What has the UK become?

[BobKowalski]

Yes, I know that if we had an election you would get elected and I would not be getting my deposit back! However, to jump on the moral high ground (and why not), if sustainability and leaving something for future generations matters then we have to at least be as competitive as other countries. Otherwise we are just in a very, very slow Fall of the Roman Empire type scenario.

The UK voted for Brexit. Not exactly screaming ‘we want to be competitive’ is it?

The UK is a top end European economy on a par with France that is currently doing its best to sabotage itself - the latest being its war on Universities and crippling the Social Care sector.

In a way it’s understandable. Our industrial and economic strategy was sunk in 2016 and there is literally nothing to replace it with that makes any economic sense, so the Tories have to fight cultural wars - like imposing mandatory servitude and unpaid labour schemes on the young because it appeals to people who are not young. That it would cost billions and be unworkable is not the point (see Rwanda a scheme that the Public Accounts Committee recently described as “little to show for the money spent…continually failed to be transparent with Parliament…fell woefully short of reality...does not have a credible plan"). This nonsense appeals to what is left of the Tory core vote. The elderly and social conservatives who would happily live in a hovel if it meant treating minorities badly.

You want to make us more competitive? I guess the first step is stop doing things that hinder that process. Stop trying to undermine the higher education sector which is a multi-billion industry which the UK excels at. Makes sense right? A sector we excel in and earns billions. Do we support it or try and sabotage it? Obviously we sabotage it. Who wants kids going to university anyway. Not their kids you understand but ‘other’ kids.

I could go on, but to improve our competitiveness also means having conversations this country literally does not want to have. Europe, immigration, how trade actually works, the value of a well educated and healthy population and so on.

Your suggestion is we all work harder and longer and ignore the quality of our lives. Any idea how ‘competitive’ tired, unhappy people actually are? Maybe pitch solutions that are aspirational rather than ones that sound like a punishment. Just a thought.

 

[BrianW]

'Working harder' is not a solution. My granddad, who used to shovel coal into a locomotive firebox for a living, worked a darn sight harder than the modern equivalent who sits behind a moving desk, pushing buttons and moving levels. But what form of traction is the more efficient?

No, you have to work smarter and more productively. And to do that, you need to invest hugely in modern technology and working methods, something this country has a long track record of not being very good at.

It is also obviously not the brightest idea to erect trade barriers with your near neighbours, especially when you need to import an awful lot of food if the population is to have more than a bare living.

These are just two of the uncomfortable truths 'conservative' thinkers want to go away.

 

[Palerider]

The UK voted for Brexit. Not exactly screaming ‘we want to be competitive’ is it?

The UK is a top end European economy on a par with France that is currently doing its best to sabotage itself - the latest being its war on Universities and crippling the Social Care sector.

In a way it’s understandable. Our industrial and economic strategy was sunk in 2016 and there is literally nothing to replace it with that makes any economic sense, so the Tories have to fight cultural wars - like imposing mandatory servitude and unpaid labour schemes on the young because it appeals to people who are not young. That it would cost billions and be unworkable is not the point (see Rwanda a scheme that the Public Accounts Committee recently described as “little to show for the money spent…continually failed to be transparent with Parliament…fell woefully short of reality...does not have a credible plan"). This nonsense appeals to what is left of the Tory core vote. The elderly and social conservatives who would happily live in a hovel if it meant treating minorities badly.

You want to make us more competitive? I guess the first step is stop doing things that hinder that process. Stop trying to undermine the higher education sector which is a multi-billion industry which the UK excels at. Makes sense right? A sector we excel in and earns billions. Do we support it or try and sabotage it? Obviously we sabotage it. Who wants kids going to university anyway. Not their kids you understand but ‘other’ kids.

I could go on, but to improve our competitiveness also means having conversations this country literally does not want to have. Europe, immigration, how trade actually works, the value of a well educated and healthy population and so on.

Your suggestion is we all work harder and longer and ignore the quality of our lives. Any idea how ‘competitive’ tired, unhappy people actually are? Maybe pitch solutions that are aspirational rather than ones that sound like a punishment. Just a thought.

No, my suggestion is not that we all work harder and longer. My point is that many people seem to want it all, great high paying job with a great quality of life. I'm saying that expectation is unrealistic and totally seperate from politics. It's people being unrealistic. There is no magic money tree, there is no sunlit uplands, there is no wonderful political system that solves everything. If you do not want to work harder than your competitors then do not complain if you don't win the gold medal.

 

[bluethrunthru]

Lol

 

[mancityvstoke]

The UK voted for Brexit. Not exactly screaming ‘we want to be competitive’ is it?

The UK is a top end European economy on a par with France that is currently doing its best to sabotage itself - the latest being its war on Universities and crippling the Social Care sector.

In a way it’s understandable. Our industrial and economic strategy was sunk in 2016 and there is literally nothing to replace it with that makes any economic sense, so the Tories have to fight cultural wars - like imposing mandatory servitude and unpaid labour schemes on the young because it appeals to people who are not young. That it would cost billions and be unworkable is not the point (see Rwanda a scheme that the Public Accounts Committee recently described as “little to show for the money spent…continually failed to be transparent with Parliament…fell woefully short of reality...does not have a credible plan"). This nonsense appeals to what is left of the Tory core vote. The elderly and social conservatives who would happily live in a hovel if it meant treating minorities badly.

You want to make us more competitive? I guess the first step is stop doing things that hinder that process. Stop trying to undermine the higher education sector which is a multi-billion industry which the UK excels at. Makes sense right? A sector we excel in and earns billions. Do we support it or try and sabotage it? Obviously we sabotage it. Who wants kids going to university anyway. Not their kids you understand but ‘other’ kids.

I could go on, but to improve our competitiveness also means having conversations this country literally does not want to have. Europe, immigration, how trade actually works, the value of a well educated and healthy population and so on.

Your suggestion is we all work harder and longer and ignore the quality of our lives. Any idea how ‘competitive’ tired, unhappy people actually are? Maybe pitch solutions that are aspirational rather than ones that sound like a punishment. Just a thought.

You don't mean all elderly people vote Tory and would live in a hovel to be able to treat monorities badly, do you?

 

[Saddleworth2]

When you look at the factors that make the population of a country ‘happy’ like Finland for example, the factors include; insignificant wealth inequality, trust between people and government and vice versa (considered a big one). Efficient and comprehensive social services, affinity with the countryside, a kind society.

Sounds just like us eh? Why are we such miserable buggers?

 

[BobKowalski]

You don't mean all elderly people vote Tory and would live in a hovel to be able to treat monorities badly, do you?

No. I often exaggerate for dramatic effect :)

And while the Tory core vote is the over 65’s, they are pretty much tied with Labour in this demographic.

 

[mexico1970]

When you look at the factors that make the population of a country ‘happy’ like Finland for example, the factors include; insignificant wealth inequality, trust between people and government and vice versa (considered a big one). Efficient and comprehensive social services, affinity with the countryside, a kind society.

Sounds just like us eh? Why are we such miserable buggers?

A country that is larger than the UK but with the population of half of our capital city. There's a start right there.

Nobody ever quotes a fairer comparison.

 

[philiph20]

When you look at the factors that make the population of a country ‘happy’ like Finland for example, the factors include; insignificant wealth inequality, trust between people and government and vice versa (considered a big one). Efficient and comprehensive social services, affinity with the countryside, a kind society.

Sounds just like us eh? Why are we such miserable buggers?

They say the French are as well, never quite understood why, great scenery, gorgeous women, great food and a decent climate, the mind boggles.

 

[Saddleworth2]

A country that is larger than the UK but with the population of half of our capital city. There's a start right there.

Nobody ever quotes a fairer comparison.

So are you saying that none of those factors could apply in a country with a larger population?