed everything that it could straight into the home these days! Where have we gone wrong , folks?

biglouis Sun 07-Apr-24 12:25:55

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Ilovecheese Sun 07-Apr-24 12:44:11

I think it went wrong from when Mrs Thatcher decimated manufacturing industry in this country.

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 07-Apr-24 12:46:18

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Germanshepherdsmum Sun 07-Apr-24 12:46:39

Role model, not file model!

ayse Sun 07-Apr-24 12:46:47

Ilovecheese

I think it went wrong from when Mrs Thatcher decimated manufacturing industry in this country.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Dinahmo Sun 07-Apr-24 12:48:55

I would say that Thatcher is responsible. Even if she didn't say exactly that "there is no such thing as society" people felt empowered.

When I was at school and the teacher told me off, my parents would accept that I had done something. In fact, when I was in infants' school and didn't eat the school lunches, the Head asked me what we ate at home. My response, think that she was asking what did I like to eat, was fish and chips and pancakes. she called my parents into the school and told me that they were not feeding me correctly.

I think that most people of my age would say the same, regarding parents and teachers and children being told off.

When we lived in London a friend was deputy head of a school near the Elephant and Castle. At that school the teachers were often threatened by the pupils and their parents who refused to believe that their child had done anything wrong.

We lived in Brixton at that time and one day, when I was in my garden a missile was thrown through the first floor window of the house next door. The tenants were eating breakfast at that time, next to the window. I told them where it had come from and so they went to the house to complain. The child denied and the father believed him. They all came round to my house and I confirmed where the missile had come from. The father refused to believe it because his son had said he didn't do it. My response was that he would say that wouldn't he, at which point father and son stormed off.

The incident was a little more complicated because father and son were black and I and the young men next door were white middle class.

In my opinion, the sale of nationalised industries and council houses is at the root of many of today's ills.

Casdon Sun 07-Apr-24 12:54:15

I think it’s way before any of you have mentioned so far. The teenagers of the fifties and sixties began the process of breaking down the behavioural norms, and each successive generation has gone a little bit further since then. Politics has very little to do with it in my opinion.

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 07-Apr-24 12:59:06

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Cossy Sun 07-Apr-24 13:03:15

My husband came from Ireland in the early 60’s. He is Irish. He met many people of different races, many different faces if all colours. All of them had one big thing n common, they were ALL racially abused!

I certainly do not blame “foreigners” of any type for things happening here in our country and across the world!

If I were to blame anything it would be our media fixated on “fake” and “money” and the 80’s for our “have it now” credit mentality instead of saving and budgeting for things.

biglouis Sun 07-Apr-24 13:10:17

Britain was a white country in the 1950s where people knew their place and respected authority figures. It was still possible to rise via the education system or through hard work. People (who were capable of work) but who lounged about on benefit were looked down on and judged. Rightly so.

There was none of this "I cant work more than 16 hours because it will affect my universal credit".

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 07-Apr-24 13:13:35

So right BL.

Delila Sun 07-Apr-24 13:18:41

Casdon

I think it’s way before any of you have mentioned so far. The teenagers of the fifties and sixties began the process of breaking down the behavioural norms, and each successive generation has gone a little bit further since then. Politics has very little to do with it in my opinion.

I agree Casdon.

zakouma66 Sun 07-Apr-24 13:22:03

Many things in society have improved. I see young men out and about with babies and toddlers, a happy sight. Young people full of enthusiasm enjoying community projects and the scouting movement.People flourishing and making a difference inspite of set backs.

I think ( yes I see the irony here) that social media has changed a lot. Small, relatively inexpensive projects have had funding stopped. The competitive nature of everything be it school or who I buy my electricity from. Less collaboration. Less humanity.

zakouma66 Sun 07-Apr-24 13:26:27

I think you are correct biglouis, that social mobility was possible. I don't think non white people have contributed to the demise in a disproportionate manner.

biglouis Sun 07-Apr-24 13:35:40

Look at countries like Sweden and Germany who have taken in large numbers of immigrants and the entire nature of their society has changed. Violence is on the rise.

We should have never invited large groups of immigrants into this country. Anything we do now is simply closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Greyisnotmycolour Sun 07-Apr-24 13:37:04

Always blame the poor and the foreigners, it's never the fault of the ruling class or the politicians, just feckless scroungers ruining it all, or so many if you seem to believe, that is why we are in the mess we are in. Until the real culprits are held to account nothing will change.

Coronation Sun 07-Apr-24 13:38:01

Also lack of local government spending in the community, less youth clubs, police, homelessness, swimming pools, gyms etc contributes a feeling of less community and more selfishness.

crazyH Sun 07-Apr-24 13:44:40

Nothing to do with politics. It’s to do with the home. Parents are too scared of disciplining their children. Knives and guns are an import from American TV.

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 07-Apr-24 13:47:40

Spot on. And parents who can’t be bothered to discipline their children or are not around to do so.

Granmarderby10 Sun 07-Apr-24 13:54:33

It is that old favourite *divide and rule*…never fails

eazybee Sun 07-Apr-24 14:00:08

There are feckless scroungers in every strata of society.
Due to politicians of every party the opportunity for education and self-improvement has increased and the job market has expanded, particularly for women.
At the same time an unjustified sense of entitlement has developed and some people demanded more and more for less and less.
Discipline and law enforcement are constantly under attack, and nothing is ever anyone's fault.

Spinnaker Sun 07-Apr-24 14:21:17

Good grief ! Very briefly saw the start of this thread and there were only two comments on, from biglouis and ilovecheese. Agreed with both their posts but didn't get the chance to respond as visitors arrived. Can see now the reporting buttons are in full swing, no surprises eh ?

Dinahmo Sun 07-Apr-24 14:23:16

Are there any of you who think that our generation (baby boomers) are partly responsible?

We don't have children but I remember how our friends would stop all conversation because a baby gurgled or a toddler wanted something.

My generation was brought up differently. I sometimes think that perhaps our parents were too strict and that may be my generation rebelled against but went too far.

AGAA4 Sun 07-Apr-24 14:26:57

Children now can watch violence on TV or via the internet and it becomes normal to them. When I was a child in the 50s there was little violence on TV and I was not allowed to watch anything my parents deemed unsuitable. Murders in those days were classed as shocking and horrifying but now we don't react that way to all murders as there are so many.