A well written article in the Daily Telegraph, paints a very sorry picture of Britain in decline.
The article cites four measures for making this assertion:
1. The decline in living standards. Although disposable income has risen, this is accounted for by population growth, lower interest rates and higher employment. The article claims that real income is actually lower now than it was ten years ago.
2. More of the income of families is having to go to pay for essentials. The worst predictions show that, spending on these items has risen by 60%. This leaves people with far less to spend on “extras”.
3. Standards of literacy and numeracy for school leavers in Britain are amongst the lowest in the developed world. Older people who are leaving the work force are apparently better educated than the youngsters who are replacing them.
This has nothing to do with the amount of money spent on education. The author cites widening levels of social inequality between aspiring professional parents and others as the main cause.
4. The health of the nation is also of growing concern. Obesity, female life expectancy and child mortality rates in Britain are among the worst in Europe. Again this has nothing to do with the amount of money spent on health care. Rather it is the effect of a poor start to life for too many.
The article concludes that Britain is living on borrowed time and only drastic action will address these issues. Now I ask my neighbours, “do you still hanker after returning to Britain?”
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