The amount of government spending continues to rise and more rises are forecast for the future (page 86 here) yet our domestic services are under austerity; the demands of government have increased to give us masses of new rules and regulations; the state intervenes in our day to day lives on a massive scale, and many local decisions are overridden by distant authorities.
These trends have been accompanied with rising social tensions at home and in foreign relations around the world.
Living standards are coming down and people are looking for others to blame. Social and racial tensions are on the rise. Rioting took place on a massive scale in London and Athens and other several other European cities last year. The last few years have seen the appearance of anti-Islamisation marches, home grown terrorists, and twice as many people voting for fascist parties. Tensions have risen between various European nations and between the west and the east, most notably with Iran.
What forces can we attribute to our nation’s shift towards ever more government? And should we be worried?
Is the civil unrest on our streets and our lack of social cohesion a result of this political move to the left? What can we learn from history?
What changes do we need to make, as a country, in order to unite our people and preserve the peace? Could it already be too late?