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.

We've been gaslit for decades with Tory orthodoxy that there is no alternative and Europe is a basketcase that will implode eventually. Two world wars and one world cup shit English exceptionalism because we are an island with the English language feasting out on fading post-imperial glories. And here we are with an economy that is blowing up, unaffordable housing for millions and the most expensive energy in Europe along with now the dirtiest seas and rivers. When of course you go to Europe the opposite is the case.

Oh, and 22 British PMs have come from Eton - tugs forelock doffs cap.

@ILoveAllRainbowsx Not quite the issue- the lots of jobs available issue is more to do with lots of jobs at a lower level that EU immigration was filling short term casual jobs- anyone after these jobs that is British- all Brits who can and are able to work and prepared to are working it's pointless saying loads of jobs when they aren't being filled and it's rubbish for businesses too. more jobs at a much better level? This is nothing to do with EU immigration, it's people deciding post covid they are cashing in on pensions and retiring early, or only want jobs based solely at home or are capitalising on leaving places and going freelance for a bit of flexibility and of course there are both Brits and people with EU citizenship who have thought bollocks to this and left the country- so there's a bit of that- but far less than the other reasons. I know so many of my age (60) drawing down £120k off pensions and thinking stuff this for a game of soldiers . At the better end of the job market very little of the increased roles available is due to Brexit- it would have happened anyway post covid.

Also if we have a recession won't a lot of the jobs disappear which may be in hospitality and retail for example as people start to tighten their belts

Interestingly yes I did know that. What has that fact got to do with what I said?

Biased hyperbole of the kind you’d expect from a professional and habitual critic of the NHS. The report concludes:

Overall, in our view, the results of this audit are very positive. The ambition for the NHS has been appropriately high. There has been unprecedented investment. There have been significant improvements in most areas that the Government has focused policies on. Has there been a ‘step-change’ in NHS performance? If step-change means a significant shift of gear, with more and better services, then yes there has

However, the NHS as a whole has not yet been transformed. There are still important problems to be solved and there is as yet no firm evidence to show that Labour’s reforms have produced a marked difference in health outcomes. While much of the improvement in the NHS that we describe has been achieved through central fiat and targets, it is too early to predict whether the more recently introduced tools to lever up performance – greater use of market incentives and regulation – will achieve the desired transformation.

Interestingly I was talking to an estate agent the other day and she said lenders are looking carefully at the industry mortgage applicants work in and are tightening up lending. She mentioned the airline industry as one in particular that lenders are being cautious of.

We were advised of this by our mortgage adviser last time - they were considering hospitality and retial very risky after COVID.