What's happening?

Empty classrooms in school. Empty lecture halls in universities. No trains at the stations or buses on the streets.

Across the UK, nearly half a million people did not go to work yesterday. Instead, they went on strikeWhen people refuse to work until their demands for changes have been met. , calling for better working conditions and better pay.

Some say this is a problem that can be solved quickly by offering the workers what they want.

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But others say the strikes are actually part of a much bigger problem - a crisis in the systems at the heart of the UK.

Many say Britain's system of democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people. and capitalismA form of economy characterised by private property and competition between companies. is not working. Inequality is a major problem. Some people are very wealthy. Others struggle to pay for the cost of livingThe money that someone needs to afford basic food, housing and clothes..

Some think Britain needs to completely change how it is run.

Yes! We need to get rid of the current system. It simply is not working. Britain is not an equal place.

No! The strikes are one issue and can be solved by offering workers better pay. And it is not clear if another system would be any better.