Great Britain, The British Isles, The United Kingdom, all descriptions of four countries integrated into one island.
And fifty years ago, this beautiful island was respected all around the world for so many reasons;
The NHS, a medical service available to everyone, and free at the point of care.
Education, we were in the top five educators in the world.
Science, Manufacturing, Research & Development, Business, Hospitality, Tourism and many other areas in which we were the envy of the world.
So what has happened during the last fifty years that has brought this country to its’ knees?
To start with the most recent, the creation of the ‘Woke Brigade’ has caused an enormous change in terms of how society deals with its’ issues. People are now extremely wary of challenging anything involving racism, sexism and the LGBTQ+ community, and as a result there is an underlying feeling that ‘normal’ is becoming the ‘abnormal’.
In terms of being ‘Broke’, where to start?
The national debt is recorded as just short of £2.5 Trillion for the year 2023/24.
The NHS with a waiting list for surgeries of around 7.5 million is failing the millions of patients who are waiting for long periods of time for treatment. And in A & E you can expect to wait a minimum of 12 hours to see a doctor for a matter of minutes. Add to that a wait of several weeks to see your GP, months to get help with mental health issues, and no appointments at NHS dentists.
Doctors and nurses are leaving the NHS in droves and going abroad to work because the pay and conditions are far superior to the UK. And who can blame them?
Social care is in crisis due to staff shortages, creating even more problems for the hospitals because they cannot discharge elderly patients without a ‘care’ package in place, if needed.
This situation known as ‘bed blocking’ has been getting worse over the past few years and yet the current government has failed to find a solution, or ay least try to do something about it.
Many schools and hospitals have been identified as not only having structural issues, but on top of that there is a massive shortage of teachers. And sadly the ‘good’ teachers are so frustrated by their poor pay and conditions that they are giving up teaching in favour of a new career in a less stressful working environment.
And as for the police; having had their numbers cut dramatically, they are unable to do the job they signed up for because simply there are not enough of them, and they do not have the resources to handle the levels of crime, particularly in the cities.
And labelling the UK as a ‘joke’ right now seems mild when we consider the cause of all of the above issues and more.
In a word ‘IMMIGRATION’.
The population of the UK is currently just under 68 million; 100 years ago (1924) it was 20 million. So it’s easy to see how the dramatic increase in the population, an average of 480,000 per year, has impacted on the the infrastructure of the UK.
When Aneurin Bevan, Minister of Health started the NHS on 5th July 1948, the then population was 43 million, so it is now trying to deal with an additional 25 million people.
And although medical science has vastly improved the care and treatment of patients, the infrastructure of the NHS has failed to expand to accommodate the increased numbers.
It seems obvious when you think about it, but not to the politicians, who over the past number of years have simply thrown more and more money at the NHS, to no avail.
When what it really needs is completely restructuring, and in my view, would not be a complicated operation.
Firstly, reduce the layers of management to an absolute minimum; millions saved in salaries. Put doctors in key positions making medical and management decisions for which they are trained.
Secondly, go back to training nurses on the wards, they don’t need to go to university to learn nursing skills, and more importantly how to care!
Finally, create a government department which is wholly responsible for the purchasing and distribution of all NHS equipment. It would make massive savings.
The increased population has also caused a major problem in housing. Currently it is said we need to build one and a half million homes to improve the housing shortage. Every citizen is entitled to a roof over their heads, but in the UK today, we have many people, including our veterans and the homeless living on the streets, and thousands more in ‘temporary’ accommodation. In 2024 it is simply shameful and unacceptable.
So how can any of these issues be resolved?
‘CONTROLLED IMMIGRATION’
We can carry on with our heads in the sand, pretending there is no issue, but there is, and we have to have strict controls on immigration, as do so many other countries around the world.
It is okay to claim to be a ‘multi-cultural’ society, but the truth is if we don’t take control of our borders now, all those who have risked their lives to come here in small boats, will be doing so to leave again, because the utopian dream will have become a nightmare, not only for them, but for the indigenous population too.
If action is taken now it will eventually ease the pressure on all of the above areas, but if we choose to ignore it and continue to allow more and more people in, Great Britain will itself become a ‘third world country’, like the ones so many migrants are running from, and ultimately beholden to those countries on whom we have now come to depend for our goods and services.
‘Til next time
Granny Flapjax
GRANNY FLAPJAX 