How deep in crisis is Britain? This Tory heartland knows the answer | Anywhere but Westminster

As an outsider I was really shocked to learn that in the UK a landlord can just up the rent for the tenants at will! My rent here in Munich did not go up one cent. Also, there is nothing like a "bedroom" tax here. The system in the UK seems just horrible for average people.

You cannot solve a problem if you refuse to acknowledge its causes

Watching both the US and UK self-destruct has been a total nightmare. People are so easily manipulated by evil politicians.

In 2016, after living in Britain for 1 year (I'm Dutch), I visited a village in Somerset one day, and walked through the main shopping street. Many shops were closed, some of the windows were broken, empty bottles rolled over the pavement in the wind, and young families walked by, arguing, with a toddler in the buggy, a bag of sweets in its hands, Mom behind it, with Dad next to his wife, whose body was twice the size of his. She was the loudest of the two, he walked like a beaten dog. Homeless people were sitting on porches. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I was in a warzone, or as if I walked on a film set of it.

I came across this simple explanation of tory politicians, which I copy here. :- A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted: "'Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am". The man below replied "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude". "You must be a technician." said the balloonist. "I am" replied the man "how did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you have told me is probably technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information and the fact is, I'm still lost.... Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip with your talk." The man below responded, "You must be a Tory politician". "I am" replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?" "Well," said the man "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault!!! ................................................................ Sadly, it fits very well with today's tories.

The fact that food banks are now normalised is a stain on us all

I saw a homeless person in a doorway. I thought I would like to help him. So I travelled to the most affluent part of the town, searched for the largest mansion with the nicest gardens and popped a few hundred pounds through the letterbox. That money should trickle down to help the homeless person I saw earlier. This is Tory policy.

It's hard to predict the future until we see this month’s inflation results. However, historical data consistently show that stocks tend to outperform bonds in the long term. Therefore, I'm staying in the market and focusing on selecting high-quality stocks. The challenge lies in identifying these stocks.

"You're having to count every penny, what do you do?" "I'm an accountant" 😂😂

12 years of Tory rule is a horrifying thing

I had never heard of the "bedroom tax" before (not from the UK). I looked it up and couldn't believe what I was reading. That is the most absurd, backwards measure I've ever seen!

When I was in the UK in 2017, I was surprised how many homeless people I saw on the streets (London). I'd just come from Canada where there were also masses of homeless people (Vancouver). As a Yank, I always assumed we had the corner on that market. It's clear to me now that the middle class is being wiped out everywhere. You've got your rich and your poor, and that's that.

'In England, people are just talking. They don't make any changes.' The man summed up our current situation perfectly. I do wonder if this had been France or Germany, would the people have been so flaccid and spineless in their response? We just endure injustice to extremes and never strike back.

The only people in this country not left behind are the multi-millionaires and billionaires.

The real problem is career politicians who have no benevolent vocation just personal ambition.

I came back to the UK in mid-2020 as I took an offer of fully scholarship-funded PhD in England and since I moved back, I came across endless issues (bureaucratic, administrative, logistical, even social to the extend), even so, I was living continously in the UK before for over a decade and has a resident status. I was so disappointed, despondent and anxious with what I observed. Level of poverty, crime and general helplessness was staggering - post-Brexit reality hit hard with empty shelves and rising prices of goods/services as "replacement" of immigrants was not that easy as many pro-Brexiters believed, pandemic took another toll on society and business, finally, with war in Ukraine came realisation that business/money brought by Russian oligarchs destabilised huge GB economy, making average live of Brits, unsustainable. A few weeks ago, I decided that I no longer feel comfortable and safe to stay and continue my work with the university. Costs of living went up and scholarship remain painfully low (30 gbp more than lowest national average in 2019!) with growing responsibilities and expectations that doesn't seem to correspond with potential benefits of making such professional and personal sacrifices. I decided to withdrawn and take position back in the EU. As much as it saddened me (as being a doctor was my long-lived dream), I felt that I have to be responsible for my future and stability. That's no longer something that I feel I can achieve back in the UK.

That chip shop owner is so spot on 'What have we done in the last few months to solve this madness?.... Nothing' The government is all talk and zero action

Pm is richer than the monarch. This is the most out of touch parliament has EVER been

I am aware that continuing to invest during periods of volatility can be a smart way to build wealth. I’ve heard testimonies of people accruing over 550k in this red period. What measures can I take to achieve this?

Glad to see another ep in this series! I got so much out of watching Anywhere But Westminster a few years ago. Thank you!