leicsmac

Can totally understand the feeling after having that kind of experience. I think that is a failure of direction and resources, rather than possibility, though. Even though it's pretty easy to have a lack of faith in things changing to what they need to be for enough people who need it after an experience like that.

The one where a single species is empirically shown to be causing an extinction event to rival any in its history, simply because they are so beholden to the idea of short term self interest that they've baked it into their social and political systems, presumably. No, it's not.

It's a bloody difficult thing to not let the personal be conflated with the important every time and goodness knows I can't criticise anyone for having a single issue focus, but at the end of the day such rationality has to win through or there will be much, much fewer chances for private education - and much less of everything else - for everyone. In this case, the problem clearly lies with the state school system not having the resources, rather than the private school having them. That needs to be the focus.

Yeah, exactly. Either you fully fund a functioning society or you don't; half measures aren't going to get you anywhere. From the point of view of increasing inequality leading to increased instability leading to increased death and suffering caused by action or inaction, this is spot on.

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets, inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?" - Plato, 4th Century BC

That's an incredibly loaded debate on which everyone has a differing opinion. I'd agree from the point of view that there has been a certain agreement on policies from both major parties right from when Thatcher was in charge through to today, and now people are starting to reject that, for one end of the ideas spectrum or the other.

So runs the theory, I'm not sure the practice is holding up there right now.

WRT taxation, again the current ideas are neither one thing nor the other and that really doesn't help. Either levy the richest 1% with a massive rise to fund public services and cop their caterwauling about it in the press, or lower thresholds and let the market decide who lives or dies American-style (if someone has the self-interest and lack of conscience to know that is happening and be OK with it). Either way, pick a lane, whether Scandinavian or US/Somalia, and pick the right targets rather than the halfway house that exists now.

In the last half century since the "post-war consesus" was abandoned, a Conservative government has been running things for practically double the time that a Labour one has. I mean, if we're looking at responsibility based on the length of time having the power to set and apply policy...

Zoo Hypothesis taken to its logical conclusion!

Ha, yes. Carrying out these long term projects requires at least a plurality of your populace to stay onside. Either you do the through building and establishing systemic trust regardless of who is in charge at any one time (like in the Scandics), or you do it through enforcement (like the Chinese). The UK is doing neither one nor the other.

Which IMO represents a flaw both on the part of the governments and also on the people electing them. It's unfortunate that they have been attached to some rather...unsavoury activity in the past which has an effect on the association, because it would be nice to see more on particular occasions as is often seen in other places with their flags. I get the feeling this level of animosity is somewhat personal...?

It's likely not going to matter either way in terms of their success level, but naturally.

Tangentially related to current discussion: This will likely end up being the Chinese century - everyone else will just be living in it. And that will be because they're better at conceiving and applying long term plans than most other places.

On the general topic at large now, one that bears a repost IMO:

Fair, that's the conclusion I'd draw as well. However, I'm not sure any of the current viable solutions being presented to resolve those trust issues are really good, or even acceptable. Which leaves everything rather in the shit either way.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-anti-american-views-immigration-benefits/ ... better be careful about those social media posts if you want to see England play in the 2026 WC, folks.

The entitlement of Americans for Scandinavian level public services. ... and then one begins to wonder exactly where that distrust originates, and for what purpose.

As much as this may be true, it's either keep pushing for a change away from that paradigm or give up and be at least in part responsible for the consequences that ensue for everyone, present and future.

Well, it's that or massive social inequality Blade Runner/The Expanse, and/or societal collapse.

Media (traditional and social) stirring up theoretical scenarios for actual outrage to suit their own purpose? Colour me utterly shocked.

Do tidy away that strawman before someone lights a match, mon ami Edit: If there are better viable alternatives that exist right now, I'd very much like to hear what they are and why.

With the difference being that there are actually better alternatives going forward for LCFC, rather than all of the viable ones being demonstrably worse as is in the case of the UK.

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/8/19/dont-worry-village-the-young-s-koreans-who-left-seoul-seeking-community Interesting piece on working culture and how it contributes to burnout/loneliness in any place. Also I can see the attraction of a place like Mokpo of you wanted to get away from the high stress life in Seoul, even though almost everything important happens there. It's similar to the UK being so London-centric, though London perhaps isn't quite so hectic and stressful.

As someone else said, he was born 3-0 up and then was taught that he'd scored a hat trick. But it's the sentiment that he's tapping into and giving strength to, that is the real problem. He's the catalyst, and it's the reaction that he's fuelling that must be neutralised.