Why the UK will Lose the 2030s

The United Kingdom is a nation once known as the empire on which the sun never sets. The 19th century saw the UK as the world's wealthiest and most powerful nation, victorious through two world wars. However, ominous clouds now loom over this historical powerhouse.

In this video, we explore the multifaceted crises threatening the UK's future. From housing shortages and Brexit mismanagement to a looming demographic disaster, the fabric of British society is fraying. The decade ahead could see the UK losing its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and struggling to meet its massive public service obligations.

From the heights of British naval dominance and the Industrial Revolution to the post-war economic shifts catalyzed by the Bretton Woods system, we'll examine the demographic time bomb of an aging population and the strain on public services like the NHS. With high tax rates driving brain drain and protests simmering across the nation, can the UK pull through these formidable challenges? Stay tuned as we unravel the complexities and imperatives of this critical moment in British history.

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[undesignated]

I'm a UK peasant with my own house and married. I'm 37. I've watched my income slowly deteriorate despite working very hard. Swallowed up in debt interest and fuel costs. Combined with increasing food prices. The older generation my parents and grandparents have money due to massive shifts in house values which have been paid for by other people's debt.
Children today unless they have a massive deposit they won't own a home and will be stuck in perpetual rent. The Empire enriched the Upper Class, a coal miner never benefited.

[eldios]

The UK is still going to be super sweet for the rich...but young potential folks are moving away....No chance to rise unless they extremely brilliant

[nicolasbenson]

In light of the ongoing global economic crisis, it is crucial for everyone to prioritize investing in diverse sources of income that are not reliant on the government. This includes exploring opportunities in stocks, gold, silver, and digital currencies. Despite the challenging economic situation, it remains a favorable time to consider these investments.

[HessionDrasha]

Increasing wealth inequality, will make the UK less innovative and less competetive over time. The UK has been loosing since 2000 really.

[mikemines]

Now take a look at Norway with its Sovereign Wealth Fund. The British government spaffed our oil money up the wall. As for the NHS nearly half the workforce are managers!

[paulwilson]

At the height of its empire it may have been the wealthiest but most People never saw any of that wealth and after both Wars Britain was bankrupt.

[RR-utxl]

my mum came back after 5 years of living in Malaysia and now New Zealand, we walked through Cardiff city centre and she instantly felt the whole vibe was off, no one looks happy, loads ofshops left empty (they've filled a fair of them now tbh) but it was so visible to her how downhill everything has gone. Weak leaders who sell us out to their mates and corporations for a quick quid is a major issue for our political class

[globaltraveller]

I'm from Scotland and so many people I know have ditched living here and now live abroad. I haven't and at 40 am lucky to have a good life that enables me to live here. Nonetheless many of my contemporaries emigrated overseas and I know many others planning to do the same - scarily large numbers of people who see no future for themselves in Scotland, or the UK for that matter. The UK's future indeed looks very bleak and there's no-one with the capacity to turn it around. But I'm increasingly reading about similar problems in countries like Canada, New Zealand, Australia or the US where a lot of the problems we face here, such as living costs and housing, are problems in these places. Perhaps emigration is not the panacea people think it is.

[bonglesnodkins]

The UK is a rentier economy, run by and for landlords and bankers. It had its chance to become a modern diversified knowledge economy in the 1990s and 2000s, and it blew it. Fiscal policy and monetary policy was set up for the benefit of rentiers rather than producers of actual goods and services. Half the population of the country thought the nation was actually getting richer as a result of buy-to-let and bankers' bonuses. Instead, it strangled the real economy. There was a second chance for a major course correction in 2009, after the financial crisis. This went to waste as well, as everybody scrambled to restore the status quo ante. Couple this with a lack of infrastructure investment and a mismatch of immigration levels with new housing stock, and you had a recipe for disaster. The tinderbox was there, Brexit lit the fuse, and here we are.

[papabear]

Uks problem is we still think we are a major power and have a weight to throw around in the world. It's like a warthog telling lions what the rules of the African plains are going to be.

[abhisheksamriwal]

and yet they still have time discuss other countries internal affairs in their parliament

[SaltyAntelope]

I recommend reading "The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order, " it's happening everywhere. It's not a UK only phenomenon.

[stephencrompton]

The Prime Minister of the UK can be ousted and replaced. The head of the Bank of England can't. Show's whos really in charge.

[me]

Hard to lose the 2030s after you're already losing the 2020s as is. Surely they can't go lower than this, right?

[kingstephen]

Everything was fine until 9/11 happened. Everyone i know said the 90s felt optimistic. Infact, most people said the 90s was the happiest time of their lives, including people 60+.

[anhonestimmigrant]

I'm 28, I was studying at a University in Glasgow, Scotland, worked in london for 2 years. Soon realised UK isn't worth it anymore. I Left in January. Reasons as follows: Terrible Healthcare, high taxes, expensive housing, Unnecessary paperwork even for skilled expats. I have 3 jobs offers now, 1 from AUZ, 1 from Germany and 1 from Dubai. Mind you I am a pretty good AI engineer. The govt's agenda to penalize legal immigrants and give free food/ housing to illegal immigrants is so unfair. I have seen it in London which is full of illegal migrants, while I was paying all the taxes, visa fee, immigration fee and still had to wait for weeks to get a doctor's appointment. The economic collapse doesn't happen all of a sudden (like falling from a ceiling), it happens in a gradual sense, slowly and steadily. British economy is on the same trajectory. British are one of sweetest people, I can't say the same thing about their govt though.

[EdwardAshdown]

I'm a 'brain drainee', working online and happily living with my wife and son in Java, Indonesia, a country I think will provide my children and grandchildren with great opportunities!! I have no intention of returning to the UK in the future other than to visit family who I hope will move here in due course.

[debbiegilmour]

Jeez, man. Thatcher did not take the uk from being a sick man in europe to a powerhouse. She destroyed a lot of industry outwith the financial jiggery pokery industry and the amount of actual stuff of value produced in Britain plummeted and the amount of destitution outwith the SE simply increased.

The problem with this financial industry nonsense, is it relied on the perception of what the UK was. That can only last a relatively short time until memory of what the UK was faded into distant memory.

[mortalcritters]

Simplistic and niave overview especially with regauard to Thatcher, the Current UK Government and the imbalance of UK Tax burden, which falls on the lower classes. Thatcher stole all the Public Utilities including: The Post Office, Water, Rail, Telecomm, Gas and Electricity, she also sold BP oil, National Steel, The power gird, British Leyland, [Cars and Buses] and some smaller British owned banks, to foreign companies. The costs of this is hitting the UK 30 years later, when these companies are taking staggering amounts of money out of the UK, whilst paying no tax on that money, thus further inflating the UK tax burden on the lower classes. The Current Tory government have introduced the most corrupt, cronism based systems for public supply contracts, whilst continuing the privatisation of the NHS and Health services. Brexit is a complete and utter failure. One that was instgated at the behest of the mega-rich, as the EU introduced the new law that made it illegal to avoid tax by moving money offshore to Tax Havens. The collapse of the UK is closer than people realise. Whole generations of UK voters are completely alienated from the Two party, Fist past the post electorial system. And the Tory Party face complete anyilation at the next election. Urgent change is needed.

[july]

But Sunak won't. He is billionaire status. The rest of us will...