What Has Become of Britain?
Image by King’s Church International.
Britain is in pieces—politically, economically, socially, and in terms of national identity.
The country’s existential mess has deep roots, dating back to the Thatcher years (UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990). Under her catastrophic reign, market fundamentalism and privatisation took hold, society was dismantled, and the foundations of the welfare state were eroded.
This destructive ideological approach persisted through 14 years (2010–2024) of Conservative rule—a dark period marked by austerity, neglect, social fragmentation, the calculated dismantling of public services, and the hollowing out of civil society.
If the damage is to be undone and a new nation built, it will take creative reimagining, a long-term principled approach, and political humility—all of which are currently absent in the Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Signs of Decline
The system of governance itself requires major reform: it is increasingly centralised, unrepresentative, and undemocratic. First-past-the-post elections routinely deliver disproportionate outcomes—smaller parties are sidelined, and when a party holds a large parliamentary majority, as Labour does now (with a 156-seat lead over all opposition parties combined), it becomes virtually unaccountable.
It is a system run by rigid technocrats, seemingly incapable of imagining the scope of systemic change needed. The evidence of decline is everywhere:
Income and wealth inequality is the highest in Europe; the richest 10% of households own more than 45% of the nation’s wealth, while real wages have stagnated for 16 years; over 4.2 million children—around 30% of the total—now live below the poverty line; homelessness is at its highest level among developed nations; the National Health Service is in crisis; prisons are dangerously overcrowded—the UK imprisons more people per capita than any other European country—and they are severely under-resourced; local government, underfunded for over a decade, faces colossal pressure: youth services, social care, libraries, and basic infrastructure have all been gutted.
Add to this Brexit, environmental degradation, species loss, crumbling infrastructure, and failing transport networks, and the picture of a country with its very heart ripped out begins to emerge.
Politicians and institutions—including the media—are widely mistrusted. Public despair, division, and anger run deep, particularly among young people, many of whom feel hopeless.
The Human Cost
The cumulative impact of 14 years of callous governments, combined with the divisive fallout of Brexit, has deeply scarred the country’s emotional and psychological life.
The result is a form of collective trauma that has fractured national identity and shattered any remaining sense of dignity, fuelling widespread resentment—particularly among neglected working-class communities.
Mental illness is soaring, with one in five people reporting struggles of one kind or another—young people and women are particularly impacted. Obesity rates are among the highest in Western Europe, with 64.5% of adults classified as overweight or obese, contributing to a growing health crisis.
A hedonistic, often macho, culture has taken firmer hold, fuelled by online misogynists like the Tate brothers. Nearly two-thirds of teachers report that social media has worsened student behaviour, with boys increasingly adopting toxic attitudes—including refusing to engage with female teachers.
One of the most alarming trends is the rise in violence against women, both online and in person. Antisocial behaviour has surged (up 14% between 2021 and 2023), including a sharp rise in assaults on teachers—reflecting a broader rejection of authority and a deepening culture of selfish individualism.
Fractured communities—often along racial lines—have created fertile ground for the far right, now resurgent. Intolerance and racism are growing, as seen in the race riots of 2024, triggered by extremist rhetoric, social media disinformation, and shameless political opportunism.
Right-wing politicians and their angry, muddled supporters hark back to a mythical past, blaming every problem on immigration and lamenting the loss of ill-defined “British values.” But when asked to explain what these are, few can offer more than empty slogans.
The values most often cited—freedom, fairness, tolerance, and the rule of law—are shared, more or less, across liberal democracies everywhere. In Britain today, these ideals are being steadily eroded and, in many cases, are little more than righteous rhetoric.
The gap between what Britain imagines itself to be and what it is becoming lies at the heart of its identity crisis and lack of direction.
There is little or no social justice; racism and intolerance of immigrants and refugees are on the rise, inflamed by opportunistic politicians and a right-wing media. Freedoms once taken for granted—expression, protest, and the press—are being systematically undermined by repressive laws, increased surveillance, and hostility toward dissent.
The recent proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group is just the latest act of control and hypocrisy in a long and growing list of repressive measures aimed at criminalising peaceful protest and silencing dissent. That same hypocrisy was laid bare in the political outrage and media hysteria over Bob Vylan’s “Death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury.
While they condemn a punk artist’s words, these same voices remain silent in the face of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza—including the targeting of civilians at so-called humanitarian food distribution points, which are nothing less than IDF killing zones.
Symbolic protest is punished; mass killing is ignored—or enabled.
Such double standards reveal the moral void at the heart of Britain’s political establishment and media landscape—contradictions and cowardice that warp the national conversation, encourage lawlessness, and distort public opinion.
What Must Change
Britain’s woes are not simply the result of mismanagement, nor can they be resolved by running existing systems more efficiently—as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Co. seem to believe. The crisis is fundamental, rooted in systemic inadequacies and long-term structural decline: economic, political, social and moral. While minor improvements may be possible (such as reducing NHS waiting times), no amount of tinkering will deliver the transformation needed.
A fundamental reset is required—a radical shift in thinking rooted in social justice, democratic accountability, and respect for international law; anchored in a shared commitment to the common good, to peace, and to environmental repair.
First-past-the-post must go, replaced by proportional representation; the voting age lowered to 16, and voting made compulsory; the House of Lords abolished or replaced with a democratic second chamber; and power meaningfully devolved to the regions and local communities.
A network of citizens’ assemblies should be created to revitalise democratic engagement—scrutinising legislation, contributing to parliamentary debate, and, in time, evolving into a second (or third) chamber. A written constitution is essential—one that defines rights, outlines responsibilities, and limits state power. The media must be reformed, and the dominance of billionaire-owned outlets directly challenged—and, where necessary, dismantled.
A clear, confident case for rejoining the European Union—or at least the customs union—must be made. Brexit has been traumatic—not only economically, but socially and diplomatically. It has inflamed nationalist delusions and shattered Britain’s standing not just in Europe, but across the world.
Choices
There is a weariness and tension across the country—a loss of identity post-Brexit, a collapse of self-belief, mingled with a quiet desperation for change.
Within this febrile space, the nation faces a defining choice: the possibility of hopeful, progressive renewal—or a fearful, reactionary response that opens the door to extremism.
Rising support for progressive parties such as the Greens and Lib Dems, along with talk of a new socialist party led by Jeremy Corbyn and MP Zarah Sultana, are signs of public appetite for real alternatives—rooted in social justice, climate action, and ethical foreign policy, including principled solidarity with the Palestinian people.
At the same time, however, poisonous far-right voices—most notably Reform UK—continue to exploit the chaos, peddling fear, resentment, and division.
To avoid deeper social fragmentation and rekindle a sense of hope, moral principles—courageously held—must return to the heart of government, not as empty slogans but as actions rooted in social justice and inclusion.
It requires sustained environmental action to meet Net Zero targets and generate green jobs; adherence to international law and accountability when it is violated—no matter by whom; and an end to the hypocrisy that defines UK foreign policy—including the withdrawal of support from regimes that commit state violence with impunity, most notably Israel.
There is, without question, an appetite for transformation. It was hoped Labour would deliver it after winning power—but so far, the party has proven wholly inadequate to the scale and seriousness of the challenge: weak in the face of international horrors, and now complicit in the genocide against Palestinians being methodically executed by Israel.
Whilst the specifics may be unique to Britain, the crisis is not. Across the West, inequality, ecological collapse, economic divisions, and democratic erosion are accelerating. And yet conservative/reactionary forces remain deeply entrenched—complacent, insulated, and fiercely protective of the status quo. They cling to failed systems and discredited ideologies, wilfully refusing to act.
The just future so many long for will not be willingly handed over by entrenched power. If renewal and change are to come—if true democracy is to flourish, with social justice and freedom at its heart, in Britain or the world—they must be fought for and demanded loudly and persistently.
