Is the UK now giving off strong Third World vibes?

Appreciate there are nuances but I was specifically referring to a mindset, in the I'm alright Jack, pull up the drawbridge mentality. My experience of both sets of people across both countries reflect that, rather than how they got to that.

For nearly half a century the UK was the second biggest net contributor to EU coffers, so if it is now giving off third world vibes, whose fault is that?

I think the UK should also cut what it gives to the real third world ....The UK spent $15.7 billion in aid ( much of it to countries like Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Yemen )  in 2022 slightly down from $15.8 billion in 2021.

Even if it gave some of that to us to develop parts of our north side inner city Dublin, or to build an underground or some sort of Dublin transport system, it would be great.

If the USA and UK did not go in to Afghanistan, they would not have been able to nip over the border to get Bin Laden next door?

Is that what you would have liked, Bin Laden to get away with the 9/11 attacks and probably carry out further but larger attacks against the west? The UK is actually very well thought of in Afghanistan, it has saved the country slipping in to complete anarchy. Certainly its record there is better than the USA. But you probably would like to have Bin Laden and Al Q. operating out of there, at least they have been neutralised.

I'd call the Irish system welfare state capitalism but superficially we can appear like the the us and UK.

We should be thankful they are active militarily, otherwise we would have nobody to call on to intercept Russian air force planes when they come in to our airspace with their transponders turned off, as they sometimes do.

It did not stop Russian cable ships hovering above the undersea cable outside our 12 mile limit. Only last year it was reported even our own Government, never mind that of NATO members, were seriously concerned Russia would attack the underwater internet cables connecting Europe with the US off the Irish coast.

the US would have very easily got bin laiden without a 20 year failed war which has left afghanistan back where it started.

Farage and Brexit happened towards the end of British half century of financial aid to the EU. Some would say the EU milked Britain dry. For nearly half a century the UK was the second biggest net contributor to EU coffers, so if it is now giving off third world vibes, whose fault is that?

Some might say that the EU milked Britain dry, because drivelling idiots will always be with us. But those who are not drivelling idiots are aware that the British economy grew strongly while the UK was a member of the EU, and the economic advantages flowing from participation in the Single Market (and the enhanced tax revenues resulting from that) vastly exceeded the costs of the UK's budget contributions.

To the extent that the UK is "giving off third world vibes" — and I'm not sure I'd accept that characterisation myself — only the deluded, the ignorant or the dishonest will claim that that's the result of Britain joining the EU, rather than being more the result of Britain leaving the EU.

There's no question but that EU membership was economically advantageous to the UK; even Brexiters have largely given up pretending that Brexit will confer economic blessings — they now mostly deny or downplay ever having said that, and instead say that the adverse fiscal and economic impact of Brexit is justified by the "restoration" of "sovereignty", "independence" and/or "control".

oh but the french can stop a lot of them, it would be impossible for any state to stop every single one.

however, france quite rightly are simply choosing not to stop as much as they could, as why should they help a country who have abused them and their people and blamed them for britain's failures.

france are simply seeing britain coming with the money and taking it, and who the hell can blame them?

france an aweful state? are you having a laugh? if you think france is an aweful state then i would suggest you obviously don't listen to the news.

very true and quite correct ultimately.

britain chose itself to privatize it's rail system to try and get out of paying for it, and now it pays multiples of the cost, it's own fault.

britain was happy to take advantage of cheap labour and supported it as it meant not having to pay decent wages, it's own fault.

britain's fishing industry would be long dead if it wasn't for access to other markets and waters.

regulation is necessary to protect the people, and britain often voted for and even suggested such regulations.

no, ultimately the reason for brexit was a tax dodge, nothing more.

It is said that London in the 50's was 98% white British, in the 1980s 80% white British, and now 36%. I think the population of London has increased by 2 million this century, mostly immigrants - that they know of.

I agree that in many ways Britain was better in the late 1980s 30 years later, after having been the EUs second biggest net contributor for those 30 years. It is a shocking inditement of the EU that it would do that to its second biggest net contributor.

Because the little rubber boats are so dangerous, and people have been drowned. If conditions were better in France, then those thousands of poor refugees may not risk their lives ( some drown every year ) trying to get to Britain. Ever see the pictures of the dis-organized and dirty tents and camps where refugees are on the coast of France?

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-give-france-480-million-pounds-help-stop-small-boat-crossings-2023-03-10/