This country is experiencing a decline in national morale like no other

When you speak to normal people, they display a sense of hopelessness: that we are in an accelerating downward spiral and there’s nothing we can do about it, writes Ed Dorrell

At best, the country feels discombobulated, at worst it feels febrile (EPA)

“There’s nothing we can do. There’s nothing they [politicians] can do. It’s all out of our hands.” Thus spoke one exasperated electrician when asked in a very recent focus group whether Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was a better option than the Conservatives.

The other participants jumped in immediately. The anger was palpable, both about the state of the country and the seeming inability of elected officials to do anything about it.

This focus group was not a one-off. In research exercise after research exercise, my colleagues and I have found people at their wits’ end.