MacLeans on the condition of Britain

Macleans magazine had an excellent article (June 11th issue) on the pathos that is the UK these days.

England's Shocking Decline

The following is a list of points that add credence to the Rotting Thesis.

1. Child Poverty is on the increase.
2. Country has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe.
3. Britain has one of the highest divorce rates in Europe.
4. Ties France in terms of sexually transmitted disease.
5. Highest obesity rate in Europe (1 out of 4 people)
6. Leads Europe in Drug Abuse especially Cocaine.
7. Tied with Holland and Ireland for highest Crime Rate in Europe.
London is more violent than New York or Istanbul.
8. Studies show that that 'fully one-half of state secondary schools are failing to provide pupils
with a good standard of education.
9. 40% of 11 years leave primary school without the adequate reading, writing and math skills.
10. Grade inflation is rife - 48% earned one a C in the GCSE in 1989. Now an 18% earns one the same letter grade.
11. Schools are rife with political correctness thart stifles reform.
12. High property prices have saddled the Middle Class with Mortage payments that take up 70% of take-home pay.
13. Property tax has increased by 70% over the last ten years.
14. There have been a over 100 indirect taxes since 1997 (the year Blair came to power).
15. Unusually high death rates in hospitals - NHS in decline. 70% of these could be avoided with better medical care.
16. Waiting time for surgery is awful; 41% of patients wait over four months for surgery compared to 33% in Canada, 19% in Australia, 10% in Germany and the US.
17. 18% of the population officially rely on benefits - could be as high as one-third according to some estimates.
18. Taxation at a twenty year high. Revenue has increased from 175 million pounds (in 1997) to 370 million pounds (today) . The burden of course falling on the working class - it has risen in Britain - dropped across Europe as a whole.
19. One out of every four workers is empployed by the state - 900,000 hired since 1997.
20. Public Sector workers have contributed to a pension liabilityu of 1.5 trillion pounds - twice the national debt.
21. Tax Loopholes mainly benefit the super rich who paid 14.7 million pounds on a combined fortune of 126 billion pounds. Is Britain a glorified Cayman Islands?
22. Country has become more of a Nanny State than ever - since 1997 there are over 3000 new offenses that have been added by the home office.
23. Failed multiculturalism.
24. A minimum wage couple would be better off by 27-35% if they broke up. Incomes would rise by 12% if the father moved out.
25, Britain is Europe's leader in single-mother households.
26. Plans are underway to open State Schools for fifty ghours a week - as teachers become the next generation of surrogate parents and social workers.
27. Restrictions on Freedom of Speech have become numerous.
28. Culture of Binge Drinking


If all of this is not a confirmation of the overall failure of state bureaucracy I don't know what is.