Its economy is worth roughly 508 billion pounds, which equals 652 billion dollars.

其經濟價值約為 5080 億英鎊，相當於 6520 億美元。

If it were an independent state, London would rank as the 22nd largest economy in the world, precisely above Argentina and Sweden.

如果倫敦是一個獨立的國家，它將是世界上第 22 大經濟體，恰好在阿根廷和瑞典之上。

However, London's prosperity and that of South East England is atypical for the country.

然而，倫敦和英格蘭東南部的繁榮在全國範圍內並不典型。

This small area makes up nearly half the UK's GDP while having about a third of its population.

這個面積不大的地區佔英國國內生產總值的近一半，卻擁有英國約三分之一的人口。

If one were to amputate London's output, it would reduce British living standards by 14%, just enough to slip ahead of the US state of Mississippi.

如果將倫敦的產出截肢，英國的生活水準將下降 14%，僅夠超過美國的密西西比州。

Yeah, the UK has seen better days.

是啊，英國的日子好過多了。

The last 10 years have been particularly tough.

過去 10 年尤為艱難。

Real disposable income, which is income after taxes and benefits, has remained almost unchanged.

實際可支配收入（即稅後和福利後的收入）幾乎保持不變。

The cost of goods and services has gone up.

商品和服務成本上升。

Compared to a decade ago, people can buy less with their income.

與十年前相比，人們可以用收入購買的東西更少了。

Meanwhile, productivity is low, one of the lowest of any major economy and housing has become nearly unaffordable, with the UK holding the record for the highest number of homeless people in the developed world.

與此同時，生產率低下，是所有主要經濟體中生產率最低的國家之一，住房幾乎變得難以負擔，英國無家可歸者的數量在發達國家中保持最高紀錄。

The cause for these issues is rooted in past political decisions.

這些問題的根源在於過去的政治決策。

Britain has slumbered and stumbled its way through a number of setbacks.

英國在多次挫折中沉睡，步履蹣跚。

Now, the crisis has become endemic with no quick fix in sight.

現在，危機已成為地方性問題，看不到快速解決的辦法。

When you think about it, it's ironic.

仔細想想，這真是諷刺。

The UK was the first country to industrialize.

英國是第一個實現工業化的國家。

Now, it stands to become the first to de-industrialize.

現在，它將成為第一個非工業化國家。

Seen from a larger angle, Britain's economy is on a downward trajectory.

從更大的角度來看，英國的經濟正在走下坡路。

Prices are rising too fast.

價格上漲太快。

Just recently, housing prices rose by more than £2,200 in a month.

就在最近，房價在一個月內上漲了 2200 多英鎊。

Unfortunately, this wasn't widely reported in the media.

遺憾的是，媒體並沒有對此進行廣泛報道。

Looking at things from all angles is what we do, and Ground News provides us with invaluable insights to do exactly that.

從各個角度看問題是我們的工作，而《地面新聞》正是為我們提供了寶貴的見解。

That's why we reached out to them to sponsor this video.

這也是我們聯繫他們贊助本視頻的原因。

In fact, reading this on Ground News, I can see only 10 sources covered it, which goes to show how overlooked this subject is.

事實上，我在地面新聞上看到，只有 10 個消息來源報道了此事，這足以說明這個話題是多麼被忽視。

What's more, less than 10% of the outlets were from government sources.

更重要的是，只有不到 10%的管道來自政府。

One might suppose governments don't want to talk about complications at home.

也許有人會認為，政府不想談論國內的複雜情況。

Now, our type of content is not really suitable for YouTube.

現在，我們的內容類型並不適合 YouTube。

The algorithm deems it too controversial, and so many of our videos go without monetization.

算法認為這太有爭議，是以我們的很多視頻都沒有貨幣化。

That's why we rely on sponsors to keep producing these videos.

這就是我們依靠贊助商來繼續製作這些視頻的原因。

We've personally used and worked with Ground News for years, and they've stepped up every time we needed support.

我們個人使用 Ground News 並與之合作多年，每次我們需要支持時，他們都會挺身而出。

In fact, we have our own feed on Ground News.

事實上，我們在 Ground News 上有自己的頻道。

Here, you get breaking news on geopolitics, and even blind spot stories that the media isn't covering.

在這裡，您可以獲得有關地緣政治的突發新聞，甚至是媒體沒有報道的盲點新聞。

Our missions align.

我們的使命是一致的。

So I encourage you to check it out at ground.news.com.

是以，我鼓勵大家到 ground.news.com 上查看。

I recommend subscribing to the Vantage Plan.

我建議您訂閱 Vantage 計劃。

Our link gets you 40% off.

通過我們的鏈接，您可以享受 40% 的折扣。

Keep in mind that by subscribing, you are directly supporting our channel.

請記住，訂閱就是直接支持我們的頻道。

Not long ago, Britain was considered one of the world's most prosperous nations and a world of skilled professionals seeking to advance their careers.

不久前，英國還被認為是世界上最繁榮的國家之一，也是技術專業人員尋求職業發展的世界。

Today, not so much.

今天，就沒那麼多了。

The state is under incredible socioeconomic strain, more so than people realize.

該州承受著驚人的社會經濟壓力，比人們意識到的還要大。

Three back-to-back geopolitical shockwaves have left it with a colossal debt.

連續三次地緣政治衝擊使其揹負鉅額債務。

Brexit, COVID, and the Ukraine war.

英國脫歐、COVID 和烏克蘭戰爭。

The catalyst, however, dates to 2008, when the financial crisis introduced long-lasting effects.

然而，這種催化劑可以追溯到 2008 年，當時金融危機帶來了長期影響。

Like everyone else, Britain was deeply injured, but the way it handled the fallout set it apart from the rest of the developed world.

與其他國家一樣，英國也深受其害，但英國處理危機後果的方式使其有別於其他發達國家。

After borrowing roughly 141 billion pounds to bail out British banks, the government opted for austerity measures instead of investing in fiscal and social policies.

在借款約 1 410 億英鎊救助英國銀行之後，政府選擇了緊縮措施，而不是投資於財政和社會政策。

There were no significant tax cuts or minimum wage increases.

沒有大幅減稅或提高最低工資。

There was no inflation control, no housing assistance, no job creation programs.

沒有通貨膨脹控制，沒有住房援助，沒有創造就業的計劃。

You get the point.

你懂的。

For ordinary citizens, the consequences were devastating.

對於普通公民來說，後果是毀滅性的。

Real household income dropped and then flatlined for the next 15 years.

在接下來的 15 年裡，家庭實際收入下降，然後持平。

In economic terms, this is known as a lost decade.

在經濟學上，這被稱為 "失去的十年"。

For added perspective, in 2007, the average British household was 8% less prosperous than those in Norway and just 6% behind those in the United States.

2007 年，英國家庭的平均富裕程度比挪威低 8%，比美國僅低 6%。

In the years following, the deficit grew substantially.

此後幾年，赤字大幅增加。

Today, British households sit 20% behind Norway and 16% behind the US in terms of real income.

如今，英國家庭的實際收入比挪威落後 20%，比美國落後 16%。

This drop in living standards is felt vividly among the middle class.

中產階級對生活水準下降的感受尤為明顯。

Real household income is a fundamental driver of economic activity.

家庭實際收入是經濟活動的基本驅動力。

It encourages consumer spending and improves living standards, all of which contribute to economic growth.

它鼓勵消費支出，提高生活水準，所有這些都有助於經濟增長。

In Britain, however, the government prioritized corporate interests above all else.

然而，在英國，政府將企業利益放在首位。

But even here, in the corporate world, the gains were mostly short term.

但即使在這裡，在企業界，收益也大多是短期的。

The productivity rate was left on the back burner and no significant investments were made in this domain.

生產率被擱置一旁，也沒有在這一領域進行重大投資。

For context, increasing productivity is one of the most efficient ways to grow an economy.

就背景而言，提高生產率是經濟增長的最有效方式之一。

But contrary to popular belief, improving productivity does not mean working harder.

但與普遍看法相反的是，提高生產率並不意味著更加努力地工作。

Instead, the point is to boost economic output without increasing the amount of work.

相反，重點是在不增加工作量的情況下提高經濟產出。

So when an agriculture-driven economy switches to manufacturing microchips, productivity increases because the tech industry is more profitable and has greater margins.

是以，當一個以農業為主導的經濟體轉而生產微芯片時，生產率就會提高，因為科技行業利潤更高，利潤空間更大。

Ergo, the workforce is getting more out of it for the same amount of labor.

是以，勞動力在付出相同勞動量的情況下，可以獲得更多的收益。

That's why Japan is turning farmland into factories.

這就是為什麼日本要把農田變成工廠。

It adds to productivity and ultimately improves the economy.

它提高了生產力，並最終改善了經濟。

In the UK, productivity output per capita debilitated after the 2008 crisis due to a This chart by the London School of Economics puts things into perspective.

在英國，2008 年危機後，由於倫敦經濟學院（London School of Economics）的一張圖表，人均生產率下降了。

Before the crisis, productivity was growing at nearly 2% annually.

危機爆發前，生產力年增長率接近 2%。

After the crisis, however, it weakened substantially, changing a trend that had been in motion since the 1980s.

然而，危機過後，這一趨勢大幅減弱，改變了自 20 世紀 80 年代以來的趨勢。

The British workforce now has the second lowest productivity rate among the G7 economies, whereas before the 2008 crisis, it was second only to the US.

目前，英國勞動力的生產率在七國集團經濟體中排名倒數第二，而在 2008 年危機之前，英國勞動力的生產率僅次於美國。

The simultaneous effects of sluggish real household income and low productivity explain a lot about the performance of the British economy.

實際家庭收入低迷和生產率低下同時產生的影響在很大程度上說明了英國經濟的表現。

It is essentially fighting for its life.

它基本上是在為自己的生命而戰。

Britain's lost decade happened so casually, so indifferently, that none of its political parties acknowledged it, let alone addressed it.

英國失去的十年發生得如此隨意，如此冷漠，以至於沒有一個政黨承認它，更不用說解決它了。

There was no political discourse on this subject that was affecting millions of households.

在這個影響千家萬戶的問題上，沒有任何政治討論。

But it was a crisis nonetheless, and so the discourse expressed itself in the form of Brexit.

儘管如此，這仍然是一場危機，是以，討論以英國脫歐的形式表現出來。

However, the uncertainty over Brexit made a bad situation even worse.

然而，英國脫歐的不確定性使糟糕的局面雪上加霜。

It had a particularly sharp effect on direct foreign investment.

它對外國直接投資的影響尤為明顯。

According to the Bank of England, Brexit reduced investment by 25%, measured from 2016 to 2021.

根據英格蘭銀行的數據，從 2016 年到 2021 年，英國脫歐將使投資減少 25%。

What's more, soon after Brexit, the onset of COVID exacerbated the economic crisis that was brewing underneath.

更重要的是，英國脫歐後不久，COVID 的爆發加劇了正在醞釀的經濟危機。

The government stepped in and borrowed an additional 280 billion pounds in its response to the coronavirus.

為應對冠狀病毒，政府介入並額外借貸了 2 800 億英鎊。

This was deemed necessary to get the nation through the pandemic.

這被認為是使國家渡過大流行病的必要條件。

But here's the thing, most of the COVID bailout was borrowed when interest rates were at historic lows, sitting around 0.1%.

但問題是，COVID 的大部分救助資金都是在利率處於歷史低點（0.1% 左右）時借貸的。

At the time, repayments were expected to be relatively manageable, and this might have been true were it not for the final nail in the coffin, the Ukraine war.

如果不是烏克蘭戰爭這顆最後的釘子，當時的還貸預期可能會相對可控。

The minute the Russians began their full-scale assault, access to Russian oil and gas was halted by sanctions and trade restrictions.

在俄羅斯人開始全面進攻的那一刻，由於制裁和貿易限制，俄羅斯的石油和天然氣供應就被停止了。

At the same time, an energy crisis started brewing, and the cost of living jumped across Europe.

與此同時，能源危機開始醞釀，整個歐洲的生活成本急劇上升。

The crisis hit close to home.

危機就在我們身邊。

British households were projected to pay three times the previous price just to heat their homes during the winter.

預計英國家庭僅冬季取暖費就要比以前高出三倍。

Much of the public was anxious, so the British government intervened again.

許多公眾感到焦慮，於是英國政府再次進行干預。

This time, it was one of Europe's most generous in financial support.

這一次，它是歐洲在財政支持方面最慷慨的國家之一。

Between 60 billion and 100 billion pounds in additional spending went straight into Britain's debt.

600 億到 1000 億英鎊的額外支出直接變成了英國的債務。

The damage to households was mild, but the bailout gave the UK its biggest increase in debt as a share of its GDP.

對家庭造成的損害是輕微的，但救助使英國債務佔國內生產總值的比重出現了最大增幅。

The synthesized pandemic crisis and energy crisis pushed inflation rates to new highs.

綜合大流行病危機和能源危機將通貨膨脹率推向新高。

In response, central banks ramped up the interest rate.

作為迴應，中央銀行提高了利率。

For ordinary citizens, this meant that mortgage payments went up overnight by hundreds of pounds.

對於普通百姓來說，這意味著房貸一夜之間增加了數百英鎊。

Meanwhile, for the government, the high interest rate added additional billions to the national debt.

與此同時，對政府來說，高利率使國債增加了數十億美元。

While before, debt repayments were believed to be relatively manageable, after the energy crisis, debt became increasingly expensive to pay off.

在此之前，人們認為債務償還是相對可控的，但在能源危機之後，償還債務的成本變得越來越高。

Servicing debt jumped from 40 billion pounds per year to about 100 billion pounds per year.

償債額從每年 400 億英鎊猛增至每年約 1,000 億英鎊。

That is a staggering 60 billion pound increase in spending, which is nearly the entire British defense budget.

這相當於增加了 600 億英鎊的開支，幾乎是英國國防預算的全部。

So yeah, although admirably, Britain's support to Ukraine essentially broke its economy.

所以是的，儘管令人欽佩，但英國對烏克蘭的支持實質上破壞了烏克蘭的經濟。

Britain's debt interest bill is now the country's second largest item of spending.

英國的債務利息支出現已成為該國的第二大支出項目。

The surge in debt has reduced available funds by tens of billions of pounds, limiting spending on other items.

債務激增使可用資金減少了數百億英鎊，限制了其他項目的支出。

Nearly all the country's public services are affected by it, which then depreciates the quality public services can provide.

幾乎所有國家的公共服務都會受到影響，進而降低公共服務的品質。

At its core, economics is about more than markets and money alone.

經濟學的核心不僅僅是市場和貨幣。

It is about understanding the choices people make and how demographics drive those decisions.

這就是要了解人們做出的選擇，以及人口統計學是如何驅動這些決定的。

Economics is essentially the study of people, not just numbers.

經濟學本質上是對人的研究，而不僅僅是對數字的研究。

After the COVID lockdown subsided and life returned to normal, every advanced economy witnessed a surge in the workforce.

在 COVID 封鎖解除、生活恢復正常之後，每個發達經濟體都出現了勞動力激增的現象。

People found jobs and moved on with their lives.

人們找到工作，繼續生活。

This chart shows the change in economic activity among the G7 nations between 2019 and 2023.

本圖顯示了 2019 年至 2023 年七國集團經濟活動的變化。

Britain stands out.

英國脫穎而出。

Its workforce never recovered.

它的員工隊伍從此一蹶不振。

It just stayed low.

只是一直很低。

A smaller workforce has all sorts of ripple effects.

勞動力減少會產生各種連鎖反應。

It means less taxes to pay for services like healthcare and greater expenditures on social benefits.

這意味著用於支付醫療保健等服務的稅收減少，社會福利支出增加。

It also means people have less money to spend, which hurts businesses and affects the number of jobs available in an economy.

這也意味著人們可用於消費的錢減少了，從而損害了企業，影響了經濟中的就業崗位數量。

So the consequences go full circle.

是以，後果是循環往復的。

But Britain's workforce problem goes much deeper than the missing 1%.

但英國的勞動力問題遠不止這 1%的缺失。

Officially, unemployment in Britain is low by historical standards, sitting at 4.4%, which amounts to 1.5 million people.

從官方數據來看，英國的失業率較低，僅為 4.4%，相當於 150 萬人。

But reality paints a different picture.

但現實的情況並非如此。

Britain's workforce is missing a staggering 11 million people.

英國的勞動力缺口達到了驚人的 1100 萬。

The government doesn't consider it unemployment though, calling it economically inactive instead.

但政府並不認為這是失業，而是稱其為非經濟活動人口。

The reasoning is that this group, amounting to 9.4 million people, is technically not looking for work or is available to start a job.

理由是這一群體（940 萬人）在技術上並沒有在找工作或可以開始工作。

The Office for National Statistics explains the motives.

國家統計局解釋了其中的動機。

About 2.1 million, aged between 16 and 24, are students and thus economically inactive.

約 210 萬年齡在 16-24 歲之間的人是學生，是以不從事經濟活動。

About 3.5 million of those over 50 years old are out of the workforce due to sickness and early retirement.

在 50 歲以上的人口中，約有 350 萬人因病或提前退休而失去工作。

Meanwhile, at least 1 million people, aged between 25 and 49 years, do not work because of caring responsibilities.

與此同時，至少有 100 萬年齡在 25 歲至 49 歲之間的人因為照顧他人的責任而沒有工作。

A workforce missing 11 million people is no small matter.

缺少 1,100 萬人的勞動力可不是一件小事。

But businesses need to keep running regardless.

但無論如何，企業都需要繼續運轉。

This puts tremendous pressure on the government and one way to offset the difference is by opening the borders.

這給政府帶來了巨大壓力，而抵消差額的方法之一就是開放邊境。

So British lawmakers did just that.

於是，英國立法者就這樣做了。

More people from outside the UK immigrated to the country to work with South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa standing out.

更多英國以外的人移民到英國工作，其中以南亞和撒哈拉以南非洲最為突出。

These migrant workers fill the gaps left by a reduced workforce.

這些移民工人填補了因勞動力減少而留下的空缺。

But simultaneously, the rapid and large-scale influx of immigrants has raised social tensions within the nation.

但與此同時，移民的快速、大規模湧入也引發了國內的社會矛盾。

People feel threatened by the changing ethnic demographics and some lawmakers exploit such moods to score political goals.

人們對不斷變化的種族人口結構感到威脅，一些立法者利用這種情緒來達到政治目的。

In early August 2024, anti-immigration protests and riots rocked Britain, affecting over 20 towns.

2024 年 8 月初，反移民抗議和騷亂震撼了英國，影響到 20 多個城鎮。

While the riots have peaked, addressing the origins will take much longer to fix.

雖然騷亂已經達到頂峰，但解決根源問題還需要更長的時間。

In its entirety, Britain's economic chronicle, marked by a continuous decline, illustrates how one crisis triggers another and yet another and ultimately leads to a chain of events from which there is no immediate relief.

從英國經濟持續衰退的整個編年史來看，一場危機如何引發另一場危機，並最終導致一連串無法立即緩解的事件。

This is the bed that was made and now people must sleep in it.

這張床已經鋪好，現在人們必須睡在上面。

On the plus side, every nation goes through ups and downs and the UK is no exception.

好的一面是，每個國家都會經歷起起伏伏，英國也不例外。

London is still one of the wealthiest and most innovative cities on the planet.

倫敦仍然是全球最富有、最具創新精神的城市之一。

Eventually, things will get better but until then, Britain will function like a third world economy attached to London.

情況最終會好轉，但在此之前，英國將像一個依附於倫敦的第三世界經濟體一樣運轉。

I've been your host Sirvan from Caspian Report.

我是來自裡海報道的主持人 Sirvan。

If you approve of what we do, please leave a comment, hit the like button and mayhaps share the video.

如果您贊同我們的工作，請留下評論，點擊 "喜歡 "按鈕，或許還可以分享視頻。

In any case, thank you for your time and so long.

無論如何，感謝您抽出寶貴的時間。