Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Tamas]

it might be the last big commemoration with veterans.

As an aside, it's weird and sad to see that still surviving veterans are now reduced to these few very elderly men. WW2 has all but passed out of living memory and I don't think that bodes well.

[Valmy]

The young people can own a home and have families? Oh noes! But what about the olds! Will somebody finally think of the old people's home values?!!

The shitty part is it's probably hurting the youngs. Olds had their houses decades. A bit of loss, but still way ahead in the game. It's the youngs that now have homes that can be worth less than their mortgages.


Still, over all lowering prices is good, I think.

Yeah well better to be a little underwater with a mortgage than living in a closet.

[Sheilbh]

it might be the last big commemoration with veterans.

As an aside, it's weird and sad to see that still surviving veterans are now reduced to these few very elderly men. WW2 has all but passed out of living memory and I don't think that bodes well.

Yeah I remember it with the WW1 veterans in the 90s. I found some of the footage today of the veterans quite moving for that reason. Especially the bit of the last Dutch veteran at their commemoration.

And I agree - I'm a little worried on what comes after that living memory goes.

[Admiral Yi]

Yeah I remember it with the WW1 veterans in the 90s. I found some of the footage today of the veterans quite moving for that reason. Especially the bit of the last Dutch veteran at their commemoration.

A Dutch veteran of WWI? 

[Josquius]

Sunak ditching d-day could cut through wonderfully. The petit fasc are always keen to moan about how labour doesn't really care about our veterUnZ. And what could be more supporting veterans than this?
Works for syphoning off to farage inc. As well. Which is good.

[Sheilbh]

Works for syphoning off to farage inc. As well. Which is good.

No it's really not.

[Josquius]

Works for syphoning off to farage inc. As well. Which is good.

No it's really not.

Why?
Let's get the right wing vote split as the left one always has been.

[Valmy]

I don't think Farage becoming the leader of Conservative politics would be a good thing 

[Sheilbh]

Nothing is permanent. There will always be a swing back to the right and a reaction.

Farage doing well may help the left in some ways (he's one of the most unpopular politicians in the country who very much has a ceiling). But a bit like for right-wingers looking at Corbyn, if he becomes the alternative there is always a real possibility that he (or his party) could win.

Although on my idea of the Tories maybe needing to run a "we need a strong opposition" campaign, I saw the Survation poll today and think we are probably not far away from people (on the right) asking themselves less if they want to back the Tories than if they want there to be a Tory party

[Josquius]

Farage as Corbyn would be an interesting one though with him coming from the outside, very directly wrecking the party, in a way Corbyn even at his most rebellious from inside labour just didn't.

Corbyn also had quite a unique and fortunate situation to deal with where a decent Labour leader should have wrapped up 2017.
Fingers crossed but Farage the tory leader in 5 years should be dealing with a country that is governed by adults and is mostly stabilising and beginning to think about moving forward again.
Hopefully the next few years the truth of the tory occupation should come out and cement the decision.

Also worth remembering there's a timer on farage. Both he himself being quite the gadgie and his support base being a certain generation.

[Tonitrus]

The young people can own a home and have families? Oh noes! But what about the olds! Will somebody finally think of the old people's home values?!!

The shitty part is it's probably hurting the youngs. Olds had their houses decades. A bit of loss, but still way ahead in the game. It's the youngs that now have homes that can be worth less than their mortgages.


Still, over all lowering prices is good, I think.

Yeah well better to be a little underwater with a mortgage than living in a closet.

I was going to say...if you buy/mortgage a home, and then panic within the first 6-12 months that the price is underwater...I think you might be in the wrong mindset of home buying. If you care that much about value fluctuations in the short time...should have kept renting...it is like buying a stock and then panicking when it dips over the following week.

You're really only/fairly screwed over if your life circumstances change radically in the short-term and are forced to move or sell (I would very unexpected if you are buying a new home)...or it is still underwater after a much longer time range.

[Richard Hakluyt]

With all the shit imposed on the country by the tories in the past 14 years the right (ie Tory + Reform) still gets 35-40% of the vote. The incoming Labour government has a terrible inheritance and may lose popularity quite quickly, a 5% swing and consolidation behind a right-wing party suddenly results in the end of Labour's lead. I really hope that if this happens the right-wing party in question is not a Farage vehicle.

[Syt]

Bit of a long video about the state of Britain. Don't mind the all caps title - yes, it's a (soft-ish) rant, but still citing its sources (https://pastebin.com/jV0zEiuz). I don't agree with all his points, but still thought it was an interesting watch.

It's basically a "best of" this thread - housing crisis/green belts/run down infrastructure, the NHS/health crisis, the lack of meaningful law enforcement/exploitation of legal loopholes, over-regulatrion/curbing of freedoms, unwillingness to change, failure to curb immigration, an out of touch and corrupt political class, the overwhelming catering to the aging demographic rather than the young. It's primarily placing blame on the Conservatives, but also points out at times that some issues reach back way longer, like housing rules implemented in the 40s, and (of course) Thatcher, or that they have not been helped by Labour and/or Greens.

[Josquius]

I saw that.
Yes, some of his conclusions were not good but others I agreed with.

[Tamas]

My official opinion is God Save the King, of course, and I'll never actively contribute to remove our Lord and Sovereign, but I do wonder if dumping the monarchy and with it remnants of the Empire could help revitalise the country?

Although clearly on balance the UK is a great place to live in and likely will remain so on the short and medium term, I am a bit concerned about the long term, due to all this obvious passive inertia we are on.

I wonder, what if the past 60-odd years have been still mainly going on the momentum the centuries of the Empire gave the country? the prestige, the language, the capital assembled?

No matter how much that is a factor, to me it seems obvious that the challenges Sheilbh have been listing like water management, the energy grid, housing, etc, aren't going to sort themselves out. Paradoxically, we are in inertia because too many people (including myself, really) have it too good, still. Change, like letting a new housing estate to be built near you, or a solar farm ruining the sight of the unwieldy green space you are used to, means a graspable  risk to your comfort. Inaction's risk is more long-term and thus not visible, especially for those won't be around in a couple of decades (which, I realise, might also apply to me if I consider the average age of death when I was born).

Ok, ramble done.