is it going down the pan?

It depends on what you mean by "going down the pan". There has never been so many people employed for instance, and you have to go back to the 18th century to find an equivalent period of consecutive growth. I think people abroad look here and envy us. Why do you think Poles are coming here to work? It's because unemployment in Poland is 15% and they can't believe how lucky we are not to have to worry about this anymore. The Germans and French look at us with envy too. And the Americans suffered a recession in 2001. Who achieved this steady economy? The politicians, the same ones we grumble about! I suppose it's human nature to take recent achievements for granted and to want even more. And it's human nature to focus only on the bad things and not give credit for the good. And it's not helped by the press who like to whip up scare stories. The trouble with being discontented no matter how much you have, is that you are tempted to abandon the current stable status quo for some pot of gold that turns out to be fake. We saw something similar happen to America in 2000. they weren't content with being the sole superpower, with a great economy and commanding respect all over the world. The neo-cons wanted to utterly dominate the world - and as a result of their greed, they over-reached and they've actually ruined America's status in the world.

I think Politians in every country really think of themselves first, not sure if if its the money or the power maybe both, it would be good if they would think of the little people sometimes...