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What Is Happening To Our Country?


sadoldgit
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16 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Just to recap.

Education - broke

Healthcare - broke

Armed forces - broke

Trains - broke

Buses - broke 

Airports - broke

Road maintenance - broke

Civil service - broke 

Hope I haven't missed anything, but apart from piss ups at number 10 and unused PPE, what exactly has our taxes been spent on?

Legal system - broke

Policing - broke

Probation Service - broke

 

 

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1 hour ago, badgerx16 said:

Legal system - broke

Policing - broke

Probation Service - broke

 

 

If you believe the loony element of the Conservative party, the Daily Mail, Daily Express, Telegraph etc all of this can be solved by a few tax cuts. 

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13 hours ago, The Left Back said:

Fair play to Soggy. After starting this thread in November and getting a right load of flak, it’s still here 13 pages later.

Sadly it feels like it’s actually getting worse.  It’s a depressing read, and the voices defending the indefensible are getting quieter.

 

After starting numerous threads on the same theme eventually one of them would take off, numbers game and all that. Im sure this is a proud moment in his forum history, he gets that little warm feeling inside whenever he logs on to see someone else has posted on it.

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34 minutes ago, Turkish said:

After starting numerous threads on the same theme eventually one of them would take off, numbers game and all that. Im sure this is a proud moment in his forum history, he gets that little warm feeling inside whenever he logs on to see someone else has posted on it.

And that posters don’t dig out other relevant threads and this is a moan about everything from politics, strikes, state of NHS. Lighthouse has been worn down

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17 hours ago, badgerx16 said:

Legal system - broke

Policing - broke

Probation Service - broke

 

 

I left the Criminal Justice System several years ago and the wheels were already coming off big time thanks to the government’s austerity measures. Each year we had to shed more staff on the higher end of the pay scales preferably, which meant losing experience, and close more buildings as they were the only two areas in which we could cut real costs. We could see the court systems, police and probation going through the same processes. Little wonder that the system is currently barely fit for purpose.

Prior to this period the worse I have seen this country was during the 3 day weeks back in 1973. It was grim but at least a pint was affordable back then. This country has become a god awful mess over the last 13 years. You can’t drive down any local roads without running into potholes which are growing in numbers every week due to the crumbling roads. We can’t be far from a general strike as more and more of the essential workers vote to down tools. The world is changing rapidly whilst we seem to be stuck in the past - the recent collapse of the plans to build a battery factory evidence that we are not gearing up for the future. The service industries that took the place of manufacturing in the UK are no longer as strong as they were. Thatcherism  has finally caught up with us and the self serving selfishness that it bred has manifested itself in the morally bankrupt cabinets that we have suffered under over the last few years.

If you have children there is very little to be positive about. It is going to take years for the UK to recover from the seemingly endless period of Tory misrule and Brexit. Hopefully the country will finally come to its senses and vote this inept bunch of crooks out but even then it will take an age to get things back on an even keel.  

We can start by having grown up conversations about the possibility of rejoining the single market (a recent poll shows that 58% of the population think we should be part of the EU). We also need to have a grown up view on immigration rather than just pander to the far right and assume that we don’t need their labour.

It seems to me that the only people who don’t have a problem with the way this country is heading are the selfish ones who are still able to keep their heads above water and don’t give a stuff about anyone else. Unfortunately for them, it will catch up with them soon enough.

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25 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Good to see a nice balanced opinion from Soggy :mcinnes:

He is right though. Justice systems clearly fucked by Grayling and others. Not up to the job but some seem think must be shrewd as Tories wouldn’t spunk your tax money away. Oh yes they have!

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2 hours ago, whelk said:

He is right though. Justice systems clearly fucked by Grayling and others. Not up to the job but some seem think must be shrewd as Tories wouldn’t spunk your tax money away. Oh yes they have!

It may well be broken, but to claim that the country is almost as bad as the 3 day week in 1973 is preposterous.

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5 hours ago, sadoldgit said:

I left the Criminal Justice System several years ago and the wheels were already coming off big time thanks to the government’s austerity measures. Each year we had to shed more staff on the higher end of the pay scales preferably, which meant losing experience, and close more buildings as they were the only two areas in which we could cut real costs. We could see the court systems, police and probation going through the same processes. Little wonder that the system is currently barely fit for purpose.

Prior to this period the worse I have seen this country was during the 3 day weeks back in 1973. It was grim but at least a pint was affordable back then. This country has become a god awful mess over the last 13 years. You can’t drive down any local roads without running into potholes which are growing in numbers every week due to the crumbling roads. We can’t be far from a general strike as more and more of the essential workers vote to down tools. The world is changing rapidly whilst we seem to be stuck in the past - the recent collapse of the plans to build a battery factory evidence that we are not gearing up for the future. The service industries that took the place of manufacturing in the UK are no longer as strong as they were. Thatcherism  has finally caught up with us and the self serving selfishness that it bred has manifested itself in the morally bankrupt cabinets that we have suffered under over the last few years.

If you have children there is very little to be positive about. It is going to take years for the UK to recover from the seemingly endless period of Tory misrule and Brexit. Hopefully the country will finally come to its senses and vote this inept bunch of crooks out but even then it will take an age to get things back on an even keel.  

We can start by having grown up conversations about the possibility of rejoining the single market (a recent poll shows that 58% of the population think we should be part of the EU). We also need to have a grown up view on immigration rather than just pander to the far right and assume that we don’t need their labour.

It seems to me that the only people who don’t have a problem with the way this country is heading are the selfish ones who are still able to keep their heads above water and don’t give a stuff about anyone else. Unfortunately for them, it will catch up with them soon enough.

💤  😴 

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8 hours ago, sadoldgit said:

I left the Criminal Justice System several years ago and the wheels were already coming off big time thanks to the government’s austerity measures. Each year we had to shed more staff on the higher end of the pay scales preferably, which meant losing experience, and close more buildings as they were the only two areas in which we could cut real costs. We could see the court systems, police and probation going through the same processes. Little wonder that the system is currently barely fit for purpose.

Prior to this period the worse I have seen this country was during the 3 day weeks back in 1973. It was grim but at least a pint was affordable back then. This country has become a god awful mess over the last 13 years. You can’t drive down any local roads without running into potholes which are growing in numbers every week due to the crumbling roads. We can’t be far from a general strike as more and more of the essential workers vote to down tools. The world is changing rapidly whilst we seem to be stuck in the past - the recent collapse of the plans to build a battery factory evidence that we are not gearing up for the future. The service industries that took the place of manufacturing in the UK are no longer as strong as they were. Thatcherism  has finally caught up with us and the self serving selfishness that it bred has manifested itself in the morally bankrupt cabinets that we have suffered under over the last few years.

If you have children there is very little to be positive about. It is going to take years for the UK to recover from the seemingly endless period of Tory misrule and Brexit. Hopefully the country will finally come to its senses and vote this inept bunch of crooks out but even then it will take an age to get things back on an even keel.  

We can start by having grown up conversations about the possibility of rejoining the single market (a recent poll shows that 58% of the population think we should be part of the EU). We also need to have a grown up view on immigration rather than just pander to the far right and assume that we don’t need their labour.

It seems to me that the only people who don’t have a problem with the way this country is heading are the selfish ones who are still able to keep their heads above water and don’t give a stuff about anyone else. Unfortunately for them, it will catch up with them soon enough.

Or did you leave when it all became digital and they didn’t use typewriters anymore?

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You may claim it's all doom and gloom, but one British company is booming at the moment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64489147

Quote

Oil and gas giant Shell has reported record annual profits after energy prices surged last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The company reported adjusted earnings of $39.9bn (£32.2bn) for 2022, the highest in its 115-year history.

Great news for the LSE as well.

(for the avoidance of doubt, /sarcasm)

Edited by Weston Super Saint
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Meanwhile....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57764601

Quote

The Bank of England is expected to raise interest rates for the 10th time in a row later, but analysts predict it is nearing the peak.

The benchmark rate is widely expected to go up from 3.5% to 4%, after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

In order to combat the massive levels of inflation, largely driven by the artificially high cost of energy reaping the benefits for so few, the rest of the country are being raided once more by the BoE!

Need money to pay for critical infrastructure in the country but the Government are shit scared of taxing a company that has made it's highest profits since it was incorporated!

Sounds about right.

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1 hour ago, Weston Super Saint said:

You may claim it's all doom and gloom, but one British company is booming at the moment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64489147

Great news for the LSE as well.

(for the avoidance of doubt, /sarcasm)

 

1 hour ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Meanwhile....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57764601

In order to combat the massive levels of inflation, largely driven by the artificially high cost of energy reaping the benefits for so few, the rest of the country are being raided once more by the BoE!

Need money to pay for critical infrastructure in the country but the Government are shit scared of taxing a company that has made it's highest profits since it was incorporated!

Sounds about right.

They paid more in dividends, in the last year than they invested in renewable energy.

Edited by badgerx16
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1 hour ago, Weston Super Saint said:

You may claim it's all doom and gloom, but one British company is booming at the moment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64489147

Great news for the LSE as well.

(for the avoidance of doubt, /sarcasm)

Highest profit of any UK company in history they are saying on the the news.

£5b payout to shareholders more than they paid towards renewable energy, but the great news is they will pay tax in the Uk for the first time since 2017. 

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10 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Highest profit of any UK company in history they are saying on the the news.

£5b payout to shareholders more than they paid towards renewable energy, but the great news is they will pay tax in the Uk for the first time since 2017. 

It’s fookin obscene all that profit off of the back of you and I and millions like us. Little old ladies getting ill/popping their clogs because they are worried about heating and Shell give 5b to people that can afford shares. 

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4 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

It’s fookin obscene all that profit off of the back of you and I and millions like us. Little old ladies getting ill/popping their clogs because they are worried about heating and Shell give 5b to people that can afford shares. 

Also just caught a bit of BBC news and it seems British Gas have been getting warrants and forcing pre paid meters onto people, breaking into vunerable peoples homes fitting them. 

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Shell are without doubt one of the very worst, most unethical companies in the entire world. So I am not the slightest bit surprised by this news.

I can't wait to hear Rishi come out and tell us that windfall taxes are a bad idea because they inevitably lead to firms divesting from their UK operations, or something.

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43 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Shell are without doubt one of the very worst, most unethical companies in the entire world. So I am not the slightest bit surprised by this news.

I can't wait to hear Rishi come out and tell us that windfall taxes are a bad idea because they inevitably lead to firms divesting from their UK operations, or something.

He’ll have shares in Shell.

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1 hour ago, Turkish said:

Also just caught a bit of BBC news and it seems British Gas have been getting warrants and forcing pre paid meters onto people, breaking into vunerable peoples homes fitting them. 

So being backed up by the law then - I wonder what excuse they put in front of the magistrate when requesting the warrant?

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10 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Learn something new everyday.

Dr. Richard North has written many pieces on this subject.

https://www.turbulenttimes.co.uk/news/front-page/energy-a-broken-system/
 

The worst of it is that the Courts have a significant financial interest in not looking too closely at the applications. Under the Magistrates Court Fees (Amendment) Order 2014, they get paid £20 per application. If, as the Guardian avers, they are processing something like 20,000 applications a month, this is a very lucrative business, raking in something like £400,000 a month to the court system.”
 

 

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26 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Not sure why the court system was added to the list of things in the country that are stoney broke if that's the case.

Sounds like they're rolling in Wonga!

There is a difference between being broken and being broke.

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47 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Not sure why the court system was added to the list of things in the country that are stoney broke if that's the case.

Sounds like they're rolling in Wonga!

i sat my nine year old and a a few of his mates down last night for a good chat. I told them that their future was fucked, there is no point trying hard at school (the school system is broken anyway) l, no point going to football training 3 times a week, the nasty tories have ruined all their future. They're better off giving up now and having no aspirations of ever achieving anything in life there is literally nothing to look forward to. You will own your own house because the tories have made it too expensive, if you get ill you'll probably die because the tories have killed the NHS, the only thing you can really do is become criminals because the court system is fucked so you'll probably get away with it. you know have you're all quite happy now? Enjoy it while you can because you dont know how shit everything is going to get for you. 

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1 minute ago, Turkish said:

i sat my nine year old and a a few of his mates down last night for a good chat. I told them that their future was fucked, there is no point trying hard at school (the school system is broken anyway) l, no point going to football training 3 times a week, the nasty tories have ruined all their future. They're better off giving up now and having no aspirations of ever achieving anything in life there is literally nothing to look forward to. You will own your own house because the tories have made it too expensive, if you get ill you'll probably die because the tories have killed the NHS, the only thing you can really do is become criminals because the court system is fucked so you'll probably get away with it. you know have you're all quite happy now? Enjoy it while you can because you dont know how shit everything is going to get for you. 

Quite right too.

It's not been the same since they replaced typewriters.

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Just now, Weston Super Saint said:

My original list of things that are "broke" referred to them being "broke" due to the fact they have no money to negotiate over pay - otherwise I would have put "broken".….

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/criminal-justice/cuts-to-justice-spending-likely-to-lead-to-system-failure

https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/resource/access-to-justice-can-t-survive-further-budget-cuts-new-report-from-the-bar-council.html

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45 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

Rest assured, I'm not claiming that those things aren't also 'broken', merely pointing out their lack of cash, hence my inclusion of a question regarding where our taxes have been spent....

On 30/01/2023 at 19:09, Weston Super Saint said:

Just to recap.

Education - broke

Healthcare - broke

Armed forces - broke

Trains - broke

Buses - broke 

Airports - broke

Road maintenance - broke

Civil service - broke 

Hope I haven't missed anything, but apart from piss ups at number 10 and unused PPE, what exactly has our taxes been spent on?

 

 

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5 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Not sure why the court system was added to the list of things in the country that are stoney broke if that's the case.

Sounds like they're rolling in Wonga!

The court system is in disarray. Not enough staff, and not enough judges. Legal aid decline has meant more unrepresented people clogging up the system. It's a proper shambles. It deserves its place on your broken list. 

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What isn’t broken? We seem to leading the way in diversity and inclusion. You can watch any drama on TV and tick them off a women in position of authority, a black person, an Asian, white person a gay and a disabled person usually all in the same room at the same time.

we’ve got that nailed 

Edited by Turkish
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1 hour ago, egg said:

The court system is in disarray. Not enough staff, and not enough judges. Legal aid decline has meant more unrepresented people clogging up the system. It's a proper shambles. It deserves its place on your broken list. 

It's a broke and penniless list!

Whilst I accept the system is broken, earning £400,000 per month just by rubber stamping applications for pre pay meters means their place on the 'broke' list isn't possible.

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36 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

It's a broke and penniless list!

Whilst I accept the system is broken, earning £400,000 per month just by rubber stamping applications for pre pay meters means their place on the 'broke' list isn't possible.

Given the budget of the MoJ is just shy of £9.5Bn, and it is deemed to be short of funding, an additional £4.8M is chicken feed.

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2 hours ago, Turkish said:

What isn’t broken? We seem to leading the way in diversity and inclusion. You can watch any drama on TV and tick them off a women in position of authority, a black person, an Asian, white person a gay and a disabled person usually all in the same room at the same time.

we’ve got that nailed 

No, we were 6th in the 2019 inclusivity index, and WAY behind Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. It takes more than performative measures on TV. 

 

Having said that, one thing we might be able to claim some leadership in is our tv and music output, we have done some good comedy, drama and good music. So the one area we are inclusive and diverse in is probably our best.

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12 hours ago, ashnats said:

No, we were 6th in the 2019 inclusivity index, and WAY behind Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. It takes more than performative measures on TV. 

 

Having said that, one thing we might be able to claim some leadership in is our tv and music output, we have done some good comedy, drama and good music. So the one area we are inclusive and diverse in is probably our best.

What recent comedy has the UK done that is good? Genuine question because the last time I watched something and considered it brilliant was about 15 years ago.

Edit: I was curious and found this article which is the best UK comedy of the past 15 years. The vast majority of it I've never heard of. Inbetweeners was alright but got a bit stale. Alan Partridge's older stuff is much better, my dad liked this country and I thought Fleabag wasn't a comedy but other than that it's not exactly up there with classics of the past like The Office, I'm Alan Partridge, Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses etc. British tv comedy has largely sucked for ages now.

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/best-british-tv-comedies-of-the-last-15-years/

Edited by hypochondriac
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From the list -

my kids like 'the goes wrong show' & 'ghosts'.

'Detectorists' was great.

Loved 'This Country', It's right up there IMO.

'Inside number 9' isn't really comedy but very good.

'Flowers' / 'afterlife' ok.

One I liked not on the list - 'Here we go' - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13684264/ - was a pleasant surprise.

Not sure how Peep Show is missing. Guess because it started before, but had many series in the last 15 years. Loved it.

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14 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Detectorists, Motherland, Inside no.9 and Ghosts are pretty good examples of quality stuff.

They're not the same standard as On the Buses, Are You Being Served or Bless this House, but they're a good effort.

Love Thy Neighbour or In Sickness Or In Health.

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30 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Detectorists, Motherland, Inside no.9 and Ghosts are pretty good examples of quality stuff.

They're not the same standard as On the Buses, Are You Being Served or Bless this House, but they're a good effort.

Terry & June

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I like the Detectorists, Motherland, Fleabag, The Great, This Flag Means Death, Ghosts, Cunk and Have I Got News still delivers as do some of the stand ups at the Apollo, but the golden age of comedy has passed along with music. Political satire does not work so well when the material you are trying to parody goes beyond your ability to send it up. Brandon Flowers asked the question a few years ago, have all the best songs been written? You could ask the same question of the best gags. I don’t know what the BBC thought they were doing with Mrs Brown’s Boys? Perhaps they thought there was still an appetite for the laziest type of 70’s humour but that backfired big time (although I assume that it still managed to find an audience as he still has a job).

As a country we have had the stuffing kicked out of us over the last decade plus. Austerity, Brexit, Covid, Government scandals, a major war in Europe…just constantly one thing after another. Whether the lack of quality creativity in depth in certain fields is just a phase we are going through or whether we are just becoming mediocre at certain things, who knows, but it’s hard to think of people in 50 years time getting all nostalgic over the likes of Harry Styles, Little Mix, Ed Sheeran, Brendan O’Carroll, Michael McIntyre etc.

 

Edited by sadoldgit
Typo
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