This isn’t to be taken for granted. Part of the difficulty in seeking buy-in to the idea that the UK is at a critical crossroads requiring root-and-branch change is that this does not chime with the lived experience of many of those holding the levers of wealth and power. Richer households compare well with their European counterparts; it’s at the middle- and lower-income levels that the gap opens up. Stagnation is a less unpleasant experience at the top of society than in the bottom or middle, as the report observes.
Betteridge’s law applies, judging by current political messaging.
Old blighty has been in decline for a long time
No it hasn’t. The UK was doing quite well until we decided to simply have a bonfire of regulations and ignore laws for things like, er, the environment. In which we live. We had an excellent standard of living. Post WWII we turned around under the most debt we have ever had and established an enormously powerful welfare state that covered every single person in the country. That’s not decline. Losing colonies is irrelevant, they ended up being a literal financial drain, and we were mismanaging them and the people living in them, to boot.
But it’s still better than many many alternatives!
I live here. Please stop talking about the UK like you know what’s going on. Quality of life is growing increasingly worse for no reason other than a political party thinks I’d be better being turned in to dog food than living a comfortable life.
How you feeling about the results? They seemed pretty decisive?
Using a very biased sample of the places ive lived, it seems like reform clipped the tory ticket so succesfully that labour got the seats despite having a static turnout. Im concerned about what happens if reform implodes or when the reform protest voters swing back to the conservatives.
Im very happy to see this kind of split on the right, as the first past the post system punishes such division. Hopefully labour can capitalise on its incumbency, and use the economic upswing to stabilise another few terms at the helm
Nothing quite as delicious as your home town, that you left decades ago, appearing on the news for all the wrong reasons.
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uks-reeves-says-previous-government-hid-spending-data-obr-2024-10-30/
The Tories? Lie about billions? Surely not.
One day to go until red v blue polling day!
I have printed out some maps and charts to do with the kids on election night - if I can get them interested enough.
We had a groups of kids over yesterday and it so cute listening to 12 year olds repeat the political lines. They had each side pretty well defined!
If you have the opportunity to vote early, I went on Friday and had no line at all. Might be worth stepping out today, if you can.
Oh, how I wish early voting was an option in NH. Instead I’ll stand in line tomorrow with my 9 year old daughter who’s got the day off from school, since two of the public schools in town are polling places.
I do love schools giving staff the day off. Both lets them vote, and puts pressure on other employers to let as many people off as possible (both because it benefits parents more to be off work when their kids are off school, and because it sets an example of a large employer letting folks off).
But, yeah. My ideal is probably to have automatic registration, with everyone mailed a ballot and able to mail it in for free. But early voting seems like a good intermediate step.
Surprising. I really thought Harris would take it. But now it’s looking like it’s almost a done deal for Trump.
I can’t believe we let the fucking horse back in the hospital.
That sums it up.
At least it was decisive?