Comments by "TJ Marx" (@tjmarx) on "Health service in Northern Ireland under immense strain" video.

Imagine being this paranoid. All G7 nations aren't having these same problems. They're having their own localised problems because we all went through the biggest shock to the global economy in recorded history. The G20 nations, which include the G7 are all struggling to keep their budgets from collapsing the country. It's the economic blowback of keep their citizens from starving to death during the lockdowns. That wasn't free. It's bankrupted some countries, including the UK. Let me say that again. The UK is bankrupt. A budget deficit of £500 Billion, with a B, per YEAR to pay for normal bills means the UK is bankrupt. That's 7.69% of GDP in loans accumulating annually. Currency devaluation (inflation) means the interest alone on those loans has increased 35% and the government is only paying the interest right now. There's all this talk about the NHS, but really it's not just the NHS on life support it's the entire UK economy. That started in 2000 under Labour and no successive government from either side of the aisle has done anything about it. Indeed they've all just made the problem worse.
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@stephenwalker2924 I think it's important to focus on how the Westminster system actually works, and engaging the public in participating in that actual system not what they saw in a YouTube video or how they wish things worked. When taxes inevitably rise, it's important for citizens to not send political backlash for that. That government is rewarded for doing the long term fiscally responsible things as opposed to unsustainable short term individual gains.
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@stephenwalker2924 Labour don't have a plan either, neither of the major parties do. But neither of the major parties need a plan or to look out for the voting public to get elected. Political corruption breeds when the public fail to be involved. Politicians aren't coming to YouTube comment sections to seek opinion. The system is designed for an engaged public voting only for a local member, regularly talking to said local member about the things they care about and that member representing those ideas in parliament. Democracy under the Westminster system is an active process for all involved. Instead most voting constituents don't even know who they voted for, let alone have ever spoken to their local member despite abundant opportunity to. The public aren't engaged. Heck many voters don't even actually understand the Westminster system and instead want to emulate yankvillain politics (for some reason). They're very different systems however, and the UK has nothing like a president. The UK head of state is the King, he got that role by birth and there is no voting involved in it. It isn't a democratic process. Nonetheless, some people (the exact percentage is hard to say) vote based on party affiliation and nothing else. They think they're voting for a party they want in government or a PM. Neither of which the public vote on, but certainly the PM is nothing like a president they represent parliament on behalf of the King and their party, not the people. Who the PM is, is actually largely irrelevant to everyday people. Of course national news media play a role in this by misrepresenting the system so it fits inside a narrow time slot. Social media with it's constant talk of yankvillain politics is also involved. This only breeds division and corruption. You have an awful lot more people however voting based on who is promising the greatest tax cuts, fee cuts, or otherwise the more money left in their pocket and not in government coffers. That's how this mess came about. Tax revenues have been eroded over the last 30 years. In 2000 under Labour Blair, the deficit began at £50 billion, over the prevailing 23 years that's ballooned out by ten times as tax receipts have dwindled. The budget really collapsed under CoVID however. Making sure the middle class didn't lose their incomes (which would have been a worse economic prospect) really put the economy in trouble. It destroyed productivity, it grew national debt and it shook investors. There are other factors also involved but essentially that's where inflation is coming from. The national debt is currently £2.5 Trillion, with a T. It's being added to at a rate of ~£1 Trillion per electoral term and there's no end to that in sight. That represents 39% of GDP, increasing by 16% of GDP over a term. The treasury say the UK urgently have to raise income taxes and cut services by a significant amount. The uncomfortable truth is whomever win over the following two elections that's going to be what they'll have no choice but to do. When NHS reform is talked about, what they're really saying is redesigning the system to covertly cut services so it remains affordable. Many axillary NHS services are going to have to be privatised with a user copay. The work insurance scheme (pensions) also have to be reformed in the next two terms. You're hearing lots of talk about it because it's a major contributing factor to the budget deficit and why that deficit is so hard to close. The aging population has made pensions unaffordable. Pensions need to be privatised, to a user funded, fund managed investment account with special tax considerations similar to counties like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Neither major party backs these union strikes because they both know that the nation can't afford to give them more and that trying to make that happen is just going to do those people out of a job altogether after the election. The entire UK economy needs to be reformed and regeared towards international markets not just the EU. It's all doable and the other side is prosperous, but getting their is going to be painful.
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