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Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

economist.com

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Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#21

Post by tailspin2019 »

krysp wrote: post #9

As a Brit I can't help but notice that on every axis, our country appears to be in decline at the moment. Even before Brexit, things hadn't been going well, as this article shows. It's making me seriously consider moving away. I want to have hope that as a country we can turn around this societal regression, but I fear it's a deeper problem than just the current government. The class system and an unhealthy nostalgia…

As another Brit I totally agree.

I don’t quite understand the sequence of events that brought us here, but I am convinced that we need to kick the Conservatives out at the next election at the very least.

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#22

Post by somewhereoutth »

epicureanideal wrote: post #16
actuator wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure how in a totally integrated free market world, a country like UK can compete with US or China. The amount of funding US can put into new areas like green energy and the internal market and capital it offers is something UK can't compete with. This is why UK origin founders are one of the biggest cohort of immigrant unicorn founders in US. Although, I am not sure where a Brit would move to, if they want…

Taiwan, South Korea, and Israel all have much lower populations than the UK and yet remain important global influencers. It isn't all about population. The USA has 1/4 the population of China and yet technologically is a peer competitor. Japan had less than 1/2 the population of the USA in the 1980s and was a technological peer competitor. With wise investment in capital equipment, education, and technology, even sma…

To be honest it is all about population. Industrial/technological first mover advantage has now gone really. You need the concentration of talent that only drawing from a very large pool can achieve. US, EU, China are the 3 poles at the moment - with Africa and South America as potential for the future if they can get their governance sorted out.

The UK stopped being a global power after Suez - not for nothing is Brexit known as 'Suez for slow learners'

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#23

Post by actuator »

epicureanideal wrote: post #16
actuator wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure how in a totally integrated free market world, a country like UK can compete with US or China. The amount of funding US can put into new areas like green energy and the internal market and capital it offers is something UK can't compete with. This is why UK origin founders are one of the biggest cohort of immigrant unicorn founders in US. Although, I am not sure where a Brit would move to, if they want…

Taiwan, South Korea, and Israel all have much lower populations than the UK and yet remain important global influencers. It isn't all about population. The USA has 1/4 the population of China and yet technologically is a peer competitor. Japan had less than 1/2 the population of the USA in the 1980s and was a technological peer competitor. With wise investment in capital equipment, education, and technology, even sma…

Israel has an existential threat next door and the region where they have to exist and their past drives them to have real ingenuity in innovation.

Taiwan and South Korea are modelled after Japan like obedience to authority and way higher tolerance for tough work conditions than a western European nation. Is it realistic to assume that a Brit would work 12 hours in a job?

I am not trying to say UK lacks the talent to do it, it absolutely does have the talent and historical pride to do it, but as a nation it is too distracted and bogged down by social chimeras to be like South Korea/Taiwan.

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#24

Post by NegativeLatency »

krysp wrote: post #9

As a Brit I can't help but notice that on every axis, our country appears to be in decline at the moment. Even before Brexit, things hadn't been going well, as this article shows. It's making me seriously consider moving away. I want to have hope that as a country we can turn around this societal regression, but I fear it's a deeper problem than just the current government. The class system and an unhealthy nostalgia…

FWIW As a US citizen I feel similarly. The switching cost feels too high to move, as I can't really see myself living somewhere other than the West Coast (family, friends etc)

It's a shame humans don't have more empathy and sympathy for each other, and that governments have been so obviously co-opted by the wealthy and powerful for their own benefit.

One of the things that does make me feel better is being more involved in my neighborhood and local politics, where occasionally things you do can have a real impact. (For example I got a stop sign installed on my street, people still speed but usually they'll stop at it, making the neighborhood a tiny bit safer)

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#25

Post by krona »

krysp wrote: post #9

As a Brit I can't help but notice that on every axis, our country appears to be in decline at the moment. Even before Brexit, things hadn't been going well, as this article shows. It's making me seriously consider moving away. I want to have hope that as a country we can turn around this societal regression, but I fear it's a deeper problem than just the current government. The class system and an unhealthy nostalgia…

> unhealthy nostalgia for when we were more important in the world seem to be holding us back.

Surely when things are in decline, the more nostalgic one becomes, and the less willing one is to let go of things that clearly aren't working.

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#26

Post by twic »

krysp wrote: post #9

As a Brit I can't help but notice that on every axis, our country appears to be in decline at the moment. Even before Brexit, things hadn't been going well, as this article shows. It's making me seriously consider moving away. I want to have hope that as a country we can turn around this societal regression, but I fear it's a deeper problem than just the current government. The class system and an unhealthy nostalgia…

Plus a largely broken press which can't or won't tackle most of what's really going on.

See Simon Wren Lewis's war against "media macro": https://mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2023/02/fiscal-reporting-at...

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#27

Post by wyager »

krysp wrote: post #9

As a Brit I can't help but notice that on every axis, our country appears to be in decline at the moment. Even before Brexit, things hadn't been going well, as this article shows. It's making me seriously consider moving away. I want to have hope that as a country we can turn around this societal regression, but I fear it's a deeper problem than just the current government. The class system and an unhealthy nostalgia…

> I can't help but notice that on every axis, our country appears to be in decline at the moment.

> an unhealthy nostalgia for when we were more important in the world

Really? Are you not seeing the connection there?

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#28

Post by freitzkriesler2 »

0xDEF wrote: post #3

Strange that the article doesn't mention Brexit. Many nurses (and doctors) in the UK used to be from EU countries.

Not really, the UK government lowered the bar for work visas significantly post Brexit and the NHS is on the approved sponsors list. Anyone who would have been affected was given a visa.

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#29

Post by actuator »

sefrost wrote: post #17
actuator wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure how in a totally integrated free market world, a country like UK can compete with US or China. The amount of funding US can put into new areas like green energy and the internal market and capital it offers is something UK can't compete with. This is why UK origin founders are one of the biggest cohort of immigrant unicorn founders in US. Although, I am not sure where a Brit would move to, if they want…

> This is why UK origin founders are one of the biggest cohort of immigrant unicorn founders in US. Is this true? Would love to read about it as a Brit in North America!

https://static.toiimg.com/photo/msid-93150486/93150486.jpg

Re: Why did 250k Britons die sooner than expected?

#30

Post by 6510 »

actuator wrote: post #12
krysp wrote: post #9

As a Brit I can't help but notice that on every axis, our country appears to be in decline at the moment. Even before Brexit, things hadn't been going well, as this article shows. It's making me seriously consider moving away. I want to have hope that as a country we can turn around this societal regression, but I fear it's a deeper problem than just the current government. The class system and an unhealthy nostalgia…

I am not sure how in a totally integrated free market world, a country like UK can compete with US or China. The amount of funding US can put into new areas like green energy and the internal market and capital it offers is something UK can't compete with. This is why UK origin founders are one of the biggest cohort of immigrant unicorn founders in US. Although, I am not sure where a Brit would move to, if they want…

You pick one thing (or a few) and do it well.

Agricultural exports (billions): US $134.8, Brazil $87.2, Netherlands $81.3, China $72.7

Population (millions): US 331.9, Brazil 214.3, Netherlands 17.5, China 1412

Size (km²) US 9834000, Brazil 8516000, Netherlands 41850, China 9597000

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