Britain in Decline: A Nation Deconstructed, By Richard Miller (Londonistan)

Britain, once a beacon of stability and unity, is grappling with a profound sense of decline. From fraying social bonds to economic hardship and a fading national identity, the country feels increasingly unrecognisable to its own people. This isn't just a fleeting sentiment, it's a lived reality for millions. I will explore the dimensions of this decline and what it means for Britain's future, from the perspective of someone right in the centre of the cesspool.

The sense of belonging that once defined Britain is slipping away. A staggering 43% of Britons report feeling like strangers in their own country, a figure that soars to over 70% among those leaning toward Reform in upcoming elections. This isn't just political posturing; it's a cry from people who no longer recognise the social fabric around them. Trust, the glue of any community, is eroding fast, only a third of young adults aged 18 to 24 believe most people can be trusted. Meanwhile, 62% of the population sees Britain growing more divided. Pubs, community centres, and local associations, once the heartbeat of British life, are fading, leaving behind a fragmented society where connection feels like a relic of the past.

Economically, Britain is in dire straits. Over 24 million people, more than a third of the population, live below the minimum income standard, the worst figure since records began. The nation has endured the sharpest decline in living standards since World War II, with two-thirds of households struggling to meet basic needs. Wages no longer cover soaring rents, food banks have become a grim fixture of daily life, and nearly half of Britain's children grow up in households that can't afford essentials. This isn't just poverty, it's a systemic failure that leaves millions feeling abandoned by a country that once promised opportunity.

Perhaps most troubling is the erosion of Britain's cultural identity. When asked to describe their country, many Brits choose the word "declining." A quarter see Britain as weak, another quarter as directionless. The institutions that once united us, public services, high streets, shared traditions, are crumbling. The influx of migration, with one in 25 residents arriving in the last four years and only 14% of last year's non-European migrants coming primarily for work, has fuelled a sense of cultural disconnection. This isn't about blaming newcomers; it's about acknowledging the strain on a national identity that feels increasingly diluted, leaving many to wonder what it means to be British today.

The decline is starkly visible in Britain's infrastructure and governance. Rent, especially in London, has become unaffordable, turning home ownership, or even renting, into a distant dream for young people. Public services are buckling under pressure, exemplified by the absurd reality of Britain's first re-nationalised train service being a rail replacement bus between Surbiton and Woking. Governance failures, like the inability to stop small boat crossings in the Channel, reflect a deeper malaise, a lack of bold leadership to tackle pressing challenges. These aren't just logistical hiccups; they're symbols of a nation struggling to function.

This decline isn't just economic or structural, it's existential. We Brits feel ignored, disconnected, forgotten. The despair runs deeper than statistics, touching the very soul of the nation. Even global observers notice: one American commentator, after visiting London, remarked that a few days in the UK would make anyone appreciate their own country more. The numbers paint a clear picture, Britain is a nation adrift. The question is whether its leaders will keep ignoring the cracks or take bold action to mend them.

Britain's decline is not inevitable, but it demands acknowledgment and action. Rebuilding trust, addressing economic inequality, and restoring a shared sense of identity are daunting but necessary tasks. The alternative is a country that continues to unravel, leaving its people as strangers in their own land. The time to act is now.

https://www.gbnews.com/opinion/matthew-goodwin-opinion-britain-in-decline

"Britain is in decline and its people are becoming strangers in their own land. This isn't poetic exaggeration, it's the lived experience of millions of people out there in our country.

A staggering 43 per cent of Britons, according to a recent poll, say they sometimes feel like strangers in their own country. Among those who plan to vote for Reform at the next election, that number rockets to over 70 per cent.

Well, what does it say about the state of our nation when its people no longer feel at home, when they no longer feel that they recognise the country that surrounds them? Keir Starmer was recently widely criticised, and even compared to Enoch Powell by some on the left, for calling Britain an island of strangers. Yet for once, the data backs him up.

Net migration has soared in recent years, leaving us with the astonishing fact that one in every 25 people now living in Britain arrived in the last four years. Just think about that.

'Well, what does it say about the state of our nation when its people no longer feel at home?'

And even more shockingly, of the nearly 800,000 people who migrated into the country from outside of Europe last year, only 14 per cent, came primarily to work in this country.

Disconnectedness is now part of our national identity. According to another pollster, More in Common, 62 per cent of Brits now think that the country is becoming more divided, and not even a third of our young, 18 to 24-year-olds, think that most people can be trusted. Our social fabric appears to be giving way, and the economics behind all of this are pretty grim too.

The Centre for Research and Social Policy shows that 24 million people in this country, over a third of the population, now live below the minimum income standard.

That's the worst figure since records began. And Britain has suffered, don't forget, the sharpest decline in living standards since the Second World War. Two-thirds of all households are now living below the minimum income standard.

And this, indeed, is cause for concern. We are now a country where our wages are not covering our rent, where food banks have become normalised, and where nearly half of our children are living in households without enough to meet basic needs. And this despair is not just economic. As I've said time and time again on this show, it is becoming existential.

Even a Hope Not Hate poll, backed by Labour groups and trade unions, recently found that the most common word Brits used to describe their own country is "declining."

One quarter of British people think that Britain is now weak, and another quarter say that our country is directionless. The institutions that once brought us together, our public services, our high streets, our local associations, are crumbling around us. Community organisations appear to have vanished. Owning, or even renting, your own home has become an unrealistic fever dream for many, especially our young people.

Indeed, just today, the Office for National Statistics found that average rent in England is unaffordable and is at its worst in parts of London. As the Adam Smith Institute's Maxwell Marlowe has put it, the time to build was yesterday, is today, and will be tomorrow.

Take a look at this story. If this doesn't exemplify Britain in decline, if this isn't a powerful symbol of what on earth is going on in our country, then I don't know what is.

As Labour's re-nationalisation of some railways comes into force, The Telegraph today revealed that Britain's first renationalised train will be a rail replacement bus service. A replacement bus service from Surbiton all the way to Woking on the Waterloo line, slap in the middle of the London commuter belt.

'One quarter of British people think that Britain is now weak'

GB NEWS

Is it any wonder that we cannot stop the small boats in the Channel? Meanwhile, Hope Not Hate, though apparently unwilling to recognise or address whether there is any sort of problem surrounding mass immigration, shares the same finding. People in this country feel ignored, disconnected, forgotten. Yet they seem unwilling to name one of the big drivers of this fragmentation, the repercussions of record levels of migration and the erosion of our national culture.

This is a hard truth. Our economy is failing, our social fabric is fraying, and our identity appears to be dissolving before our very eyes. And the rest of the world is starting to notice. American political commentator Charlie Kirk visited London earlier this week, and here's what he had to say:

"If you want to renew your love of America, spend three days in the UK. You will kiss the ground when you get back home."

Britain is becoming disconnected from its people. The numbers are clear. The question is, will we keep pretending this is normal, or will our leaders finally take the bold action that is needed to reunite a country that is now at risk of losing itself?"