How Britain Became a Poor Country

A video about how Britain kinda fell apart.

Written, directed and presented by Tom Nicholas.
Edited by Georgia Burrows.

*Chapters*

00:00 Introduction
02:36 David Cameron's Cuts Cuts Cuts
11:43 The Brexit Boys
22:53 Covid & Consequences
33:55 Keir Starmer, or, David Cameron Mk II
36:42 A Very Exciting Announcement!

*Blurb*

Britain kinda sucks now. Over the past 14 years, it's become a poorer, nastier and far less hopeful place. As the country prepares to head to the polls in the 2024 general election, I thought I'd review exactly how we got here.

This is the story of how the British Conservative Party under David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak subjected the UK to a series of unhinged free-market experiments which ate away at the very foundations of British economic, social and political life.

This is the story of how Britain became a poor country.

Select footage courtesy of Getty
Music from Epidemic Sound

[Scriven]

Imagine hating poor people so much that you continually vote yourself into deeper and deeper poverty....

[GodeCynningaz]

“We’re all in this together.”
Gets in limo.

[alks]

Rich counties don't exist no more. Only rich individuals and poor individuals.

[chrise]

UK is rich like this:
John has 0 apples
David has 50 apples
On average they eat 25 apples each.

[TihetrisWeathersby]

Who knew 14 years of Tory Austerity would destroy the country

[screwdriver]

Tom, what a brilliant summary of recent British history. As a mere Chartered Engineer I can understand most engineering problems, but most of the political commentaries on the tv are more like scripts of “yes, Prime Minister”. Your video makes it clear without spin and bias. As an 81 year old this is the first time that I could properly follow British politics. Thanks.

[gabriellapietrakowski]

I remember there was a line in the crown, where the queen called the Conservative Party a “a confederacy of elected quitters” which oddly watching this video, was way too accurate

[Yort]

Britain is actually a perfect example of what it really looks like when an empire dies. Most of us imagine barbarians at the gate or some major catastrophe but more often than not it’s just a slow dismantling of the original order and a series of cascading failures.

[onaraisedbeach]

We elected the Tories, then kept re-electing them, then did a Brexit.

Ok ok I'll actually watch the video now...but that is the short answer.

[gachacaspa]

I live in Inverness... the stalling and cutting back on infrastructure is ridiculous when the population is growing here. There is so much wealth and money to be unlocked here yet not investing is holding everything up. We need infrastructure, it is fundamental to a growing and subsisting economy.

[winstonpham]

While i am not religious i had a discussion with my friend on what is considered the worst sin, my friend said wrath but i said Greed

[plato]

The population is so easily propagandised, it’s so frustrating.

[boxtears]

"Then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak". Future-proofing the video while also (correctly) predicting he won't be in office much longer.

[penguinpewpew_]

Who would imagine that leaving a free-market block would damage the economy, you don't get to leave the EU but still keep the perks.

[marcor]

Watching this by a foreigner makes this video really informative about the last 14 years of British politics. I really liked how the events have been lined up in a short and clear story. Congrats!

[MeretrixTricks]

Come to Poland to work! We need cleaners and plumbers!

[IzzysTravelDiaries]

I went to work in the UK in 2015 and went back home just 9 months later. As a Hungarian I sometimes faced open hostility. I'm bilingual, yet people would tell me "you can't understand me because your English is poor" when I told them no because their request was impossible. I saw some open disdain from colleagues. Work conditions were bad. I made minimum wage working in hotels. Most people there were immigrants. I lived in a room with the bathroom at the end of the hall, the heater didn't work in the winter. I was contracted for 40h, had to work 52. I ended up with severe depression because I was exhausted, tired of the working and living conditions, the hostility I saw from hotel guests, the British coworkers and even sometimes shopkeepers. When I was home already Brexit happened and someone I thought was a friend put up an anti immigrant post. I said something about that's how we met. He wrote back that I'm good because I already went back home. Yeah, nice. So that's a look from the other side. Also food on minimum wage was really hard.

[Max-meol]

as a german its always good to watch other countries somehow making worse decisions than us.
i mean our politicians are trying to get as many companies to produce elsewhere by making electricity as expensive as possible, but as of right now were doing somewhat fine.

[elmohead]

Britain being poor is the norm throughout her history. Rich Britain only happened because of colonization. This is not Britain becoming poor, but Britain going back to her natural state.

[mailmarca]

BTW, the "there is no money" letter was a running joke always left by the outgoing party. However, the Tories turned it into a political weapon.