Yookay Audit - based on my recent visit and some people watching.

“The promise of a multicultural Britain, first conjured up by Tony Blair, has largely remained unfulfilled. Indeed, it's failed.”

The accepted narrative is that Great Britain is no longer great. This is not just a matter of opinion but a pressing reality that demands immediate attention, as the national mood remains pessimistic. The nomenclature sums it up: we've moved from Great Britain to the United Kingdom to the Yookay. And for sure, there is much to bemoan. A quick tally of evident failings is listed below:

• An inability to control national borders, with thousands of illegals arriving across the channel during the fine weather of the summer. Seemly unable to deport these mostly fighting-age young men, community tensions are building. Thus, when the PM talks of putting the nation on a 'war footing', he's greeted with laughter. Who's fighting for this?

 

• Failing public services mean that individuals are struggling to see a doctor or dentist or receive any form of medical care as the NHS falters. Natal care has fallen so far behind world-class standards that the government is forced into a public inquiry (another one) to address the questions raised by families who lost babies. Many of the failings can be blamed on the dreaded private finance initiatives launched in the 1990s. New hospitals and clinics, funded by banks and private equity, were made available to the NHS for an annual fee that generated enormous profits for investors. The patient's interests came further down the pecking order.


• I witnessed first-hand the collapsing medical system when my father suffered a stroke; waiting hours to get an emergency room, even with his priority status, didn't help. He never left the hospital. I'm told that wealthy areas such as Harrogate and Hempstead enjoy relatively better NHS services. If true, that postcode difference tells another story.


• Things are so bad that the Yookay is witnessing a reversal in life expectancy. After decades of hard-won improvements, people are dying younger. This trend is alarming, as life expectancy in the UK from 2020 to 2022 decreased to approximately the same level as a decade earlier (2010 to 2012). And that trend appears to be accelerating (Source: Office of National Statistics). 


• A legal system in crisis. The police appear unwilling or unable to investigate real crimes but can summon a large number of officers to deal with hurt feelings over a tweet or unwelcome comment. In the Sunday Times (June 22, 2025), Andy Marsh, head of the College of Policing, has had a revelation: officers should focus on crimes such as theft and burglary rather than 'online spats.'  Well, yes, exactly!


• However, if that crime-fighting spree comes to fruition, can the courts process the cases? By the end of December 2024, 310,000 cases were awaiting hearing in magistrates' courts in England and Wales. Staff shortages mean that in some areas, half of courts are not functioning. Even simple cases can take a year to reach trial, by which time the memories of victims and the recollections of witnesses have often faded. Gordon Hotson, a leading defence solicitor, observed, "The system is broken. We are one glitch away from "total failure."


• And if convicted, the culprit, if sent down, will face a prison system bursting at its seams. Violence against staff is at an all-time high, with prisoners housed in drug-filled Victorian buildings long past their usefulness. Official statistics reveal almost an assault every hour in an overcrowded, underfunded system. Cutbacks since 2012 have caused significant issues, including the loss of experienced staff and the erosion of institutional memory.


• If the primary function of any government is to protect its people, then for decades, all prime ministers have failed to prepare for the worst. The British military is now nothing more than an echelon of the forces that Donald Trump can summon up. Even the much vaulted 'independent' nuclear deterrent is nothing of the sort. The missiles are leased from the U.S., with reports suggesting that Washington retains control through a 'dead-hand' scenario. The RAF can't even prevent two hooligans on electric scooters from breaching the fence at Brize Norton and then riding for a mile across the airfield to damage two highly prized military aircraft. They then left unimpeded.


• Finally, the nation that brought rail transport to the world can't even build a single high-speed line. China opened its first high-speed rail line, connecting Beijing and Tianjin, in 2008. Since then, It has built 13,670 miles of high-speed rail and will add another 9,321 miles this year. Meanwhile, further delays are announced on the Yookay's single line. 

The decline of the country is most visible in the city centres. As a visitor, the changes are stark. Charity shop after charity shop, an abundance of Turkish barbers (what's that all about?) and shuttered premises tell a tale. Even the shopping centres (malls to the American) have abandoned upper floors, with only the food court seeing a steady trickle of business. 

Groups of sullen young migrant men hang around the public spaces, waiting. But, waiting for what? As evening falls, they wander back to their government-appointed hotels to wait more as beleaguered locals look on, baffled and suspicious. It's a recipe for disaster. 

Meanwhile, garden centres on the outskirts of the city offer a complete dining experience, with comfortable pensioners filling the cafes. The Balkanisation of society is clear.

The promise of a multicultural Britain, first conjured up and implemented quietly by Tony Blair, has largely remained unfulfilled. Indeed, it's failed. So, what's the vision for the future? It's not just a question; it's a call to action. It's time to ask this question of the incumbent PM, Sir Kier Rodney Starmer. Unfortunately, he is a man who has repeatedly demonstrated a unique ability to be under-whelming.

And yet, I observed nothing but good-natured people. From Hull, London and across the countryside, this nation remains underpinned by common decency and politeness. When I spotted an elderly lady struggling with her mobility scooter beside a dual carriageway, I stopped to offer assistance. At the same time, three others followed suit. She was soon on her way, accompanied by a slow-moving convoy guiding her home. These small acts of kindness revealed much about the British character.

People still hold the door open for each other, queue up and rarely mutter a complaint about slow or poor service, like the crap weather; it's tolerated. Don't make a fuss. 

With public finances strained to breaking point, the governing Labour Party is already at war with itself. It can't afford to spend on welfare while also meeting the need to boost the military. With 1000 people a day going onto disability benefits -an extraordinary number - something needs to give, and that may yet derail Starmer's premiership.

Meanwhile, Professor David Betz has stated that the Yookay is heading for civil strife. If his assessment is reliable, the disorder of last summer and the recent violent protests in Northern Ireland are just a foretaste of what is to come. And that isn't reassuring. 

This all brings me back to the question: where is the unifying leadership, and what is the vision for the Yookay? Or is it relentless decline? Only a factory reset will change anything, except that the Brits don't go for revolutions; instead, they have a cup of tea and moan before switching the discourse to the latest episode of Strictly or Love Island. After all, the latest inane antics of the trout-pout tarts and tattooed plastic men hold more traction.