A JOURNALIST for a US publication has sparked controversy after saying the UK is a “relatively poor country in comparative decline”.
Tom McTague, a writer for The Atlantic, suggested that no contenders for the Tory leadership role understand the scale of the problems the UK faces.
McTague, who was on the long list for the 2021 Orwell Prize, wrote: “Britain needs a prime minister who understands the scale of the problem they face.
“He or she will take over a relatively poor country, in comparative decline, divided in international law, and without an obvious strategy to get rich again. More weapons to Ukraine won’t cut it.”
He later added that he had meant the UK was poor relative to “much of northern Europe”.
The responses to the tweet, such as from former Tory Westminster candidate Johnny Luk, took issue with the characterisation. Luk wrote: “I’m not sure Britain can be classified as relatively poor in almost any metric.”
Other, less polite responses, came from the kind of people who use three St George’s Crosses as their twitter name.
We're the 5th largest economy in the world and this clown is talking about poverty from London? Poverty to him probably means he can't get a gram of dicky in towards the end of the month. Beg some people go and visit other countries to see what actual poverty is. https://t.co/aLaVEism0U
— 🏴🏴🏴 (@TheFamousCFC_V1) July 7, 2022
“We're the 5th largest economy in the world and this clown is talking about poverty from London? Poverty to him probably means he can't get a gram of dicky in towards the end of the month.
“Beg some people go and visit other countries to see what actual poverty is,” one such flag-named account wrote.
Others called the Atlantic writer a "lickspittle" who was speaking "absolute bollocks".
Responding in general, McTague later wrote: “A Labour friend gets in touch to point out the responses to this tweet show just how many people are still unaware how badly the last decade (and more I would say) has been for Britain economically.”
The economic issues facing the UK are looking dire. The cost of living crisis is threatening “the biggest fall in living standards since the 1950s”, and energy prices are only looking to climb higher still.
The value of the pound has taken a permanent hit since Brexit, and serious crises with portmanteau names like “stagflation” (low growth but high inflation) or “incession” (high inflation and a recession) are looming.
The Tories don’t seem to have a plan to turn things around, and Keir Starmer’s Labour is offering much the same thing.
Fortunately, October 2023 might offer Scotland a chance to set itself free from Westminster and turn its economic fortunes around at least.
