I can still hear the groans from the audience when, back in October 2013 on BBC Question Time, I told young people they might want to leave Britain while they still could.
At the time, the reaction was outrage mixed with disbelief.
If I said it today, I suspect fewer people would be shocked.
Even among the jeers was Liz Truss, who insisted that the best years for Britain were still ahead—though, arguably, she was talking more about her own political career than the country.
Her description of her old comprehensive school in Leeds as “average” still makes me wonder if she truly understands practical reality.
Politics Has Become a Marshmallow Dictatorship
Lately, I’ve felt more strongly than ever that those with the means to leave should consider it.
I don’t include myself—at 74, I can’t start a new life abroad, and I believe in contributing to wherever I live—but I understand the temptation.
Politics now is a pudding of lies. Our leaders manufacture crises, stir up foreign wars, and blame these disasters for waves of migration.
Sovereignty has been ceded to foreign courts, and domestic laws are increasingly dictated by unelected tribunals.
Meanwhile, the education system has been systematically destroyed, leaving millions unemployable.
It’s exhausting to watch. The economy flounders, public services fail, and national defense is top-heavy with flashy aircraft carriers and decrepit submarines while the essential workhorse navy barely functions.
The inevitable outcome? Skyrocketing inflation and a society slowly reduced to a ghost of its former self.
News Coverage Feels Hollow
I’ve found myself turning off the TV and radio more often.
News outlets now provide information that is technically true but lacks real reporting.
It’s gossip dressed up as news, interviews with soft focus, commentary masquerading as fact.
Even in crises abroad—take Ukraine, for example—the coverage is scant, and debate is virtually nonexistent.
The clash between thought and action has been replaced by a monotone of propaganda and distraction.
A Society That Punishes Dissent
Once, politics enthralled me like sports or music do for others.
I knew every MP’s constituency and followed policy debates closely.
Now, I watch in disbelief as the corridors of media power enforce conformity, punishing dissenters by stripping them of platforms and livelihoods.
Tragic cases, like that of John Wright, a teacher found dead after being sacked for “inappropriate” comments, highlight the human cost.
Society has normalized what I would call “marshmallow totalitarianism”: no jails, but livelihoods and dignity snatched away, leaving individuals to suffer alone.
The Illusion of Wise Government
Much of the public continues to cling to the illusion that voting for politicians will result in wise governance.
But repeated disappointments—from Tony Blair to David Cameron, and now our current government—prove otherwise.
We hand fools mandates and hope for wisdom.
The consequences are predictable: disillusionment, disengagement, and in many cases, despair.
People adapt, remain silent, and avoid confrontation, because speaking up can mean the end of a career or worse.
When Hope Feels Out of Reach
The young may look at this society and feel the same exhaustion I do.
Politicians lie, media distracts, and institutions punish honesty and dissent.
For some, leaving isn’t cowardice—it’s survival.
For those of us who stay, the challenge is how to endure, how to resist, and how to contribute meaningfully despite the pervasive decay.
Until this cycle changes, I suspect the temptation to turn away from politics—or even from democracy itself—will only grow stronger.
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