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England leads Europe in illiteracy, obesity, divorce, drug use, crime and STDs. Bloody hell

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Blairism is criticized not because it it a natural extention of Thatcherism, that failed to correct or challenge the damage that free market fundamentalism did to both the manufacturing base and community in Britain, but instead claims it wasn't thatcherite enough.

Anyone who knows Britain is aware that the health system, education, housing were all devastated after thatcher, government throwing public money at "market driven" reforms in these areas is an absolute waste. It is also a dream for corporations who scoop up government money without delivering benefit to those who need it, all the while crying for greater privatization to feed the habit of being hooked on government payouts. This article claims that governemnt spending is the problem without examining who is really benefitting from this spending. It is certainly not the poor.

Britain is truly fucked because it has been in the grips of this free market fundamentalist gibberish. It is not surprising the british public is confused they have been repeatedly told that both they economy is roaring and that government spending is at an all time high but few see a benefit of either of these things.

[ 10 June 2007: Message edited by: N.R.KISSED ]

anyone familiar with the UK of the 1970s sees things are way way better economically, and the transformation of hardcore decline cities like Liverpool is quite striking

the country has troubles, no doubt, but educated people from the country where I live, France, are flocking there

why? loads of work

but, there is no doubt a British culture crisis, as distinguished from an economic one: the insane barfing crowds loose on streets after pub hours, and the underemployed youth in a country where East Europeans can arrive and instantly find work in the building trades and employers complain of lack of hands; hard to figure

[ 10 June 2007: Message edited by: Geneva ]

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unemployment is the lowest it has been in 2 generations; surely that counts

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The stats on unemployment have been manipulated dating back to the thatcher days. The numbers of registered unemployed may be low but those on disability has rapidly increased. There are also innumerable people that are either marginally employed or not working but not registered as unemployed. There is still a vast number of marginalized and impoverished which government and society in general is quite content to abandon.

IN terms of shortage of people in the building trades I think a few factors play into this. The building trades in Britain have never gained the status and wages that they have in North America. Traditionally the building sites were populated by Irish doing what is considered low status "navy" work. The economic boom in Ireland put an end to this to an extent. Also many English trades people moved either temporarily or permanently to N. America, Australia or other places in Europe where there skills were better appreciated and renumerated. I am also not sure to what extent there is a strong appreticeship culture that would be helpful to marginalized groups. The fact also exists that marginalization still exists along race and cultural lines as well.

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anyone familiar with the UK of the 1970s sees things are way way better economically, and the transformation of hardcore decline cities like Liverpool is quite striking

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The flashy regeneration of inner cities and expenditure of billions of government revenues for the most part benefited the wealthy and created boutiques, cafes and galleries for them to play in, more corporate welfare, at the same time the poor were just relocated in permanent pockets of despair.

[ 10 June 2007: Message edited by: N.R.KISSED ]

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In 1971, only eight per cent of the working population was on benefits. Today the figure is 18 per cent, and some economic think tanks estimate that one-third of British households rely on benefits for at least half their income. Catering for the demands of such a massive welfare operation and for the demands of the gigantic state workforce and public services (the National Health Service is one of the largest employers in the world) is the single biggest threat to competitiveness and, the IMF warns, will lead to rising inflation.

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NHS would be the single biggest threat since Maggie handed all those utilities, BP and BT to wealthy friends of the conservative party. There were some rich people in Britain all of a sudden.

I don't know how illiteracy could climb like that if they really did have socialism. Post-secondary student loan debts are some of the highest in the world in the U.K. Ireland and Scotland have no post-secondary tuitions or are a lot more affordable for young people than in England.

Labour hasn't had it all their way in England. Maggie did most of the damage years ago. She promised to create a "property owning democracy." It was a ruse for stealing the common from under their feet and giving it to rich people who made out like bandits. Conservatives said Brits would be better off owning their own homes and flats. And lots of Brits lost their homes and flats to banks and "property-owning" elites with Thatcher the snatcher's rotten economies. Maggie and Milton pauperized a nation.

[ 10 June 2007: Message edited by: Fidel ]

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Originally posted by Geneva:
unemployment is the lowest it has been in 2 generations; surely that counts
[ 10 June 2007: Message edited by: Geneva ]

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Being the original no-holds-barred form of it, British Capitalism is going to be excessive (and hugely profitable).

Britain actually has a problem with rats, since the privatized Thames Water stopped putting out poison bait for them in their infrastructure to save the expense.

The rat population is now exploding around Britain. Truly frightening.

[ 15 June 2007: Message edited by: -=+=- ]

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Originally posted by -=+=-:
...The rat population is now exploding around Britain. Truly frightening.
[ 15 June 2007: Message edited by: -=+=- ]

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