When will Britain feel the benefit of a Labour government? | Andrew Marr | The New Statesman

[@johnnevada46]

I moved to Spain 35 years ago. I left a rich nation to live in a poorer - but sunnier - nation. But now, when I visit friends and family in England, I feel like I am entering a poorer, but more expensive, nation. How things have changed!

[@drew699]

UK GDP per capita is still significantly higher than Spain.

[@Mpl3564]

@@drew699 Yet inequality (measeured by the Gini coeficient) is higher and social services such as healthcare are often worse. No wonder that people may have the feeling that Britain is poorer, even it that's not statistically accurate.

[@johnnevada46]

@@drew699 You are right. However, large Spanish cities and practically all of the coastal areas, Madrid, and NE Spain feel richer and more secure than Britain in so many ways.

[@GeorgeHargrave-w4n]

It wouldn't be if tou take London out of the mix!​@@drew699

[@thegeneral123]

Yes, 14 years of Tory rot and Brexit will do that.

[@clb303]

I think something of note is how shockingly bad the mental health services in this country can be. We see absolutely shocking examples of people falling through the net and ending in disaster constantly. I'm surprised it didn't get a mention.

[@fleurtaylor7311]

14 years worth of cuts. Closed hospital institutions before the pandemic. Many parties have ignored those with mental health issues. Police are not trained to deal with people with mental health. Often treated with contempt.

[@Wolfloid]

They are bad, but don’t think it is so much better elsewhere. Try to mental health help in Germany.

[@asherbroadbent9959]

But mental health services are relatively new. They have only gotten better in the grand scheme of things so the idea that mental health is suddenly an issue is more people looking for a problem. We are more soft. Tell someone that mental health is a reason to be off work and people will use that as a reason as to why they cannot work.

[@deelawdazhahs1078]

working is not worth it for many young people, rents are too high and the UK has an acute Feudal problem with barely any housing going around. It takes away upto 60% of someone's income, add bills and there is barely anything left to even eat...easy for younger people to conclude that working isnt worth it in low paid, low productivity Britain.

[@osmonddsilva1577]

Add University bill of £ 30,000

[@susannewton3757]

I bought my first house in the 1970s, after all my expenses(food, utilities etc)I had £3 a month spare. I worked in pub 2 nights a week to help finances, sat in dark some nights and cried when someone gave me an old tv and I had to buy a license. Times were different then. I knew it would get better but it was hard going at first. I feel sorry for young people now, there’s so much to spend their money on.

[@MCDONALD6969]

So do young people expect tax payers to pay for them? No wonder no one wants to set up business in a work shy nation.

[@tropicaltrev1617]

@@susannewton3757with all due respect but you can’t compare what you went through to what the youth of today are going through. You lived through Thatcher’s right to buy scheme for example which propelled many people out of poverty, which in turn helped to put more families kids in Universities . Parents were able to get their children on the property ladder by helping out with deposits which for obvious reasons isn’t happening to the same extent now. While there will always be a section of society that will always try the easy route, we need to be much more understanding of a generation that will lead our country in the future.

[@susannewton3757]

@ I do understand what you’re saying but it does seem to me too easy to say things are different now, of course they are but I came from a poor background and had to work, my parents couldn’t afford to keep me. I don’t remember anyone I knew not working, parents would simply not have allowed it. Also getting dole was no easy option and it wasn’t spending money, it was for your keep.

[@andrewnorth4857]

Give young people a REASON to work. This country has invested nothing for them in half a century. While pensioners have been enjoying the triple lock, young people have been triple-gunned - university debt, low salaries and unaffordable housing. It's little wonder they - and the working population in general - are failing to function.

[@NTL578]

Of course it's not good, but how come other countries young don't suffer? We're soft, just admit it. It's something I had to admit to myself at one point also.

[@jamespeters2859]

Wow, well put!

[@tonyb9735]

@@NTL578 "We're soft, just admit it." I wouldn't go that far, but we don't seem to have the same work ethic as, say, the Polish.

[@NTL578]

@@tonyb9735 We don't have the same work ethic that even most Western countries have.

[@tonyb9735]

@@NTL578 "We don't have the same work ethic that even most Western countries have." I don't think that's entirely true. I can only speak from my own experience, but most people I know work pretty hard, including many of the young people in my life who are trying very hard to make careers for their future.

[@tusken2305]

I personally feel that the Cameron government and it's atrocious austerity policy, it's manifest failures on immigration, Europe, and defence is probably the single most important reason that Britain is in such a mess !

[@limyrob1383]

Is Cameron austerity different to Labour austerity? It feels the same to me.

[@MrKarlyboy]

I would go further and go back to Tony Blair, the ECHR, devolution and spaffing up government then trying to look good giving the UK's taxes away without investing properly.

[@MIEJ4]

@@limyrob1383 where’s the Labour austerity you speak of?

[@Martin-qm2lg]

There’s limited resources available, economy is weak and not growing, and spending pressures too much. People must all work. Military spending is priority, not healthcare and welfare. There’s too much wrong policy.

[@bennewnham4497]

I won't have that....there is a far far wider pool of the guilty taking in Blair, Brown and Cameron

[@alejandro_mery]

I wonder how much is neoliberalism to blame for the social decline and spiking inequality of the last decades on developed countries

[@EarlofSalop]

The selling out of the working class in developed nations by executives in the search for short term growth which is causing long term decline is an alarmingly important matter!

[@blackroseangel123]

All of it

[@Grandude77]

Neoliberal/laissez faire capitalism is the root cause. These shitlibs at NS are blind to this, they are fully blue filled There Is No Alternative thatcherites. Pray for some trickledown.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@EarlofSalop Welcome to the new American Empire starting 2025. The old one tried to cover its actions in morality and democracy - “the fight for freedom”. Now the USA will openly conquer who its wants to and impose its will on whomever it chooses. If you don’t believe me Google Project 2025.

[@rickatatastan2695]

I asked AI to tell me if Thatcher's policies had benefitted the ordinary citizen using RIGHT WING sources, and it said no.

[@jonathancorbyn8203]

The decline is permanent. The U.K. is a poor country with a few rich people. Our per capita purchasing power used to be roughly equal to that of the U.S. in 2001. Now, the average American is so much wealthier than the average Britain, it's tragic.

[@KenPassey-hd2mc]

Before COVID there were 78 billionaires domiciled In this country. Today that number is 168 ! I wonder why that is. 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@Deranged316]

You’re right, but the US is the same tbh, some extremely rich people, but also some very poor people, loads of countries are realistically

[@georgelonghurst2672]

wrong... its 2010. also france and germany are in the same boat

[@rickatatastan2695]

There's an easy and existing solution. It's called Taxation. Our aristocrats aren't moving to Monaco, and they certainly aren't taking 1 million acres of land with them. There is plenty of money to go around, it's just not going around!

[@ehilton96]

@jonathancorbyn8203 Not sure the very comfortable and affluent middle class would agree with you.

[@vietashroffoliver2521]

The gap between the haves and the have nots is growing exponentially each year. The government has forgotten that they're supposed to serve us not rule over us.

[@williamman900]

It's an oligarchy

[@george-broughton]

I'm not speaking for everyone on benefits when i say this, and i personally refused benefits when it became an option for me. The problem we face when it comes to sickness benefit takers is the fact our NHS has 10+ year long waiting lists for mental health treatment because it is disastrously under-funded. It isn't like going to your GP and getting pills and being right as rain in 2 weeks. I'll be 39 by the time I get treatment for a condition that was discovered when I was 26 years old. I have receipts! If you want me to scan the letter I got from the NHS in November this year and present it to you, I can and will.

[@williamman900]

That sucks, is there no solution? Can you consult a doctor overseas online & use those prescriptions or something?

[@george-broughton]

The only real solution I've found is to leave, since importing of medication is generally illegal from what I've researched.

[@Youtubechannel-po8cz]

When the Government takes more and more from the productive private sector and hands it to the unproductive public sector the economy flatlines. The only way to make the economy bigger is through private enterprise.

[@Paul-eb2cl]

Stop blaming people. The solution is to create meaningful jobs paying a wage that allows people to cover at least the first four levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

[@jamespeters2859]

Wow, one can attach a video to a reply. Didn’t know that. Cool.

[@gammondinosaur3411]

I'm desperate to work but can i find work? Nope. Why? Because i'm 65. The problem isn't solely layabouts on the dole. Employers have a lot to answer for.

[@petekadenz9465]

We live in a deeply ageist society.

[@rickatatastan2695]

Employers are horrible.

[@stormytempest6521]

Spot on.

[@petertodd-fh5sb]

Your right I suppose I was lucky been a wagon driver I'm 71 now still delivering for a big supermarket.only work 2 days a week but my wife gets her pension in December so will call it a day you can't work for ever . plus I was away a lot so need to spend more time with my wife and 9 grand children

[@killafx4726]

I'm 22 and hard agree with you, my friend.

[@andrewhodgkins2292]

After14 years of tory misrule we may have to wait a little longer than 6 months for results.

[@williamman900]

Labor's not gonna achieve anything, even for public sector unions who are their oldest backers they barely approved a pay rise that covers inflation. How will they deliver for the masses at large.

[@Dayrile123]

It's quite striking that the absolutely dire state of mental health services wasn't even mentioned in this conversation. Sure, lots of people are claiming benefits because they can't work, but that's predominantly because they can't get treated properly atm. The only treatment that seems to be available is basically antidepressants and CBT.

[@sirlancenotalot2765]

I would argue that isn’t predominantly because people can’t get the right treatment for their issues, it’s because it’s a simple form filling exercise and then they don’t have to work or worry about taking responsibility for their own lives. I grew up on a council estate, and most people (who work like me) and grew up on council estates will agree with my statement as we see it first hand. Most people with your opinion are a million miles away from the actual people who live on career benefits so are more sympathetic. Sickness benefits need to exist but it shouldn’t be so easy to get it and there should be more astute and regular reviews of those subscribed to it.

[@davidvestey6014]

You’re right about the 2008 financial crisis. No bankers were punished, most seem to have received their bonuses but the reaper of us got austerity and Brexit.

[@fionnaighhessey131]

Not Brexit FFS you seen what going on in Germany and France?

[@rickatatastan2695]

This is only part of it. A potted history for those interested; 1. Bankers moved investment money from The West to China (offshoring/outsourcing). 2. Which meant people couldn't afford mortgages anymore, but banks had hidden the problem in CDOs, ETFs etc. 3. Subprime Banking Crisis/Great Recession. 4. Bankers were not punished. 5. Experts were perceived as inept morons. 6. Ordinary people/govts picked up the tab. 7. People were angry about those things. 8. .. and voted for populists like Trump/Farage. 9. .. with a mandate to tear down establishment because it didn't work for the people.

[@tonyb9735]

@@rickatatastan2695 "... with a mandate to tear down establishment because it didn't work for the people." ... which is a something of a shame, because these populists never had any "intention of working for the people". They simply lied to win votes and got their billionaire mates in the media to repeat those lies over and over until "the people" believed them, but it is clear to any thinking person that the populists only ever intended to further enrich the already wealthy - at the expense of the people.

[@davidpiper3652]

They never were Boris Bikes, the scheme was Ken Livingstone's idea.

[@Pobotrol]

Which proves their point even moreso.

[@nicksimmons7234]

Proves how bad our journalists are. Boris buses are a thing and they’re not fix for purpose. Says it all.

[@hamsticklehq]

It must be very easy for these wealthy individuals sat in their warm buildings wearing their warm clothes talking about poor disabled people.

[@am3ient]

The difficulties for someone with chronic illness and disability in being able to sustain work is what makes it so hard. He's basically implying it's some feckless lifestyle choice.

[@Wolfloid]

Sometimes it is.

[@am3ient]

@ And sometimes people dodge tax, that doesn’t make everyone a tax dodger.

[@ArtSmart91]

0:52 I’m an experienced teacher who’s worked in education for 10 years and I can tell you now the teachers aren’t coming. Very lazy journalism from Andrew Marr

[@pauldavies7251]

He rea6is a left wing muppet, these people don't live in the real world, He's on 300k a year & thinks he can tell normal people where they're going wrong 🤦‍♂️ The country is a complete mess, I work in construction & we have a huge short of tradesman but nobody leaving school wants to join the tradesman I dread to think where we'll be in 10yrs time,

[@peterteagleteagle9958]

Why would you want to be a teacher ,when some spotly little Herbert could get you the sack ,when you call him a boy,and he wants to called something else

[@mikehamnett9336]

Dog whistle journalism at its worst. Do these shills want doctors, nurses, police, teachers to forego training in order to bring numbers down?

[@jeremymanson1781]

The are well over 640,000 teachers working in the UK. To aim to increase this number by 1 percent over five years is very very unambitious.

[@rickatatastan2695]

@@pauldavies7251 He's *so* left wing he always started his TV show with 10 minutes trawling through the right-wing papers.

[@AllSeerAugustus]

Fixing our nation will take time. The medicine we need will be extremely bitter, almost like weening us off an addiction to decline. We need to be patient, get active in your community and be a part of making the changes we need instead of sitting and complaining about the government all the time

[@kevinduffin4665]

Ii agree but we need to make stop people milking the systerm and they will always be a small minority that do this

[@MCDONALD6969]

You guys should listen to yourselves. All labour do is tax & spend other people's money. If you voted Labour I have no sympathy. Enjoy your "medicine" I call it just being poorer.

[@garybradley2171]

@@MCDONALD6969isn’t that exactly what people voted for… improved public services?

[@anonnymous4684]

@@MCDONALD6969 And your vote went to.......?

[@MCDONALD6969]

@@garybradley2171 so people are happy to be worse off & potentially lose their jobs given 100k jobs are potentially at risk for "public services"? Seriously!?

[@hiddencornersofnorthyorkshire.]

Some of these reforms will take time. And short termism has been the norm with the Tories. It’s early days. Hold your nerve and don’t be sidetracked.

[@pleasepermitmetospeakohgre1504]

It doesn't take an economist to know that this budget has been very poorly thought out. Only next year will we begin to feel that.

[@discostoo]

I left Uni with an MSc in Maths 2 years ago. There is a massive disconnect between employers expectations and their pay structures. The majority of roles are either elite closed shops or bullshit non-jobs. I was signed off after 6 months of trying and I'm idling the days away on esa instead.

[@DevonPixie1991]

In January-March I was signed off for 7 weeks with mental health issues. I went to my GP asking for support to get back to work. I was told that because I’m autistic, have ADHD, and other mental illnesses that it would be unwise for me to work. I changed GP and got support to return to work. Then in May took the decision to return near enough full time to the office. Arguably the best decision I made for my mental health. My social skills have come back to near pre Covid levels, my physical health was improving until I go and tear a ligament in my ankle 😫 but even at its worst I still took the decision to go into the office everyday. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by higher ups. Even my boss has noticed. I chose to give up a sport I love to prevent me having more sick as there’s a chance I’ll need surgery on my ankle at some point

[@56NeilWatson]

Well done

[@DevonPixie1991]

I look back and think “I could have easily become one of those on long term sick.” It is only because of me changing GP that it didn’t happen. I did have to explain the change in GP on my fit note to HR but to be fair it benefited them as much as me to change GP

[@ladygardener100]

I had mental health issues, i was getting £77 sickness but then was reassessed as no benefit. This was a tck box exam by a non medical person. So my GP said i was not fit to work. But the govt said i should not get any money. I asked for help and was sent to some female in a white coat who presented me with a twenty question paper. All this sent me in to a spiral of tears. Made me worse.🎉

[@andrewnorth4857]

Nicely done you! Work is good, provided it pays properly and suits your skills. I admire what you have done.

[@NTL578]

Good on you.

[@msclrhd]

There's also the challenge of getting a job after university. A lot of tech jobs specifically have a 1-2 year minimum experience -- that's in work experience, not hobby experience. As such, it can take a long time to find a job. Especially where the tech jobs are also specialized in different areas (games, finance, web, linux, windows, etc.) that you may not have or be interested in career wise. Job Seeker's Allowance now is pushing people to go for a lot of interviews per week (not just applying for a job). If you don't, they will force you to apply for jobs outside your qualifications, e.g. stacking shelves. Those jobs are needed, but don't help you get a tech job or other job you are qualified for. As such, when I applied for my second job I chose to forgo JSA and applied specifically for tech jobs.

[@andrewclimo5709]

I agree with your analysis of the medicalisatiin of long term sickness. However, the worsening health of Britain is, at least partly, a consequence of the Hunt-Osborne savaging of routine NHS treatments. If we want people off sickness benefit and out of hospital we need to restart knee and hip operations, arthritis treatment, back pain treatment, and mental health support. Crucially, we need to address the issue that for many people there is no one to turn to. The disintegration and deintegration of health services should not be ignored in this.

[@SmithyD86]

I agree. But every time we try and raise the money for this to combat the hangover of austerity, the government gets kicked by everyone: business, farmers, private schools, pensioners. I mean honestly, where can we get the money from to improve our lives without ending up with a "Starmer out" poll with 3 million signatures every time? People just don't understand what's happened, and what's now happening as a consequence. I'm struggling with the British public at the moment, I feel so disconnected from a lot of my fellow Brits.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

@@SmithyD86 I have the exact same issue - it feels like the British public asks for mutually exclusive things, then cries betrayal when those things don't happen. The other thing is the endless obsession with gaffs and bad PR - I don't actually care if a politician does something embarrassing. Or even hypocritical (obviously corruption is bad and the law should be applied evenly, but I truly IDGAF if IDK, they make a cringey statement or make a slip up). I'm not just saying this as a Labour supporter either, while the Tories weren't great, 90% of 'bad news stories' were just...nothing. Like Rishi Sunak going to see the Barbie movie with his kids was news for some reason. That all being said, Starmer and Reeves never should have promised not to raise income tax or vat (or a few others). If you tot up all the taxes they promised not to raise, it added up to like 80% of government income. Doing that meant that taxes that were raised had to be wacked up by a more destabilising amount than they otherwise would have.

[@carrias1]

I’ve taken multiple years off during my education, and was repeatedly advised by doctors that education or work wouldn’t be achievable for me. I’ve never claimed sickness benefits because of the horror stories I kept hearing, and because I could be supported by family instead. The problem isn’t that the benefits are too attractive, they’re not; covid was traumatic and affected people physically, and the world is both stressful and hopeless. We also have a mental health system that is literally worse than useless for many people, and an NHS that leaves people on waiting lists who could be returned to work by treatment.

[@Sam-jk8ec]

You make an excellent point about Covid - I'd also add the financial crisis and rapacious casualizing of labour and hyper-competitiveness and bureaucratization through digital means - we've known for a long time that physical health is decimated by chronic stress and poor environment for human flourishing.

[@carrias1]

@ agreed, to the point where public health seems to have been deliberately sabotaged. People need free time, consistent heating and eating, exercise, sociability, care, and the kind of stories that allow them to chill out - all things which are systematically made less accessible in the name of profit.

[@karlclark8625]

Although I'm a fan of Andrew Mar, I was disappointed with the following statement "more than a third of the entire working population DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS HAVING A LONG TERM HEALTH CONDITION". What underscores me as having a long-term health condition is that I suffer from three different forms of arthritis, two of which are aggressive inflammatory types. Also, I suffer from fibromyalgia, which magnifies the pain andthe other unpleasant symptoms. I have endured several benefit reforms, each time I have been subjected inhumane medicals and sneered at by medical personel. Also, I and many others were belittled and vilified in the media, politicians and journalists label the disability community as work shy scroungers. When people say "welfare reforms" what it really means is finacial instability and insecurity, dehumanising medicals, and spiteful rhetoric that labels disabled persons as the problem of society's woes. Finally, the affects of Covid on the hike in the long term sick isn't being highlighted enough in my view.

[@rickatatastan2695]

Hopefully you'll feel slightly better if I remind you that the media are always going to say anything to distract you from saying, "Tax the Rich". That's literally what this "workshy scrounger" thing is - divide-and-rule, get the working class to fight among itself so they don't have to get their hands dirty. It's all distraction! TAX THE RICH!

[@lesleynewman3399]

I'm appalled by the treatment you have received & saddened by it. Saddened too that if you'd lived in any other European country, from my own personal experience, you would have received better care & respect.

[@KismetMulhaneski-to3wg]

A true portrait of our Media and Political Class. And isn't it strange when the Overt (and Covert) Right love to demonise the vulnerable - VERY LITTLE TO NO mention is mentioned about the post- C_v_d world and the Work From Home culture where very little work is done and very little accountability needed - all the while Starmer wages war on 'presenteeism' in a bizarre move - and the above topic is NEVER EVER DISCUSSED in the light of this or in this context EVER.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

Okay, but you aren't a third of the population. I'm not questioning your individual deservedness for support, but frankly _your_ support relies on the country being productive enough to pay for it. Objectively, there is no justification for the levels of health benefit for have shot up to the extent they have, if you compare it against actual research (although, admittedly, objectively assessing mental health condition severity is very difficult...although that underscores that there is a grey area that some people will exploit). This suggests that there is a problem in the system. If the country has an poorly functioning benefits system which is discouraging people who could work from working, that is _your_ problem. If the system isn't reformed now, your benefits will have to be cut in a decade when we have to default on our sovereign debt, or something equally catastrophic.

[@karlclark8625]

​@merrymachiavelli2041, the problem I have with welfare reforms is it's the genuine people that come of the worst. The small minority of scammers will always find away to scam. Moreover, the approach often used by the government to reduce fraud, is to make forms more complicated and to introduce more medicals. One again, scammers are almost always unaffected and the people most needed are left without support. The other thing scammers are usually able to work, where as people like me, won't survive a work interview and are unable to hold down a job.

[@nicolinekakora-shiner8070]

For me really ....things just felt so much better the day after the election. I woke up and we did nòt have Torie government! I am still in that glow..

[@pleasepermitmetospeakohgre1504]

You won't feel the effects of labours plans until next year. But...it really isn't looking good.

[@jankoszuta9835]

The real problem is the running down of our NHS. The lacking of mental health provision is truly shocking

[@thecheesefactor]

Labour build it up, the Tories run it down. People still vote Tory for various reasons. One is our media is mostly pro-Tory.

[@MrKarlyboy]

@@jankoszuta9835 how?? Its had record funding but heavily abused by international tourist, illegals and migrabts without insurance. Stop making excuses. We need to put a stop to all the abuse and freeloading from other countries. Same for foreign aid

[@alanconway94]

Who knows? But at least we're not still being abused by Tories.

[@thecheesefactor]

Some enablers still in their posts. Would have liked to see more draining of the swamp by Labour.

[@EnefaahaElizabethGeorgew-ep3gb]

STAYON POWER FOR TENANTS = HOUSING SECURITY FOR TENANTS= TENANCY SECURITY

[@TranquiloTrev]

A major government study was commissioned to understand this phenomenon. That is, people not wanting or not being able to work. It was discovered that they were sick and not idlers. That study was in 1842. This lead to the 1848 Public Health Act. Successive Public Health advances, continued to improve the situation. So, we have been here before. Public Health has been largely abandoned in the UK over the last 15 years. Nevertheless, the results are the same as in 1842. Our bodies have not changed in that time. It has resulted in people being too sick to work.

[@skyblazeeterno]

There's simply not enough jobs anyway

[@TranquiloTrev]

@@skyblazeeterno From your comment I have no idea if you agree with me or not, or if you think this lack of Public Health is good or bad. In 1848 the life expectancy in the UK was about 40 years. That is where we are heading. Do you have an opinion now ?

[@skyblazeeterno]

@TranquiloTrev no, no opinion

[@canopus101]

When will the benefit of a Labour government be shown? Not going to happen. Regarding the sickness benefit I managed to get universal credit four years back because I could not see. blind in left eye, 25% in the right eye. Denied any medical element as, apparently, I could work. If the criteria of being declared unfit are going to be tightened , as Marr wants, what chance will people in my position have? Anyway, after borrowing money and going private for surgery I am now working again, at the age of 64. The NHS was as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. Personally I would like to get rid of both Tories and Labour, parties who simply don't care.

[@hjones4922]

Maybe give Labour more than 3 months before writing them off? The NHS vastly improved last time they were in

[@canopus101]

@@hjones4922 I'm Welsh, Labour have been in charge for twenty five years here. Not three months. For much of this time they have run the NHS separately from England.

[@hjones4922]

@ what does that have to do with benefits?

[@RichardWilliams-r2b]

Read my original comment, which was about benefits.​@@hjones4922

[@james83777]

Wow I’m glad Andrew hit the nail 100% on the head with disability benefits. He is spot on and I totally agree with his assessment. Once the word got out during the pandemic and people realised they can stay at home with their families and be the same financially (if not better in a lot of cases) as if they were at work it would soon get out of hand and be totally unsustainable. Well done for the guys on here to be brave enough to come out and say it. It’ll be a very tough job for the government to sort out however.

[@FilmNerdy]

It's definitely a plague in our system. We did not do enough post pandemic to help make young people become resilient to isolation and should have helped equip and build those bridges when we come out of the pandemic. I do agree with the comments that I think that work has become less desirable because rent is so expensive for young people, they don't feel they get a good deal, productivity has decreased across all deciles even though employment has gone up. We need to help improve mental health services and access (as someone who suffered months of long waits for my BPD diagnosis, I know how it feels) but also make what you earn go beyond just surviving but make it living for people.

[@lestrem11]

@@FilmNerdy You don’t suggest how?

[@FilmNerdy]

@lestrem11 Well it should be pretty self evident in my comments right? We need to have a robust mental health services, these need to get into schools, we need Job Centres and health services to be working together and collaboratively, we need to be funding mental health with the same piarty as physical health, and of course we need to correct things within our economy. Rent needs to be looked at but I don't think that can be achieved with rent controls we need a competitive market where social housing can compete with the private sector. I could go on but I am not here to give a list of policies. Can I ask what you would suggest since you so quick to make judgements. But judging on your comment history, you are just here to sit on your ivory tower to pass comment and be hostile rather than to inform or present ideas. So pot kettle black much?

[@lestrem11]

@@FilmNerdy So basically you want higher taxes……..

[@lestrem11]

@@FilmNerdy Maybe get a job and pay taxes and then contact me when you have entered the real world. Get well soon.👍

[@rex-y7v]

Britain was built on trade and taxable profit on trade is declining due to leaving the richest trading bloc on the planet. We now are competeing with China in it's own backyard and our companies are manufacturing almost at cost....no profit, no tax = poverty. Rejoin or decline.

[@SamUploads420]

How about the extra costs imposed by the in work and living with disability? I'm paying hundreds in medication alone, while PIP is near impossible to navigate for someone with mental health issues.

[@TheLittleEconomist]

Totally agree. I can get 1/2 price HRT patches but have to pay for my Parkinson’s meds - the ones without I would not be able to work - just because I have a condition that normally affects the older retired generation. Don’t get me started on PIP, that would set my anxiety off landing me out of a job. I could argue that if you are able to successfully claim PIP you probably shouldn’t be getting it. Whole system needs humanising and making fairer

[@cjcottell]

It's evidence of how so many people feel. People are worn.

[@SamDurkSheff]

I'd like to highlight Andrew doesn't know how the benefit system works and is repeating untruths. I've already submitted a complaint with New Statesman based on his written article last week. It's so frustrating as to be beyond belief - how did people getting £400 a month extra for being unable to walk get themselves in Marr's crosshairs?

[@frasercook5823]

Living outside of the UK now, a lot of international people don't see the UK reversing its decline. It will always be an island for the rich. Unless we have a fair tax system the UK will further sink. This conservation seems to focus on the individual and not the fault of corperations and UK class structure. Neoliberalism has sunk the UK.

[@Londinium379]

NHS waiting lists are already down.

[@robertofranceschini2857]

Sometimes Andrew Marr talks sense, but other times he reveals a profound ignorance of the Unfortunates in our Society. For instance, he ignores the fact that basic state pensions in this country are the lowest in Europe. Try surviving on one - it's impossible without another source of income. The Triple Lock is essential to keep up with the cost of living and heating costs.

[@jimsully9851]

Lowest in Europe. I would be curious to know where that statistic comes from. Care to source?

[@skyblazeeterno]

​@@jimsully9851we also retire LATER than many other countries

[@carlgrove8793]

As someone who has been living on the basic state pension plus a bit of pension benefit for about 9 years I can say, yes, you can survive on that. Couldn't afford to run a car (can't drive anyway) or take any more foreign holidays, but it's not that difficult. Now our landlord has paid for a heat pump that has greatly helped us as well. So I think that on the whole the current pension system has it about right.

[@GordonMillar-q4q]

I was looking at the Gov DWP website and discovered that people in the UK only claim state pension for an average eight ( 8 ) years.

[@danielmartinezdowsett4776]

@@jimsully9851it’s shockingly low. Highest state pension in UK is the equivalent to the lowest you could get in Spain

[@johnrowland3105]

The Tories killed the entire NHS. Those of us who are long term sick would love to be earning a living. Because when you're in work it gives you skills; gives you the opportunity to learn and possibly follow a career path; it would enable you to save for the things that show working is a good thing. And then you look at 14 years of poor wage growth. 14 years of pension decline. 14 years of companies chopping and changing terms and conditions of service....

[@Pierrick2009]

When will Britain feel the benefit of Brexit?

[@jonathanfell688]

FFS Labour have been in power for only 5 months!

[@thecheesefactor]

Like steering a large ship. It takes time for a reaction.

[@simondebeer9917]

It’s amazing they could have done so much damage in such a short space of time

[@simonlewis6276]

Seems like 5 years

[@thecheesefactor]

@@simondebeer9917 I am sure the Tories could have done much worse if they'd had a chance.

[@specialized500]

​@@simonlewis6276 why don't you say something useful or at least semi intelligent . Perhaps you can talk about how much you love Putin

[@bigdaz7272]

Only 4 Months into the new Tory Red Government and it feels like a whole Year of disappointments already LOL

[@jimsully9851]

Andrew Marr talking about street safety and people taking advantage of sickness benefit system makes him sound like Nigel Farage. Clearly the tone of British politics is changing.

[@NTL578]

No, these are just real problems. But you can't get out of your emotions long enough to realise it.

[@simondebeer9917]

Are you saying people’s safety on the street & our huge problem with sickness are only right wing concerns ? Very odd

[@jimsully9851]

Clearly the irony didn’t come across, my bad, Many on the left tarnish you for even discussing these issues, look how the left dealt with Tories trying to fix the broken benefit system.

[@unirockproductions2333]

He is not wrong though. I consider myself an old school socialist and do not want my phone snatched on the street or my house broken into without any consequences.

[@rachel.mcgowan]

The street crime, and crime in general are very real concerns for anyone who isn't wilfully blind to reality of life in Britain today. The sickness benefit issue is being overblown, it's now very difficult to outsmart the system if you aren't a genuine case.

[@unirockproductions2333]

The UK benefit system needs a complete overhaul. I`m a partially disabled small business owner who moved to this country 14 years ago and never got any benefits nor did I ever seek to. If you met the kind of people I did like this guy who rent out council flats in London on Airbnb for years before buying said flat from the council at a huge discount only to sell it off to a developer few years later in exchange for a new build apartment easily worth over a million pounds. What`s the point of paying income tax, VAT, national insurance, council tax, corporation tax, etc like a good citizen? I love the culture, music and people in general here but honestly can`t wait to leave this place. At least this immigrant won`t be a burden on NHS in his old age.

[@gj7392]

It will not get better until Starmer gets a spine and reverses Brexit. That is the honest truth.

[@IainWatson-t1v]

I know we need to match the stellar growth rates of France and Germany

[@gj7392]

No mate just reverse the 5% gdp growth we have lost from the exit as stated by the BOE and the two trillion in lost AUM that have moved to Europe. Go and read the numbers plain to see.

[@tonyb9735]

Sorry, but it's not about having a spine. The honest truth is that, even if he wanted to, at this time Starmer has no possibility of reversing brexit. Currently, the EU would not even consider our application. They will not allow us to play the hokey-cokey with EU membership. The application and negotiation process takes years, longer than a government term, and the EU could not be certain that the next UK government would not simply reverse the reverse.

[@gj7392]

You make assertions as if they are facts. No request has been made and with the new government the time has not been better. It’s simply untrue that the EU would not accept the U.K. back. Key members have been asked and said they would always entertain it but they will not initiate it. It would take time yes. That is all about having a spine and doing what is right rather than what is expedient. The U.K. has no growth and a shrinking tax base there is no more obvious way to add several points of growth immediately.

[@tonyb9735]

@@gj7392 Now who is making asserions as if they were facts? I believe that there is no chance *at this time* of persuading all EU members unanimously accept us for the reasons that I gave. Having one or two officials say they would entertain it is not the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I am a complete swivel-eyed, foaming at the teeth Remainer ... but I am also a realist. Of course, I can see the damage brexit has done and is doing, I'd love us to rejoin, but it is not going to happen at this time. Even if the EU were willing to entertain the idea, there is not a strong enough political consensus in this country. I don't think we could do it without another referendum, both to get permission from the British public, and also to convince the EU that we would not just pivot again in 4 years after the next election. For all those reasons, I think Starmer has the right idea; minimise the damage.

[@EnefaahaElizabethGeorgew-ep3gb]

JOB SEEKING SKILLS, NEEDS TO BE MIXED MAJORLY TO CREATING EMPLOYMENT SKILLS ACQUISITION. SINCE THERE ARE TOO MANY UNEMPLOYED; WITH SO MUCH SERVICES AND PRODUCTION LACKING; GOVERNANCE AND PRIVATE/INDIVIDUALS WOULD SERVE THE PEOPLE/people AND NATION/SOCIETY AND WORLD BEST; BY INVESTING IN EMPLOYMENT CREATING VENTURES THAN ONLY FORCING WHOSOEVER TO JOB HUNTING GHOST POSTS/VACANCIES

[@jonen2]

The Tories created a “hostile environment”.

[@MaraDavidson-f6w]

And made us all poorer

[@kjw8189]

Allow people to work self employed up to 10k a year on top of benefits for x years - but taxed in full no personal allowance, will help people get back into work, good cv etc, and break the mental i cannot work link (and raise money from the tax/ increase the rate of start up businesses) not the full solution just an idea?

[@Phil-n7c]

Back into which jobs exactly? No one ever looks at how many actual vacancies that there are and notices that they are less than the total number of unemployed and sick people

[@TW-dj5zq]

​@Phil-n7c I think an example might be- someone goes long term sick due to mental health, picks up a craft, let's say making coasters, then decides to sell them on etsy or something, mental health improves as they have more going for them and then they can come off benefits eventually.

[@skyblazeeterno]

​@@Phil-n7cTHIS there's simply not enough jobs

[@virtualal]

The economic and political thinking is essentially the same between Labour and Conservative. Their differences are marginally different by a few billion. The thinking is also the same with commentators like this lot. All of them are looking at managing decline not genuinely changing things.

[@chriscleary5535]

I had a life changing stroke at 61. I also have cancer and chronic prostatitis. I was almost in despair before receiving PIP. And I've had to reapply which is extremely stressful. I just don't get how so many are on sickness benefits unless they are entitled. People in the media have no idea how the process works. The Party formerly known as the Labour Party say they are the Party of "Working People" I no longer fit into this category. Before anyone says I qualify as I worked most of my life I would mention my brother. He's been disabled since birth. Where does he fit in? He's not "Working People" Pensioners and children don't fit the bill either. I got someone to write this. To say otherwise could jeopardise my benefit. “The whole world's in a terrible state of chassis”

[@Pobotrol]

In what way is this a personal attack at you or your brother? Labour aren't talking about forcing people into work, they are talking about giving people better chances to get back into the workplace, improving physical and mental health outcomes so people who are able to take advantage of them can get back to work and an independent productive life. The more people in work, the more productivity and the more facility to help those of us who aren't able to engage in the workplace. Do we really believe a third of the working age population are forever more incapable of work? If that's true then society and a welfare system are probably unworkable in the long term.

[@brockit79]

I had a life changing accident aged 31, we are a special category of lower than the lowest rung on the ladder. Socialism has become a dirty word, looking out for those unable to look out for themselves is alien to all of the capitalism loving America wannabes until they realise just how grim life is over there with their chlorinated chicken eating antics. Incapacity benefits aren't easy to get so I don't know how some can blag it unless it's genuine that so many people are sick.

[@GS44691]

@@Pobotrol Get back to work!

[@timwoodger7896]

We live in a Corporatocracy and the only thing growing is the size of yachts. Things will never get better.

[@TheLucanicLord]

They're prepared to wait 8 years (and counting) for Brexit benefits, but they expect Labour to fix 14 years of misrule overnight.

[@-tom-8720]

You act like the last labour gov didn't also misrule

[@HairSystemDIY]

The woman on the right talks about the pandemic and the catastrophic impact that had for young people. Why aren't young people in America and Europe experiencing the same problems? They had lock downs just like us!!

[@heyjoeaitken]

Many are trapped. It needs to be worth going to work!

[@heyjoeaitken]

And I agree with Rachael, nothing has gotten better since Cameron and Osborne 's austerity, but the people have been left behind.

[@thecheesefactor]

@@heyjoeaitken The Tories loved Austerity. More trickle down delusion. The Brexit referendum was to keep it alive, but it backfired. People knew they were being ripped off but they blamed the EU instead of their own government.

[@Lewismarty1]

Wish the hosts would’ve actually answered the initial question. I appreciate that it’s hard to put a deadline or expected timeframe for when Labours impact will occur, but it’s a cop out not to make a prediction at all

[@stevejones4275]

Marr's a nutter, I do not choose to describe myself as disabled, but I'm paralysed down the left side! if I were put to work would the right side need to do twice as much work?If I do not work am I rotting?

[@BlueTomBlue]

He’s not talking about all disabled people. Of course there are people like yourself who genuinely need and deserve financial support. There are however lots of people on the margins who should be getting support finding work rather than being paid without proper assessments in place.

[@Phil-n7c]

@@BlueTomBlue He's being political. No one ever looks at how many actual vacancies that there are and notices that they are far less than the total number of unemployed and sick people

[@gmanlee575]

Every year there are billions in unclaimed benefits, food for thought

[@stevejones4275]

​@@BlueTomBlue But Marr spoke of "those who describe themselves as disabled", he's a nut job, to keep things simple.

[@u01anm3]

Not sure if you are trolling…You do know Andrew Marr works pretty hard in spite of a pretty serious stroke and resulting disability? Obviously some people cannot work, but for the benefit of individuals and society we should help as many people as possible to contribute.

[@Vroomfondle1066]

How about the rich just give the poor some of their ill gotten gains instead of making them have to jump through hoops to get it?

[@nicksimmons7234]

‘No 6,500 teachers yet’, can’t believe Labour haven’t delivered these in 5 months! Are you serious journalist or not. FFS

[@firmbutton6485]

Crazy how ironic it is. Labour encouraged laziness, rewarded the work shy and union workers and encouraged benefit claimants only to now say we need to get people back to work. It’s like they can’t see the wood for the trees.

[@dilara4130]

I hope we all know that it doesn't matter who is in the 'top job' because this is a systemic problem -- greed. We have allowed many of our economic sectors, to take advantage of the American people. It's disgusting and frightening for the future of our country. My husband and I will be retiring in the next two years n another country. We are absolutely worried that SS! will no longer be funded. we'll have to rely on his pension, a 403 (b) and a very prolific Investment account with Stephanie Janis Stiefel my FA. Our national debt is bloating and expanding every month. Our government needs to get spending under control and cut the federal budget.

[@DhaliaKaimkhani]

I know this lady you just mentioned. Stephanie Janis Stiefel is a portfolio manager and investment advisor. She gained recognition as an employee of neuberger berman; a renowned investor she is. Stephanie Janis Stiefel has demonstrated expertise in investment strategies and has been involved in managing portfolios and providing guidance to clients.

[@MafArdoleda]

I’m planning on moving to Thailand in the next 5 years if trump’s government doesn’t do anything with the high prices of groceries and taxes What about you??

[@aydin6219]

Been debt free for two years thanks to Stephanie Janis Stiefel. So sad to see my friends in their 40s with car loans, mortgages and credit card debt.

[@SissyJosito]

Please stop gentrifying countries

[@SissyJosito]

How can i reach Stephanie if you don't mind me asking? Heard she’s an IA.

[@spike178]

When Starmer is dragged to prison.

[@stevenhogg1708]

If you look at the noise after the Budget, there will be no narrative of things getting better because the reforms mainly benefit ordinary people who have no real access to the media - or certainly only access filtered by the media, so complaints about a Labour Government are allowed that would have been ignored under the Tory Government but stories of lots of little improvements for millions of ordinary people will always be drowned out by the rich objecting the being a little less obscenely richer than the majority! Land owners having to pay IHT - blanket coverage. Millions of families relying on foodbanks - no coverage at all.

[@-tom-8720]

What's wrong with food banks

[@stevenhogg1708]

@@-tom-8720 I am a great supporter of foodbanks - but they should not be necessary in one of the richest countries in the world!

[@fleurtaylor7311]

Under the Tories we have had more food banks than Macdonalds. Fact. 14 years of Tory austerity and cuts to all public services is the problem.

[@marcusmalone]

Thank you Rachel for pusshing back on this crypto-conservative 'welfare mentality' explanation. Late-stage capitalism - and the increasing uncertainty and precarity entailed therein - is tearing at the fabric of collective and individual psyches.

[@murrayeldred3563]

ANDREW MARR---SPOT ON IN THIS MATTER. I SAY THIS AS SOMEONE LEFT OF CENTRE POLITICALLY.

[@alanmockford8516]

When Britain applies to rejoin the EU. This would add £140 billion per year to the economy. No sign of Starmer recognising this yet.

[@simondebeer9917]

The EU is a shrinking part of the world economy, wrapping itself in bureaucracy. Hitching ourselves to the US, who’s economy will boom in the next few years, will be far more beneficial to us

[@rickatatastan2695]

@@simondebeer9917 If you're proved wrong, will you stop being so assertive about the future?

[@simondebeer9917]

@@rickatatastan2695am I being any more assertive than labour’s supporters & their expectations of labours chances of success?

[@rickatatastan2695]

@@simondebeer9917 Yes.

[@-tom-8720]

How so Labour will only give us a recession and the US will hit boom to record highs in history ​@rickatatastan2695

[@imankhandaker6103]

After 45 years without a Labour government - that will remain a hypothetcal question.

[@keiththorpe9571]

It took the Tories 14 years to do the damage...I'm afraid it's gonna take Labour a little time to fix things.

[@sheilarabjohns9907]

They never will fix it just make it 10 times worse

[@countryman5329]

You are going to be in for a massive disappointment.

[@chrisohanlon69]

To be fair they implemented a load of left wing policies. It was all NHS simping and mass immigration.

[@blazzz13]

@@sheilarabjohns9907 GBeebies told you that? Already in 5 months Labour have done more for public services, tenants, public sector workers and tax equality than the Tories did in 14 years!

[@Creatordave]

@keiththorpe9571 the Covid lockdowns, which Labour fanatically supported, took around 18 months to effectively bankrupt the country. Repairing that will be the work of generations, and the wrong place to start is increasing national insurance and jailing people for tweets.

[@Bubletraveler]

As a disabbled person I'd love to be able to work more, I wish I had more help with healthcare not money

[@roverchap]

Well said, Andrew. A lot of people are basically taking the pxss. 'Labour' means 'work'.

[@skyblazeeterno]

There's not enough jobs so should the unemployed be discounted and ignored?

[@NTL578]

There's plenty of jobs.

[@skyblazeeterno]

@NTL578 plenty of minimum wage menial dead jobs maybe...but even those are certainly not more than the number of unemployed

[@NTL578]

@skyblazeeterno I work a minimum wage job. At 35 years old, I'm finally on my way to qualifying for something which will double my salary, and its a realisation I had to come to terms with. I don't want to work minimum wage jobs all my life, well have you ever done to change that ? Most never try. What a luxury by the way, yeah there's jobs but they're minimum wage. Just don't bother. Not many places in the world would give you the option not to take those jobs regardless. But people complain anyway.

[@skyblazeeterno]

@NTL578 I've worked in financial support so I don't really need your patronising lecture

[@elkpaz560]

Perhaps we should have given Liz Truss's 'reforms' a slightly longer period before we condemned it.

[@francescachristy8761]

Pip is paid whether or not you are in employment as a contribution to the additional costs of being disabled. It isn't technically a barrier to employment that a sick or disabled person can manage. There are many additional barriers including failings in the access to work scheme. If you look at young people's mental health have you considered the appalling lack of help available on the NHS. Early intervention is so important when it comes to young people. The lack of suitable intervention for young people has been dire for very many years before the pandemic

[@rachel.mcgowan]

It's infuriating when politicians speak of PIP as an out-of-work benefit when they know better, or should know better.

[@pamelsims2068]

You know........ the effect of the pandemic on young peoples' mental health......... really????? But we keep getting told that refugees from war torn countries want to come here to live and work....... why are our young people more fragile than those refugees?

[@NTL578]

Exactly. We're soft.

[@frasermitchell9183]

As an unnamed person on sickness benefits in Hull was reported saying this weekend in one of the papers, "I get all my housing costs met, plus £1000 pounds a month. Why should I bother working ?" The plain and irrefutable fact is that the UK benefits system is grotesquely generous, and until serious reforms take place, a lot of people will just skive at home at the working populations expense.

[@MIEJ4]

Is that why there’s no food banks in the UK then?

[@karlclark8625]

Obviously, you've never needed sickness benefits. My illness has cost me my home, my career, and almost my life on two occasions. While on sickness benefits I have endured dehumanising medicals, forms that needed to be filled in by professionals because they're so difficult to complete. Also, I was dubbed as a welfare scrounger, I worked 60+ hours a week before I got sick. It's vile and unfair.

[@maxwellsmart3156]

A mysterious soul from a mysterious paper says that people on benefits are leaches and parasites. Sounds like that is right up the alley for a GB News at 11. Let the triggering of low facts individuals ensue.

[@sdgfsdfagsdfgdsfhsdfghd]

The focus should be on working people, freeze benefits, pensions included, and reduce NI and income tax.

[@aldawes8858]

“An unnamed person in Hull” - it’s almost like this was made up nonsense

[@davidborwick2339]

Great point by Rachel about reactions to incumbent governments, makes a lot of sense.

[@RandallSlick]

Why do you media people continue to refer to what was once called, rightly Social Security, as 'benefits'? You're playing the neoliberal game and I for one despise you for it.

[@sidensvans67]

Never .

[@foxkillingtime]

F o o l

[@Pobotrol]

If straightening out the country's economy, to improve growth and fix our public services doesn't do it for you, what exactly do you want? What's your big plan?

[@grahambuchanan8068]

The phenomenon that Andrew was referring to, where people get sicker because they are told by a health professional that they are ill is called the nocebo effect. Most people are aware of the opposite placebo effect, when people feel better because they are told by a health professional that a treatment is beneficial in spite of the treatment having no real physical effect.

[@dsmith657]

My partner is terminal ill and a Doctor sign the forms. There is no way she can work. Andrew's comments are quite offensive

[@adamwesgate8321]

I just don't get his rationale either. He's accusing people of over egging it to get the benefit. And his proof is that people tell them how difficult life is because of their disabilities. Who is going to apply for pip and say "yeh, I'm kind of struggling but I'm sure I can shake it off" and if you did which system in the world would award it to you? Feels very stiff upper lip mentality. You apply for pip because your struggling so oddly enough that's what you tell them.........

[@adamwesgate8321]

Also I'm sorry about your partner. I hope they are as comfortable as possible

[@cubeh8331]

He’s obviously not talking about people who are terminally ill. Are you really that dense?

[@adamwesgate8321]

@cubeh8331 what a thing to say to someone whos told you they have a partner who's dying. On top of that Andrews point is that in the assessment he seems to want people to play down their issues and have a stiff upper lip. No one applies without having issues and you need lots of medical which is hard to get. Again he's inadvertently perpetuating that diagnosis are as easy to get as a dairy milk

[@lesleylamy]

Yes , things are beginning to come together.

[@archvaldor]

I don't understand why Marr thinks a government that looks, sounds and behaves like a tory government would be different from a tory government. Starmer and Kendall literally looked like they were running a GB News segment with their benefit "scrounger" stuff this week.

[@grahamnewton4381]

The New Statesman asking Andrew Marr about Labour policies! Wow that will be balanced.

[@seriousmaran9414]

It took 14 years for the Conservative government's to make Britain far worse for the average voter. Labour have had 4 months. Give them a goddamn break.

[@yvonhaynes3623]

Earlier health support and increased mental health support is urgently required as part of a joined up policy to support people back into work and society. Social messaging to inform and challenges to media misinformation.

[@ElanovaAutumn]

We also have massive poverty and a destroyed health service and stretched education service and stretched social care services for children. People vote Tory, this is the consequence

[@thecheesefactor]

I'm alright Jack, until they're not. Too many "frustrated millionaires". Vote for your own best interests now or pay the price.

[@davidgray3321]

The long term health issue is a fondness for Chips and taking no exercise , and for signing on and sleeping in. That’s it. Pure and simple.

[@tommymorrison6478]

Fyi Mr. Marr, I started feeling the benefit the moment I knew Labour had won. Every morning now I wake up with a sense of wonderment and joy that the spiv party aren't in the driving seat anymore.

[@blackroseangel123]

I have to say it's nice not waking up to a constant stream of Tory sleaze, scandals and a weekly staff change.

[@andrewturner6642]

You are of course being ironic!

[@lestrem11]

Unfortunately we are now poorer to. If you think that is getting better you need medical help.👍

[@paulembleton1733]

Mid 1990s, failed business and single parent with teenage children and debts. I was advised when applying for unemployment benefit to apply for sickness benefits instead. A psychiatrist agreed and prescribed anti depressants and mood stabilisers. The extra money and less hassle helped but didn’t solve anything, and I think the pills only helped me accept something I shouldn’t. I was lucky later but easy to see how that could become a dependency through no fault of the person, or indeed anyone specific. A pavement of good intention.

[@stevejones4275]

to Marr: it totally insane to reassess people with brain damage. he should know since he has it!

[@leecudmore-ray6697]

tw@

[@skyblazeeterno]

Yes Marr is the moron that said the Iraq war would be bloodless

[@jameschen3473]

i have been living in the uk for 20 years, studying here first then worked for nearly 15 years. the problem i can see as an outside is that the social care, benefit AND NHS all need reform but neither party has the gut to do so as they are afraid of wipeout in the next election if they do something useful for the country.

[@KevC1234]

Starmer's authoritarian appearance is a very big part of the problem for the voters, that and the fact migration is through the roof, the people voted for Brexit because of immigration, the Tories won their elections on the promise of reducing immigration, the current level of dissent and dissatisfaction will continue until the political elite stop, listen and implement what the majority want

[@garyh1572]

Brexit was NEVER going to reduce immigration. You're a mug for falling for it .

[@KevC1234]

@garyh1572 I'm a remainer, it may well be that Brexit was never going to change immigration, but that was the reason a lot of people voted for it, but those who voted for Brexit due to their concerns over immigration had no other option because no government will listen to their concerns and nothing seems to be changing.

[@skyblazeeterno]

​@@KevC1234we on the left are hopeless at even acknowledging immigration is actually an issue and concerns over levels are legitimate

[@KevC1234]

@@skyblazeeterno I agree, I think there are serious issues now, with a lot of tensions bubbling under the surface it is only a matter of time before this erupts, we have had some outbreaks already but this will definitely get worse over time, especially given the response from the authorities when there are incidents involving migrants, the way the summer riots were handled will also add fuel to any future fires. It is crazy that people's concerns are so readily disregarded by the government and anyone who is concerned is labeled as far right, which the majority are not. We as a nation have relied upon immigration many times and with an increase in the age of the population and decreasing birth rates immigration is necessary, but should be regulated, controlled and the people's concerns should be acknowledged and addressed not just dismissed as being far right. The handling of the immigration issues by this and successive Governments has been appalling at best, any and all future outbreaks of disorder should be blamed entirely on the government.

[@MaraDavidson-f6w]

Immigration's increased because of Brexit. You was conned

[@mrD66M]

July GE was 5 months ago. Maybe people in this country need to be told - REPEATEDLY - that the ungodly damage of 14 years cannot be undone in 5 months - regardless of who is in power! Media regulation ASAP

[@Wolfloid]

How long are we going to consider the impact of the pandemic? Are we to let it destroy the rest of people’s lives allowing them to just be sick, perceive themselves to be sick and force those that do work to support them forever? As Andrew says, other countries do not have the problem of a million young people going straight onto sickness benefits. Looking away from this problem will destroy the Labour party, and do enormous harm to the whole of society.

[@Phil-n7c]

How long are we going to ignore the fact that the total number of job vacancies is far less than the total number of unemployed and sick people? The sickness benefit system is ALREADY very tight as I discovered myself

[@Wolfloid]

@@Phil-n7c according to the podcast, people on sickness benefit receive up to £100 a week more than those actively searching for work, and are not reviewed much when on it. Why is that ok? Of course, it is always hard when anyone is really sick or even unemployed when they really want to work, but we also know employers are bemoaning the lack of workers - does that mean everyone can get a job, of course not, but those that are able should try. The telling evidence that something more than just genuine sickness is going on in many cases is that the number of sick people has only exploded in Britain, but nowhere else. The long term effect of young people going straight on to either benefits long term will be catastrophic on their mental health in itself, and catastrophic for working people who have to support them.

[@NTL578]

It's just weakness.

[@Sam-jk8ec]

But people are also getting sicker... I'm an older millennial who busted my behind working all hours under constant stress and terror and increasing precarity in the hope of opprtunities that never materialized. No surprise then that over the last 12 years I've developed 2 long-term physical health conditions that now affect my productivity as well as making life miserable. Both were worsened by long Covid. While I note a certain fragility amoung gen Z and younger millennials, there's a much bigger scarier problem than Andrew seems to appreciate, which is that the conditions of contemporary British society are making people sicker and a lot of this is a result of political choices. When you're so terrified of slipping through widening cracks you can't think straight or make good decisions let alone take risks or strategize a path toward increased income, further training or more meaningful work. This is compounded by social atomization that leaves people unsupported ave struggling alone. Contemporary healthcare is also hopeless focusing on putting people on commercial pharmaceuticals that produce dependencies and side effects rather than helping them heal.

[@garys8357]

Anyone with any experience in managing business improvement would know that there is very little that you can fix instantly. If the damage to the country is the culmination of 14 years of consecutive tory governments, then labour need to identify the top problems, set a vision for the future and then develop strategies with timescales for improvement. People need a dose of reality and become recalibrated to the reality and size of the problems that labour inherited. Even Nigel Farage would have problems in sorting all these wrongs in just six months, but he would have known who to blame and would have milked the rhetoric so as to make people believe he was the good guy fixing all the wrongs of the past!

[@annehaughton3968]

Andrew is so right about internalising the sick role

[@JohnnyinMN]

This is what happens in a ‘nanny-state.’ The public takes advantage of the ‘freebies.’ Grow up and work. Stress? Like no one else in the world doesn’t experience that daily, but still shows up to their job everyday.

[@woodrocknetwork7507]

I know some people who turn up to their lousy job everyday. They are on borrowed time.

[@MIEJ4]

Sounds like you’re in the privileged position of not being affected by it. Lucky you.

[@womble1981]

They show up anyway - exactly! I work hard although my work often seems futile. I swear at myself involuntarily. I still take my children to preschool and show up to work at the office. I don’t understand what people mean by “burnt out”. Does it just mean that they don’t want to do it anymore?

[@vietashroffoliver2521]

Quite right, my son has both ADHD and Dyspraxia but still gets to work every day, as did I

[@woodrocknetwork7507]

@@womble1981 I've worked in offices. It's hardly back breaking work.

[@alanjewell9550]

I really feel for young people these days. What do they have to live for? Im middle aged & this country is utterly depressing. Yes we've stopped actively destroying it as the tories & brexit did, but rebuilding? What are the foundations? And there's a deep social rot of selfishness. We had a generation back in the war that gave everything to keep this country free from the Nazis. Then the baby boomers that i increasing see as the take everything generation. They overall voted for brexit, against the interests of their children & grandchildren. That has had a massive impact on the economy, especially for young people. But even more so separated us from Europe imprisoning them in a sinking ship without a lifeboat. And they still want their triple lock, heating allowance, high house prices etc. We have to prioritise young people as they are the future. And reversing the damage of brexit is imperative.