This seems to be the case for most European countries, particularly here in France. We’re experiencing stagnation, or perhaps even a decline. Launching a product in Europe is significantly more challenging due to the market’s high fragmentation. I don’t have much hope for the future of tech companies in Europe.

The good news is that a relatively small amount of aggressive planning reform (namely, firing everyone involved and never calling it "planning" ever again) will fix most of the (fixable...) worst aspects of modern Britain.

We banned building stuff in 1947, we can undo it.

Hopefully we'll at least get something new out of it, like punk rock the last time.

It's not quite that bad - the news obviously makes it seem like it's worse than it is. Also we finally got rid of the Tories, so at least things are heading in the right direction. I made a list of some positive changes Labour have made already:

* Allow onshore wind

* Means tested winter fuel allowance

* Inheritance tax for farms

* Assisted dying bill (controversial but I think generally people are in favour of this)

* Scrapping the public footpath registration deadline

The only stupid thing I think they've done is the porn site age testing thing, but that was also a Tory policy.

IMO the big problem is the right-wing media. Take something like the winter fuel allowance. Very obviously the right thing to do, and even pensioners were generally in favour (check this article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gegy4r9ndo ), yet it still somehow a huge controversy with disingenuous articles even on the BBC like this one fuelling the faux outrage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80l9lde5yjo

How can we make any improvements if such obviously good changes meet such an irrational reaction?

It's not, its just that you are swept into the news cycle of doomerism where engagement is established with FUD. The UK is fine compared to many of its peer nations in many areas.

Well - care to be joined by the Germans? It's the reason I am now living in Japan...

Exactly. It's not merely the Fabian state, being ruled by lawyers, by socialist agitators, it is the vast swathes of proles who cheer every time they crush success or do wealth appropriations. It feels like you are always just two steps away from being rounded up in a pogrom for merely having savings.

The PM himself defines working class as people with no savings. It's horrid.