What has the UK become?

[gordondaviesmoustache]

At least two of the above would not even feature in the top ten crimes against the nation that this government have perpetrated. I genuinely believe some of them should be jailed for their role in our demise.

I know you do mate.

And I wasn’t picking them because they were necessarily among the most egregious, but because they were the most pitiful.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Through my eyes at least, as a country we’re still great, have a lot to offer (and more to offer) in lots of respects, have improved many aspects of our quality of life, and having worked and lived in places that are supposed to be better…we moved back here in 2019 and haven’t regretted it for a single day.

Our roads, rail, energy security, water industry is all inferior. Our rivers and seas are literally being poisoned by illegal discharges of raw sewage. I cannot think of anything that hasn’t gone backwards at a rate of knots in the last decade. If homelessness in Vancouver is worse, does that matter didly squat if our rates have increased? Our policies toward refugees is totally and utterly inhuman. All presided over by a corrupt and criminal cabal.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I’m not old enough to remember that much about British Rail…and wasn’t a regular user, but I remember the constant berating of it by anyone who used it or worked in it. Didn’t strike me as a great service and don’t remember too many dissenting voices disagreeing about the reasons cited as the need to privatise. I’m not saying everyone agreed with privatisation…but everyone agreed it was shit.

I remember British Rail and it worked fine. Think it’s a myth that it was shit. It wasn’t brilliant, but as I’ve said, it was fine. And it would have unquestionably improved as technology advanced. Train companies have so many more tools at their disposal now than 35 years ago.

 

[BrianW]

I remember British Rail and it worked fine. Think it’s a myth that it was shit. It wasn’t brilliant, but as I’ve said, it was fine. And it would have unquestionably improved as technology advanced. Train companies have so many more tools at their disposal now than 35 years ago.

British Rail had one huge advantage. It was cheap. You didn't need to book weeks in advance to buy a seat without requiring an extra mortgage and there were few restrictions on ticket use.

It was, of course, starved of funds. Ironically, the present so-called private operation costs the taxpayer way more, in real terms, than BR ever did. And for that, we get an overpriced, unreliable and shit service.

I recently went to Reading, first class. (The benefit of being old I have a Railcard.) The seats were not much more comfortable than Metrolink, albeit there was more legroom. On the way back, people were standing even in first class. My reserved seat was lined up against a solid wall, so I had a choice between staring at the tiny sliver of window that belonged to the seat ahead or looking at the arse of the person standing next to me. No trolley service of course as it could not get through.

Absolutely diabolical. BR had its faults, but I never recall travelling in such discomfort, ever, in BR days.

 

[Saddleworth2]

British Rail had one huge advantage. It was cheap. You didn't need to book weeks in advance to buy a seat without requiring an extra mortgage and there were few restrictions on ticket use.

It was, of course, starved of funds. Ironically, the present so-called private operation costs the taxpayer way more, in real terms, than BR ever did. And for that, we get an overpriced, unreliable and shit service.

I recently went to Reading, first class. (The benefit of being old I have a Railcard.) The seats were not much more comfortable than Metrolink, albeit there was more legroom. On the way back, people were standing even in first class. My reserved seat was lined up against a solid wall, so I had a choice between staring at the tiny sliver of window that belonged to the seat ahead or looking at the arse of the person standing next to me. No trolley service of course as it could not get through.

Absolutely diabolical. BR had its faults, but I never recall travelling in such discomfort, ever, in BR days.

Privatisation was sold to us on the basis that service would be better and cheaper than before.
that worked well…..

 

[Saddleworth2]

I know you do mate.

And I wasn’t picking them because they were necessarily among the most egregious, but because they were the most pitiful.

To pick a fight with Greece when there is so much to talk about and Greece is so vital to a sustained solution for refugees shows the stature of the man.

 

[mexico1970]

I was getting my defensive posture in. Hard to talk/debate on this forum, though I should have given you more credit.

I’m not old enough to remember that much about British Rail…and wasn’t a regular user, but I remember the constant berating of it by anyone who used it or worked in it. Didn’t strike me as a great service and don’t remember too many dissenting voices disagreeing about the reasons cited as the need to privatise. I’m not saying everyone agreed with privatisation…but everyone agreed it was shit.

Hospitals will Continue to decline, unless we’re prepared as a nation to pay significantly more, and increasingly more taxes than we do. I just don’t see it as a ‘UK’ problem worthy of criticism, as the ‘problem’ is trying to sustain something that just wasn’t designed for the population we have.

I don’t think political issues are more pronounced here, than say France, Germany or Holland. They’re different in some respects, and closer to home so feel more pronounced.

Through my eyes at least, as a country we’re still great, have a lot to offer (and more to offer) in lots of respects, have improved many aspects of our quality of life, and having worked and lived in places that are supposed to be better…we moved back here in 2019 and haven’t regretted it for a single day.

It was expensive and about as shit as it could be, I can't remember when it was good unless you are going all the way back to the Titfield Thunderbolt.

Reading some of the posts on here though you'd think we were a 3rd world country, people thinking it's edgy and fresh to just criticise anything and everything even if it's pretty well done.

In reality when people talk about politicians they don't see the faults in politicians they themselves like, they save their anger for politicians they don't like who wear a different colour rossette.

 

[inbetween]

Our roads, rail, energy security, water industry is all inferior. Our rivers and seas are literally being poisoned by illegal discharges of raw sewage. I cannot think of anything that hasn’t gone backwards at a rate of knots in the last decade. If homelessness in Vancouver is worse, does that matter didly squat if our rates have increased? Our policies toward refugees is totally and utterly inhuman. All presided over by a corrupt and criminal cabal.

The biggest problem with infrastructure here is it's all built on what came before, much of everything is still based upon wartime infrastructure. Other countries don't tend to be bogged down by it as much because 100 years ago they either didn't exist or they had to rebuild from nothing because everything they did have was all blown up in the war.

The whole country here is like a modern day Berlin, podged together but split apart by the past and modernisation. I don't think that this has changed because of 13 years of this government, they've just rapidly accelerated the 'worsening' by not doing anything to help.

We have to be honest, we now have zero resources or ability to do anything about many of these problems. We know that Labour will get in next however it's extremely unlikely that they'll be able to unpick it all. I'll just say it again, successive damaging events such as COVID have not just shot us in the foot, they've blown our legs off.

 

[IBlue]

Our country has parallels with Old Trafford, presumptions and arrogance

 

[blueinsa]

Privatisation was sold to us on the basis that service would be better and cheaper than before.
that worked well…..

Impossible to disagree with this statement.