The State of Play
"Both Hong Kong and Britain are in a post-colonial period"
It's natural to compare. Thus, I find myself assessing the situation of the UK against that of my adopted home in Hong Kong. Reading the press in both places, you'd assume a constant crisis. As is often the case, the truth is more prosaic once you move away from the media hype. However, the stark contrast between the two is hard to ignore.
Both places are in a post-colonial period, although they approach the process from different ends. Hong Kong is striding ahead. Its parasite economy relishes China's surging emergence as a world player: a third runway, a bridge across the Pearl River estuary, and a high-speed rail link.
That's not to ignore issues that dog the fragrant harbour—a growing wealth gap, stagnant social mobility, and pollution top the list. Yet, Hong Kong continues to move forward. Taxation remains low, as does the crime rate. Jobs abound.
The same can't be said for the UK. The decline that began with the Suez crisis may be gathering pace. Bad decisions after bad decisions, as signs of post-colonial decay abound, are unfolding with embarrassing frequency on all fronts of national life. Peter Hitchen identified the trend some years ago in his "Abolition of Britain." His account charted the course from self-confidence to self-denigration. That process rumbles on, and the challenges faced by the UK are a cause for concern.
Even with rose-tinted glasses, it's impossible not to see that institutions are failing. This failure manifests itself in a sad litany of floundering public services. Some sacrificed to the exigencies of the market, others because of willful blindness. Cue the Jimmy Saville scandal, et al., and the awful rape of girls by Asian gangs. The police ignored all.
For the past three weeks, the railway system has come close to a complete collapse. Northern Rail has cancelled or delayed 43% of trains. The Lake District, a favoured holiday destination, currently lacks train service. Hotels, campsites, and restaurants are all feeling the impact. Thameslink services in the southeast are so intermittent that the public never knows if a journey is possible. Left stranded late at night, people sleep in the office or seek hotel rooms. Meanwhile, rail bosses receive honours from the Queen on top of record salary payouts.
Much of the blame rests with the government. It's pushed a relentless program of outsourcing intended to drive down costs. In the process, it also drove down accountability and project coordination. Delays in the electrification of lines and a lack of trained drivers are blamed. Underlying this are serious management shortcomings. Despite all the fancy MBAs and technology, coordinating a national timetable appears beyond them.
For example, £858 million was spent on electrifying the line between Glasgow and Edinburgh, which cut six minutes from the journey. Yet, the same trip was nine minutes shorter 40 years ago under British Rail. Currently, Thameslink is cancelling 230 trains a day and Northern 165 trains. Then you've got the delays. Meanwhile, trains that do run are dirty, with shoddy rolling stock. Anyone who has visited Japan would hang their head in shame—so much for outsourcing and public-private initiatives promising better outcomes.
At the same time, the NHS is in a permanent state of crisis. In the latest policy reversal, foreign nurses and doctors recruitment is back on. Of course, it's overlooked that the NHS has always relied on overseas professionals.
Passing through Portsmouth last week, I spotted many expensive navy ships idle at the dockside. The backbone of the fleet, six Type 45 destroyers, costing £1 billion each, cannot take to sea. Various explanations exist: a lack of crews and engine problems top the list. With engines able to deal with the cold waters of the North Sea, we are well-covered in that environment. But, the warmer waters of the Middle East cause a shutdown with total system failure. Nobody thought to tell the manufacturers that the Navy may need to operate in warm waters. An engine refit will start in 2020.
HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender haven't been to sea since 2016. The others undertake short missions in suitable waters. Joining these ships is the Navy's pride and joy. The carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth sits passively without any planes. She requires the protection of Type 45. Otherwise, she'd be a sitting duck in a conflict. No worry. She's unlikely to be ready for service anytime soon. Delays stretch her time at berth. Since commissioning in late 2017, Big Lizzie spent only six weeks at sea.
Those looking after the less fortunate in British society are also faltering. A so-called "universal credit scheme" introduced in 2013 unified various social benefits. The scheme, designed to save money, has proven costly in both financial and human terms. Heralded as a cheaper alternative, the National Audit Office revealed it's more expensive this week. Besides, those in need are not getting their payments. Stories abound of disabled folks, including ex-soldiers, left without money.
In regular times, these shambles would be the focus of Parliament. But these are not standard times.
Distracted by Brexit, the political class engages in endless bickering. Internecine warfare is raging through both the Labour and Conservative parties. Brexiters and Remainers are at each other's throats in endless circular arguments, and the chaos in the EU negotiations is causing apprehension about the future.
The legal disputes associated with Brexit are complicated. Thus, ordinary folks disengage or roll over in boredom. Only some people outside the Parliament bubble can explain what's going on, and those in Parliament are too busy beating each other up.
None of this is encouraging because such significant issues are at stake. Many who voted out of the EU may take a different decision now. Sold as a straightforward issue, Brexit is far from that. Untangling decades of legislation is proving a massive struggle. And that's before you get to issues of the Irish border, security cooperation and policing. The list goes on.
This week, Scottish independence got thrown into the mix. Remember, the Scots voted 62% to 38% against Brexit. Thus, the Scots nationalists played their cards to clarify that they wanted a say in the negotiations. Like Nessie rising from Loch Ness, the great scaly monster of national abolition reveals all its ugly menace.
I wonder how such a country can attain the best Brexit deal. It can't organise its defences, health care or public transport system. Theresa May is fighting battles on all fronts without much to show. She is close to being removed by her party, while only Labour's disarray prevents a severe challenge from that side.
The impression is of chaotic EU negotiations. You have to be sceptical that the outcome will be favourable. The road ahead looks rocky. As a mood of resignation hangs over the UK, Hong Kong looks like the better bet.
June 2018
Both places are in a post-colonial period, although they approach the process from different ends. Hong Kong is striding ahead. Its parasite economy relishes China's surging emergence as a world player: a third runway, a bridge across the Pearl River estuary, and a high-speed rail link.
That's not to ignore issues that dog the fragrant harbour—a growing wealth gap, stagnant social mobility, and pollution top the list. Yet, Hong Kong continues to move forward. Taxation remains low, as does the crime rate. Jobs abound.
The same can't be said for the UK. The decline that began with the Suez crisis may be gathering pace. Bad decisions after bad decisions, as signs of post-colonial decay abound, are unfolding with embarrassing frequency on all fronts of national life. Peter Hitchen identified the trend some years ago in his "Abolition of Britain." His account charted the course from self-confidence to self-denigration. That process rumbles on, and the challenges faced by the UK are a cause for concern.
Even with rose-tinted glasses, it's impossible not to see that institutions are failing. This failure manifests itself in a sad litany of floundering public services. Some sacrificed to the exigencies of the market, others because of willful blindness. Cue the Jimmy Saville scandal, et al., and the awful rape of girls by Asian gangs. The police ignored all.
For the past three weeks, the railway system has come close to a complete collapse. Northern Rail has cancelled or delayed 43% of trains. The Lake District, a favoured holiday destination, currently lacks train service. Hotels, campsites, and restaurants are all feeling the impact. Thameslink services in the southeast are so intermittent that the public never knows if a journey is possible. Left stranded late at night, people sleep in the office or seek hotel rooms. Meanwhile, rail bosses receive honours from the Queen on top of record salary payouts.
Much of the blame rests with the government. It's pushed a relentless program of outsourcing intended to drive down costs. In the process, it also drove down accountability and project coordination. Delays in the electrification of lines and a lack of trained drivers are blamed. Underlying this are serious management shortcomings. Despite all the fancy MBAs and technology, coordinating a national timetable appears beyond them.
For example, £858 million was spent on electrifying the line between Glasgow and Edinburgh, which cut six minutes from the journey. Yet, the same trip was nine minutes shorter 40 years ago under British Rail. Currently, Thameslink is cancelling 230 trains a day and Northern 165 trains. Then you've got the delays. Meanwhile, trains that do run are dirty, with shoddy rolling stock. Anyone who has visited Japan would hang their head in shame—so much for outsourcing and public-private initiatives promising better outcomes.
At the same time, the NHS is in a permanent state of crisis. In the latest policy reversal, foreign nurses and doctors recruitment is back on. Of course, it's overlooked that the NHS has always relied on overseas professionals.
Passing through Portsmouth last week, I spotted many expensive navy ships idle at the dockside. The backbone of the fleet, six Type 45 destroyers, costing £1 billion each, cannot take to sea. Various explanations exist: a lack of crews and engine problems top the list. With engines able to deal with the cold waters of the North Sea, we are well-covered in that environment. But, the warmer waters of the Middle East cause a shutdown with total system failure. Nobody thought to tell the manufacturers that the Navy may need to operate in warm waters. An engine refit will start in 2020.
HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender haven't been to sea since 2016. The others undertake short missions in suitable waters. Joining these ships is the Navy's pride and joy. The carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth sits passively without any planes. She requires the protection of Type 45. Otherwise, she'd be a sitting duck in a conflict. No worry. She's unlikely to be ready for service anytime soon. Delays stretch her time at berth. Since commissioning in late 2017, Big Lizzie spent only six weeks at sea.
Those looking after the less fortunate in British society are also faltering. A so-called "universal credit scheme" introduced in 2013 unified various social benefits. The scheme, designed to save money, has proven costly in both financial and human terms. Heralded as a cheaper alternative, the National Audit Office revealed it's more expensive this week. Besides, those in need are not getting their payments. Stories abound of disabled folks, including ex-soldiers, left without money.
In regular times, these shambles would be the focus of Parliament. But these are not standard times.
Distracted by Brexit, the political class engages in endless bickering. Internecine warfare is raging through both the Labour and Conservative parties. Brexiters and Remainers are at each other's throats in endless circular arguments, and the chaos in the EU negotiations is causing apprehension about the future.
The legal disputes associated with Brexit are complicated. Thus, ordinary folks disengage or roll over in boredom. Only some people outside the Parliament bubble can explain what's going on, and those in Parliament are too busy beating each other up.
None of this is encouraging because such significant issues are at stake. Many who voted out of the EU may take a different decision now. Sold as a straightforward issue, Brexit is far from that. Untangling decades of legislation is proving a massive struggle. And that's before you get to issues of the Irish border, security cooperation and policing. The list goes on.
This week, Scottish independence got thrown into the mix. Remember, the Scots voted 62% to 38% against Brexit. Thus, the Scots nationalists played their cards to clarify that they wanted a say in the negotiations. Like Nessie rising from Loch Ness, the great scaly monster of national abolition reveals all its ugly menace.
I wonder how such a country can attain the best Brexit deal. It can't organise its defences, health care or public transport system. Theresa May is fighting battles on all fronts without much to show. She is close to being removed by her party, while only Labour's disarray prevents a severe challenge from that side.
The impression is of chaotic EU negotiations. You have to be sceptical that the outcome will be favourable. The road ahead looks rocky. As a mood of resignation hangs over the UK, Hong Kong looks like the better bet.
June 2018
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