Money saving expert thinks civil unrest is coming

[ivykaty44]

There was a thread on mumsnet recently about civil unrest, views seemed to be it wouldn’t happen, the British don’t protest

Martin Lewis thinks hungry cold people will protest

I think he could be correct, what have people unable to afford heat and food got to lose?

@sophienelisse

Theft of gas and electricity will increase. Those who know how to re wire meter to the mains in the street will. Which will create more accidents and so on.

Fraud will increase.

People will do whatever means necessary to ensure their families can eat and remain warm.

House insurance claims will rise for lost items etc.

People will do what they have to and at that point I think civil unrest will happen.

As soon as we have one case of a person dying from the cold or malnutrition it will all kick off.

I'm expecting an increase in house fires and people will start trying to burn wood they pick up from local parks and rubbish inside to try and stay warm.

people die from both those things all the time it just doesnt make the news, austerity and benefits sanctions has killed more people in this country then covid.

If they do protest it will be taken over by those who range from loving argy bargy to those who love violence.

as not and, people will start trying to burn things in their homes for heat or buy more dodgy usb heaters and stuff from aliexpress

There won't be riots because most people understand it is a world wide issue and not specific to the current gov, there was a lot of column inches around how lockdowns would cost us

Are you serious? It’s not about the causes, it’s about the fact that this shitty government could have done so much more to mitigate the issues. And they’ve done fuck all. Sweet FA.

Rishi blocked £500 to help. Even the other mean spirited twats in government wanted £500. I give you this photo.Because that about all they’ve done, whilst prices and energy costs are out of control.

If people decide to protest, it had better not be too noisy or disruptive or the police will intervene.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-crime-sentencing-and-courts-bill-2021-factsheets/police-crime-sentencing-and-courts-bill-2021-protest-powers-factsheet

@Justanotherlurker

There won't be riots because most people understand it is a world wide issue and not specific to the current gov, there was a lot of column inches around how lockdowns would cost us.

As is evident on this thread, the people hijacking the riots will be just the anyone but tory crowd without actually offering any practical solutions to a world wide issue.

But the government are not even trying to be seen, to be properly trying to help the issue. That is where the anger will come from.

Do you really feel that the government are on our side? Because I sure dont. And I speak as a sometimes tory voter.

@Soubriquet

Cold hungry people don’t tend to have the energy to protest either

They will try to savour what little warmth and food they have for when they need it. Not going out protesting.

Even though it’s badly needed

France 1789 Russia 1917. Lots more.

People in a lower income should be able to be warm and eat properly at the very least!
^

THIS. It's a basic human right. Food, warmth, shelter.

Can't believe we've reached the bottom so quickly. Then you get people saying, oh, just throw on another layer, it'll be fine, we survived ice on the windows.

That's not the point!

We should not need to survive with ice on the windows. We are a first world country, ffs.

KaptainKaveman

Add The Levelers and The Peterloo Massacre to that.

The fact that the need for foodbanks in the UK has become so normalised, so everyday, is an absolute reflection on the disengagement and otherness of the current government. I am in my early thirties and I can clearly remember a time without foodbanks in the UK. They appeared during the recession and never disappeared. The government thought "oh this is OK, the public and charities have picked up the slack, we don't have to fix anything now."

As for civil unrest, I am not so sure. People definitely are angry and struggling day to day. However, I think modern society in the UK has made protesting and unrest too complicated and frankly exhausting for most people to get involved. People have been beaten down by austerity, the pandemic and the general UK shit show to even consider possibly getting involved in any organised unrest. Random small pockets of unrest I can definitely see, but poll tax type riots..no... people are too exhausted and worried about making ends meet. People these days just tend to keep their heads down and go along with whatever as no one has the energy.

There won't be riots because most people understand it is a world wide issue

^

Yes, of course.

People are so understanding.

Weird how it's not an issue for Bezos, Saudi billionaires, Kate and Will, Brooklyn and his new wife, etc etc ad nauseum.

One thing about this Government - it has some Ministers who claim to be Christian. There are also Ministers from other religious backgrounds - and a part of those faiths is supposed to be the way they treat poorer people.

Sometimes I think some of them forget that.

@colosmbo

I saw this but it's not really the English way.

What about the rest of us? Bloody English-centric Mumsnet

Yep, wait for the summer. If we have a long, hot summer, I really do think things will kick off. And it could easily spread to big towns and cities across the country.

We have a generation of young people of which many feel very let down by the country’s institutions. And now they watch as their parents are struggling more and more.

All it would take would be one event to spark it off. Police brutality, a Mark Duggan type situation. More young black girls being stripped search in school. Or excessive spending over the Platinum Jubilee when people are going to struggle to feed their kids (especially if we have a hot summer break from school).

@cakeorwine

One thing about this Government - it has some Ministers who claim to be Christian. There are also Ministers from other religious backgrounds - and a part of those faiths is supposed to be the way they treat poorer people.

Sometimes I think some of them forget that.

What is the head of the Church of England saying, or doing to help anybody?

We are all cold in LadyTash house, we are ready to riot

What is the head of the Church of England saying, or doing to help anybody

I think churches have always done their bit when it comes to supporting the poor.

Justin Welby was on Question Time last week. Not sure what he said though.

@colosmbo

As soon as we have one case of a person dying from the cold or malnutrition it will all kick off.

doesn't this already happen?

It does.

Sorry I think what I meant is when it happens next it could be reported on on such a way to incite an unrest.

I'm not getting my point across very well but what I mean is that things are reported on every day and it's all reported on in ways to influence the reader.

It would take one case of something like this, reported on in a certain way, when people are struggling, to incite something somewhere which would/may have a knock on effect.

I like Martin Lewis but disagree with him on this. It's in his interest as a consumer champion to create PR and momentum but the 'cost of living crisis' as terrible as it is for many people, is a global phenomenon due to war and Covid, though made worse for us by Brexit.

@ivykaty44

There was a thread on mumsnet recently about civil unrest, views seemed to be it wouldn’t happen, the British don’t protest

Martin Lewis thinks hungry cold people will protest

I think he could be correct, what have people unable to afford heat and food got to lose?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10704763/Martin-Lewis-warns-civil-unrest-isnt-far-away-cost-living-crisis-grips-Britain.html

He warned if people cannot keep their families fed or warm then 'civil unrest is not very far off' and urged Rishi Sunak to ensure all middle income earners - those earning around £30,000 a year - have at least half their energy price rise covered this April.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Mr Lewis said the current cost of living crisis is the worst since he founded his website, Money Saving Expert, in 2003, and that he was 'scared for people'.

He told the newspaper: 'For people towards the bottom end, there’s nothing to cut back on. It is not an exaggeration to say that there are people we have to prevent freezing or starving.

'We need to keep people fed. We need to keep them warm. If we get this wrong right now, then we get to the point where we start to risk civil unrest. When breadwinners cannot provide, anger brews and civil unrest brews – and I do not think we are very far off.'

It comes after energy giants E.On last week accused Mr Lewis of 'bringing down Britain' after he urged households to submit photographs of their meters to suppliers for what he called 'meter reading day' - a move providers attributed to causing glitches on their websites.

In some
Areas
Yes
It may
Kick off but I highly
Doubt it will
In my
Area. Middle class Hertfordshire People are still Eating out and sticking it over the internet left right and centre.
Like another Poster mentioned
one woman had her 40th and has been high teas and posh meals out in Knightsbridge for at least a fortnight.

People here can afford to cut back in the odd meal out but I feel for those in minimum wage like A Lot Of My Colleagues . It's hard right now.

It's interest rises that will shock my
Lot They have been used to cheap mortgages and loans on cars for too long now. Living on borrowed funds fancy lifestyles and no safety net in place.

I agree with him and am ready to go out on the streets with my banner.

I think we might be spared unrest for now. We'll definitely see riots if we have a heatwave though but that's fairly common (I wrote an essay about heatwaves and riots) However, the shit really will hit the fan if bills go up again in October. We are going to see poor health caused by excess cold and an increase in damp and mould and poor health caused by that. I see a lot of poor quality housing full of mould in my job. Sometimes it's caused by disrepair and other times it's caused by condensation. How the fuck can we advise people to heat their homes more when it's condensation issue? I'm really worried for our poorer members of society. I'm not exactly flush myself but I'm better off than many.

So do you really think cold and hungry people in a first world country will quietly get on with their lives? And just disappear into the ether?

Because l don’t.

Unions can’t do much in general but added to that their members probably can’t afford to strike - so we struggle on. The big hit on bills hasn’t really impacted the majority of folk as much as it will when 2-3 DDs have left the account and the 150 rebate has gone - plus after October of course.
I would like to think we will protest properly but I’m not sure - far too many folk smugly saying it was fine to live with ice on the windows - it really wasn’t and definitely isn’t now there’s an alternative- I think we’re in general too stuck in acceptance of our lot for many reasons. I would think either platinum jubilee will annoy folk - a brexit celebration definitely would - but otherwise I’d say august onwards if anything large scale happens.