State of the Nation: View on street is big thumbs down, with lively debate online
An ordinary day in the market town of Bridgnorth is a good place to gauge opinion on our country and the people who run it.
Shropshire Star readers gave Britain’s political leaders a firm thumbs-down in our State of the Nation poll – and it seems the mood with the man and woman on the street firmly reflects this.
A snap poll in Bridgnorth reveals opinions are divided on whether Boris Johnson would be a good leader of the country – and downright negative when it came to Mr Corbyn.
And people were generally sceptical about whether any of our main leaders had what it takes to bring the country back together.
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Our readers’ survey, released yesterday, found that just three per cent of readers thought our politicians were doing a good job. The poll found that 36 per cent of readers were happy with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, compared to 46 per cent who were unhappy.
But if support for Mr Johnson was lukewarm, the perception of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was unequivocally negative. Just 11 per cent said they were happy with his performance as Labour leader, while 79 per cent said they were unhappy.
And these opinions were reflected as we chatted to shopkeepers, shoppers and visitors to Bridgnorth’s High Town.
At Bridgnorth Cobbler in High Street, owner Craig Cheatham summed up the state of the nation in one word: “Diabolical”.
The 58-year-old said while the leaders of the main political parties agonised over Brexit, town centres including Bridgnorth were going to rack and ruin.
Capable
“Internet shopping, rates and parking charges are killing the town, and something needs to be done,” he said. “I would like to see the only man capable of leading the country, Nigel Farage, in power.”
Mr Cheatham said he did not have much confidence in the leaders of either of Britain’s two main political parties.
“Boris Johnson? He’s all right, but he’s not in touch with the man in the street. The thing is with Nigel Farage, he’s not a politician, he’s a businessman, and he understands where we’re coming from. The high street is dying on its feet.”
He was even less impressed with Mr Corbyn, who he described as ‘a raving idiot’.
“The important thing now is that we leave on October 31, deal or no deal, and preferably with no deal,” he said, dismissing the leaked Operation Yellowhammer report over the weekend as scaremongering.
Enjoying the sunshine on the bench outside the town hall is retired firefighter Tim Entwistle.
The 52-year-old, who lives in Bridgnorth but is originally from Northern Ireland, is particularly concerned about the impact a no-deal Brexit will have for his homeland.
“It probably won’t affect people very much here, I understand that, but it will have a catastrophic effect on Northern Ireland because of the border,” he said.
“The public should never have been asked to vote on Brexit in the first place, Cameron has got a lot to answer for. We vote for politicians do to those things for us, the public don’t know. We are not educated enough, I include myself in that, it’s why we have politicians and civil servants.
Fairer
“We had all the promises about extra cash for the NHS. Think about all the time and effort that’s been wasted over the last three years,” he said.
Mr Entwistle has reservations about the leaders of both our political parties.
“We need a fairer society, but with Eton-educated toffs running the country, that’s not going to happen.
“I’m a socialist, and I agree with a lot of the things Jeremy Corbyn said, but he’s not electable. I think he’s fair and honest, and I do trust him.
“I think the girl who leads the Liberal Democrats is very good, but I couldn’t tell you her name.
“Of the Tories, the one I do respect is Rory Stewart, he has served in the Army, as I have done. I don’t have this idea that all politicians are bad, that’s a lazy thing to say.
“That Labour MP in Birmingham – Jess Phillips – she’s very good, she’s got principles, I would watch her all day long.”
Peter Wright, proprietor of gift shop Mr Monkeys Emporium in Bridgnorth Market, said there is much he likes about Boris Johnson, but wonders if the challenge of Brexit will prove too much. He added: “I like the fact that Boris got in, I think he’s like a breath of fresh air, he’s just different to everybody else – but I think it would be better if he didn’t have Brexit to deal with.”
The 55-year-old, who lives in Tong, near Albrighton, voted to remain, but accepted Britain probably had to leave the EU: “I think it’s gone too far now,” he said.
Mr Wright, who sells militaria, gifts, greetings cards and fancy goods, said most of his supplies come from Asia rather than the EU, but said prices went up anyway.
“I don’t think a lot’s going to change with no deal,” he added.
Waiting at the bus stop is retired council worker Arthur Bishop, 68, who said he still doesn’t understand if or how Brexit will affect him.
“Will it have an effect on the person in the street, or is it just business?” he asks.
“I thought we were all right with Theresa May, I had no problem with her. We will see how Boris Johnson goes, I will give him a little bit longer to see how he goes. I definitely wouldn’t want Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister, I would stick with Boris Johnson.”
Walking along Whitburn Street was Bill, who declined to give his surname. His verdict on the state of the nation was also summed up in one word: “terrible”.
Persecuted
A staunch Labour supporter, Bill was also unhappy with Mr Corbyn’s leadership.
“We have got to get rid of this leader,” he said. “I think we need to bring back Tony.”
He criticised Mr Corbyn for his ambiguous stance on Brexit, saying he was trying to placate ‘racist’ leave voters in Labour’s northern heartlands.
He was also critical of Mr Cameron for allowing the referendum to go ahead on the basis of a simple majority, saying the threshold should have been higher.
Over at Mike & Sarah’s Butchers in Whitburn Street, owner Sarah Pearce, 43, shared many of Bill’s sentiments, although she voted Leave in the referendum.
She said it was too soon to pass judgement on Boris Johnson, and had some sympathy for Theresa May. But she was critical of the way David Cameron resigned straight after the vote.
“I voted to come out, but I think Theresa May has been persecuted, I don’t think it’s her fault, it’s the people she had around her,” she said. “David Cameron started the whole thing off, but left her to clear up when it didn’t go his way.”
Despite being a traditional Labour voter, Mrs Pearce had no time at all for Mr Corbyn.
“I used to always be a voter for the Labour Party, but I could never vote Labour while he is in charge. He would never protect the country. He just tells youngsters what they want to hear, and that’s how he gets votes, because they haven’t got the life experience.”
Like Mr Cheatham, she was concerned about the decline of the town, and said politicians needed to start looking at problems closer to home, adding: “I have worked in this town all my life, 12 years in the family business, and I’m watching the town decline because nothing gets done.”
Visiting Bridgnorth for the first time were Michael and Kay Ollerenshaw, from Dorset.
“I’m a bit more optimistic since Boris Johnson came in,” said Mrs Ollerenshaw, 64. “I think we will leave on time.”
Her 75-year-old husband was more sceptical: “I think we might be delayed again,” he said.
“I’m an optimist and he’s a pessimist," responded Mrs Ollerenshaw. “We both voted to leave.”
Debate rages about UK and its leaders
The State of the Nation survey have sparked a lively online debate about the results and the state of politics and the United Kingdom generally. Here is a taste of the views expressed by Star readers:
Micheal Hunt: "Let’s see the options. We have the Tories who are disjointed and unable to agree on anything. Labour are a bunch of champagne socialist misfits. No longer the party of the worker. The Lib Dems are bunch of undemocratic halfwits with policies that must have been drawn up whilst under the influence. For the Greens, 'see Lib Dems'. There is only one option for me (wait for the usual calls of racist), the Brexit Party."
Simon Wallace: "All our politicians deal in extremes. Common sense no longer exists in government. They promise things they can't deliver and blame the opposite extreme for its failures. Now we have a clown prime minister and a clown leader of the opposition. The song has come true...'Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you'."
Gill Paul: "I think Star readers must all be on cannabis. As far as I can see we have never felt more positive about the future than we do now under Boris Johnson and all he has achieved in the month he has been in power. He's given us a date for leaving the EU now be respectful enough to give him a chance to follow through. I understand the waiting is awful after the three years we have already waited in vain, but two short months to go now. Hang in there!"
Graham: "Take any survey and people will read into it what suits their own beliefs and opinions. My own personal opinion is that politicians will say and do anything to achieve their particular goal.
"A good example of this can be found in the actions of Jeremy Corbyn. On the one hand he talks about Boris Johnson is not being a prime minister elected by the people of this country yet wants to do the same thing in order to gain power himself. Hypocrisy springs to mind. What the referendum has proved is democracy is a word often used by politicians yet practised selectively."
Roger: "It is interesting that criticism of politics should have Corbyn's picture first. He has never been in power and his party has not been in power for nearly a decade but he is implicated in the total failure of government that brought us to where we are.
"He has objected, as the leader of the opposition, to all the measures basically caused by austerity because austerity is a political option not a economic necessity. He has proposed a working solution to Brexit ,ie getting out of the political Union and remain ing in the Customs Union because that sorts out Northern Island and prevents us being economically dependant on Tories chasing unicorns. But the Tories who can't support the NHS would rather spend Billions preparing us for the cliff edge."
Johny Yamyam VIII: "Only 50 per cent feel knife crime is out of control? I suppose the other 50 per cent are the ones carrying knives."
