For the first time in my life, I'm actually feeling kind of optimistic about the UK over the long term, despite Brexit. I suppose it's because it can't really get much worse than it's been for the last 15 years. We have had no strategy. We punish our own people for having children by introducing a two child benefit cap, and we don't skill them correctly, while importing hundreds of thousands of migrants for cheap labour. Since Brexit, those numbers have doubled rather than decrease, and the composition of migrants is now mainly Indians, Nigerians and Chinese, rather than European. We need a better trading relationship with the EU, we need to invest in our infrastructure, we need to skill our own workforce and stop companies from importing cheap labour in sectors they shouldn't be, and we need to devolve more powers to local authorities. A government that can do these things can deliver much higher growth than our EU counterparts. There is so much untapped potential in the country and I'm a lot more confident that Labour will be able to unlock some of it rather than the incumbent government, who just think the role of government is to cut tax and not manage or reform anything.

"It's ok that France is poor, because they have marginally fewer very poor people than others".

Stop living in denial and demand that your government provide you with the opportunity to earn a first world living wage.

More "average" calculations please, and stop your doggo personal attacks, I am tired to smash you since years on this sub, every single fucking time.

I read the average American worker is entitled to 10 paid holidays a year. The average in the UK is 28 days. Fully paid.

Who is really living.

Americans definitely work more, but it's not nearly so dramatic. Salaried positions usually start at 10 days plus holidays, with time off increasing with tenure. Life is about hard work, if you don't enjoy working hard you're going to be unhappy whether you spend 8% of your weekdays off or 12%.



I'm not sure you've ever smashed anyone on any subject in your entire life. No one is attacking you personally, you're being asked to understand that France is an economic backwater, and how that ties back to your fellow citizens ("degenerates" as you call them) are demanding change. That might hurt your feelings, but it's something you should come to terms with, just as I have to come to terms with the fact that the Pentagon can't find a trillion dollars.

This post was edited by bogie160 on Jun 14 2024 02:25pm

Life is for living bud. Imo

10 days against 28 days is pretty dramatic

This post was edited by Prox1m1ty on Jun 14 2024 02:30pm

Work attitudes in the US are far more influenced by Protestant work ethic than those in Europe. Or, as a professor of mine once phrased it: "Europeans just have a stronger preference for leisure time than Americans."

preference? americans have no choice, you work or you end up homeless and uninsured

If Americans by and large really wanted to work less, they would have voted for the corresponding policies at some point over the past 150 years.

Just look at the post by bogie from above, it exemplifies how a lot of Americans treat "hard work" as an essential, evident, self-explaining virtue.

This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Jun 14 2024 02:43pm

Not entirely true. Trade unions. And the American crushing of those Unions prevented the strong workers rights that are afforded to EU workers.
Whether or not you think that is a good or bad thing, to work more or to work less and be protected against exploitative employers; The same options were just never afforded to American workers in the same capacity.

The creation of big state socialism in Europe also predominantly followed WW2. At least in the UK that was the case.
The US economy was booming post WW2, alas they didn't need to create that safety net for society in the same way.

Also what party or politician is offering that as an option to Americans? Obamacare maybe. But that was for health not for workers rights.