Collapse of normal life

[OldPot]

It feels to me that this is what is beginning to happen. Spiralling bills that surely only the well off can pay, shortages of things we all took for granted (2 of my mum's regular medications are out of stock, no chemicals for the local swimming pool, things opening for a few hours instead of all day (post office, banks etc), NHS on its knees, many other services just not running as they should). Plus the sodding infernal heat and drought this summer.....

And yes I know we are luckier here in the UK than many, many others countries.....but I just feel there is no turning back to life pre-covid.

@threadneedle We also have stopped shopping from the UK. The only time I buy British is for sending gifts in country to family in the UK. Been stung one too many times with admin fees from the postal service for receiving anything from the UK from friends and family as well, even gifts that are correctly labelled and below the tax threshold. This means family mostly give us money to buys gifts from in our country of residence or rest of the EU. Brexit is such a shit show. The gift that keeps on giving.

It is very difficult to hear about the experiences of friends and family in the UK in regard to schooling and healthcare. A recent conversation with FIL involved him interjecting with "A GP, what's one of them? We don't have those anymore in the UK".

It's almost like austerity, combined with Brexit, combined with Covid, had consequences. Who'd have thunk it? Maybe we couldn't have done anything about Covid, but the former two were self inflicted. I seem to remember lots of warnings that both austerity and Brexit were bad ideas at the time, but they were dismissed as "project fear". Add to that the decades long privatisation experiment of essential public services, which we now know to have failed (which spanned numerous governments, but is a largely Conservative ideology), and we are where we are.

@Buythebag40 So what would you have those of us who do have sufficient resources actually do then? Not volunteer, so we can’t be accused of being a ‘busybody’ or a ‘do-gooder’? Not donate resources or money so we can’t be accused of being smug? Just shake our heads, quietly go private and not engage with public services?

I know plenty of people on similar incomes to ours who literally have no idea what’s going on in wider society, or who couldn’t care less because they don’t read the news and live in a comfortable middle class bubble. But have an opinion, or try to be a bit more proactive and it’s like that old saying: if you have a bit of money and complain about poverty you’re a champagne socialist; if you don’t have money and complain about poverty it’s the politics of envy.

And totally disingenuous to try to pin this disaster on Labour imo. The pandemic and geopolitics obviously play a significant part, but ultimately this is the Tories’ fuck up and they need to own it.

I wish they'd given our household that 80K , could've set us up for a very long time on that! Struggling to understand the aount given we also get charged for pretty much everything we use as well!

You don’t have to just accept it. You could be as productive as the average German worker, and you’d be worth more to your employer.

Another option would be to move to Germany for a few years, and earn the same as them that way.

So few understand how serious it is. Democracy is under threat across the world.

Oh have a

German workers are more productive because of the state investment and business investment - Germans are not magically better workers. What a stupid idea.

I will not move to Germany. I love this country. You might hate this country and be happy to see British workers living in poverty, but I want better for my country.

I will continue to campaign for better for British workers. You be a door mat if you like.

I don't think things are too bad here, but one thing that did shock me was my DC's dad phoned for an ambulance the other day as he'd dislocated his shoulder and was told it was an 18 hour wait - never come across that before! (Luckily he managed to get it back in himself.)

I mean certain things were getting run down even pre-Covid. One thing being all the Children's Centres that the Tories closed. When mine were young we had a fabulous purpose built centre open. It was a fantastic resource. Lots on at reasonable prices, a brilliant breastfeeding group that had a significant effect on breastfeeding rates in the area, midwife appointments and baby weigh, lots of outreach work and holiday activities for school age DC. It's now closed. Over the 10 years it was open it gradually had to reduce staff and activities due to funding cuts. It was very sad. And of course it just pushed families onto mental health services and children's services that were over run as it was.

It feels bleak at present! Shortages in shops , places closing early not open for as long banks, chemists, library. Never ending price hikes! Polio announced in London what the heck how can that be?? It all feels broken ...services can’t cope with the demand schools, hospitals. We are overcrowded too it’s a fact ...something has to give!

I was shocked by the polio thing. I swear it was only a few years ago that they thought we were getting close to the point where it could be declared eradicated. Now I'm wondering if the shots I had as a small child are still working 60+ years later.

You should be shocked that other countries using inferior polio vaccines have allowed this to happen. This is going to become a growing problem in many developed countries. Be grateful the UK uses safe and effective polio vaccines and our genome sequencing technology is world class.

I want to see British workers being well paid, but in exchange for producing value to their employer. You don’t seem to think that the second part of that need apply.

Yes, sure start was really inspired. There were the child trust funds as well, another Labour policy to show support to British children. It was such a different time.

Am increase in productivity doesn't come about by individual workers working harder, it comes about by investment in technology, infrastructure, and education, to enable the workers to be more productive. So I'm sorry, but the employers (and the government) have dropped the ball when it comes to increasing productivity. If they want that, they need to invest it in.

We are really comparing the future with what life has been like since WW2. There have been 75 years of solid growth mainly driven by the US. Forget the little dips along the way. Growth was possible because people could be part of that chain.

Now we no longer have a global economy. It was going to happen at some point and Covid was the trigger. We no longer have room for expansion. We now have scarcer resources and the world just got a lot smaller.

This isn't about comparing inside loos with outside loos in the 1950's. This is the backdrop that will influence how we live in future. We have to learn to live with less and those that can adapt will survive.

I think that most people are ignoring it and hope to goes away.
From what I have seen in my area people are carrying on as normal.
Everyone I know still goes on nice holidays. Coffee shops are always full.
Still a big queue for the really expensive ice cream man in my local park.
Kids still doing loads of summer activities.
Friends still inviting us out for meals and night.

I think most people are in denial. Yes they complain about prices in supermarket and energy bills but I don't think it has truly hit us all yet!
I think it will be another six months before things get worse and they people think shit, maybe I shouldn't have spent that!

I'll w(h)ine if I want to. When are Kate or William going to visit a food bank or a council estate to show that they 'care'. Or was William's cosplaying a Big Issue seller that? It's at times like this that one realises that they matter to most people the square of fuck all or that as Johnson prepares to stuff the Lords they are part of the problem, not the solution.

You're talking absolute nonsense. Why do you think Germany has higher productivity - are you suggesting Germans are better workers than Brits??

If you knew the first thing about industrial policy you would know that the whole German economy - state, businesses and workers - combine to drive their higher productivity.

I personally consider myself well rewarded for my work, so have no personal complaints. The economic facts on German/British productivity speak for themslves.

Another option would be to move to Germany for a few years, and earn the same as them that way

Well that's a nice idea but no longer possible following Brexit.

We knew things would be difficult following covid. What we hadn't bargained with was Putin deciding to invade Ukraine and send the gas prices spiralling.

However, we also know that Brexit hasn't helped one little bit, but I think the bigger problem is the useless government (which of course is also a consequence of Brexit).

But back in 2010, someone wrote an article about the Tory-run council in Kensington (I think, it might have been a different London borough) and warned about Cameron and Osborne and their policies. And he was right. This all started with them. I agree it's disingenuous to blame Labour (I don't vote for them either) - the financial crisis was a global one (though people had been saying for years that funding your lifestyle in your credit card wasn't a good idea and they were right).

You don’t have to just accept it. You could be as productive as the average German worker, and you’d be worth more to your employer.

lol, that's not how productivity works..

I have shopped at Aldi since Aldi! It's always been fine, that sounds like very bad luck.

Society wanted furlough and was incapable of interpreting the stats. You reap what you sow and I said then I wanted no whining when the consequences became apparent.

this is such an illogical argument because other countries also had furlough. Also the idea that if you do go with lockdown & stop people working & earning that these same people will sit at home happy as larry without money is plain idiotic.

Fuckin 'ell!
How come our european neighbours are not facing the shite storm we are then?

My friends in EU still get an ambulance, crime solved, healthcare, full super markets.

Course we still have a global economy & looking at the state of our infrastructure here in the UK, plenty of room to expand.

We improved because we, more or less, acted together, that has gone with inequality - look at what a Director/Council chief/Vice chancellor earned (average) in 60s 70s and 80s and in the 2010s compared to the average joe?

Are you fan of Mad Max? "Those who adapt will survive" ('said in deep serious slightly Aussie twang)

Yes in most European countries ambulances still turn up and they still have police forces.

I am so cross so many British people just accept this shit.

The UK is an illusion. It really is rather shit compared to its European counterparts.

Yes, sure start was really inspired. There were the child trust funds as well, another Labour policy to show support to British children. It was such a different time.

I agree.