Society in the UK is breaking down. I can see it and feel it. I am 76-years-of-age and can therefore measure the change over a long period. It is very apparent to me. But because it is gradual, or they were born into this mess, many people can’t see it. The breakdown has accelerated over the past few years, boosted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Covid which had a substantial and long-lasting negative impact on society.
And for decades the UK has had a too generous welfare system which is often abused by fraudulent applicants. The furlough scheme under Rishi Sunak was far too generous at 80% of salary for an enforced sabbatical for 18 months. This boosted a sense that one does not have to exercise self-discipline and earn a living.
Overgenerous welfare chips away at self-discipline and feeds the baser instincts of humankind: sloth and laziness.
It feeds a sense of entitlement. If there was any self-discipline (a dirty word in Britain today) it is washed away by being on over-generous benefits for too long.
Self-esteem is also dissipated. It disappears. This is the beginning of lawlessness supported by an incredibly ineffective police force in the UK. They are hopeless.
The police have actively supported mass shoplifting in the UK. They are utterly unable to deal with mass online scamming and fraud. Millions of citizens are scammed over the year in the UK or attempts are made to scam them and the old ladies are the most vulnerable in this regard. Millions no longer trust the police.
Doing nothing all day but binge on Netflix and making a few bob on the black market feeds minor crime. Minor crime seriously undermines society and it leads to more serious crime.
For far too long the police and the government have regarding shop-lifting as acceptable; a victimless crime but it is not. It undermines society and it is the good guys who pay with higher prices and a sense of anarchy pervades the air.
This creates anxiety and unhappiness.
The hapless Labour government have detected unrest among disgruntled, law abidding Brits especially over illegal immigration. They have clamped down but in doing so have curbed freedoms; hints of the book: 1984. The UK has become a quasi-autocracy. It is no longer the cradle of democracy. There are hints of Putin’s Russia here.
The country needs a genuine work ethic. The government is too woke. They gently say that the large number of young people not in education or work (but fit to work) should be ‘encouraged’ to join the workforce. Not strong enough as it is totally ignored.
The workshy need to be metaphorically-speaking kicked into the workforce. Pushed hard not encouraged. Some are clearly genuinely disabled and they need the state’s TLC – tender loving care. But far too many – hundreds of thousands in my view – are taking the Mikey and ripping off the taxpayer.
What about compulsory military service? Some European countries demand that young men and women join the military for a fixed term. This would be good for those who are on benefits but should not be. And bearing in mind the need to boost defence in the UK, conscription for a limited time has merit.
For decades welfare in the UK has been too generous and too soft leading to exploitation and a massive pull to illegal immigration. Britain is seen as soft and weak by other country’s. I can recall one illegal immigrant being asked why he came to Britain. His response? The country is weak and ripe to be abused and exploited. True. They know it and it is the pull to this country.
Illegal immigrants need to be disincentivized. Remove the draw to the country and do it now. Starmer is messing around at the edges of the problem and not getting to the core. His one-in-one-out policy recently started looks like a failure. Wait and see but I don’t expect numbers to fall. It is meant to be a disincentive. No, it is not big enough.
Starmer is weak and not a leader. That, today, is the country’s major problem.
