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.

Sorry @MiniTheMinx I quoted your reply to the post I meant to quote 😄

And yes agreed, lots of people in power conspiring, from the GOPs to the Tories to energy companies, to fleece us of our money!-which is why I've always thought theres no reason to believe in conspiracy theories like The Great Reset for this exact reason! There's enough of it going on in plain sight already...!

Lol@chemtrails- I needed the laugh. It definitely is a struggle- almost no dentists here, vital meds out of stock, people getting evicted, everyone working multiple jobs -and this is before the energy hike and recession hit. We need the cost of living to go back down. Realistically, the poorer people get, the more angry they will get with the energy companies. They would be wise to compromise now rather than be forced to by a furious nation. How they can record record profits while we all struggle I don’t know.

The heat and lack of rain we cannot do much about, but most of the other things come from the worst government in history or are made worse by their inaction.

The period of time with the higher level of Covid restrictions especially in 2020 only occurred because of delay in acting promptly (by my calculation, about a third longer than it would have been with prompt action).

The bad Brexit deal and hostility towards people from overseas or with overseas heritage has definitely contributed towards some of the staffing shortages seen.

Some of the organisations such as banks who have cut services and used Covid as an excuse could have been stopped or hindered in doing so by government.

But in the knee-jerk response to completely deny these conspiracy theories the media are also claiming the great-reset itself is a conspiracy theory.

I think our standard of living has peaked and it's downhill in the short to medium term at least. Global hysteria over a virus, the war in Ukraine and in the UK Brexit. It's a wonder things aren't worse tbh. Maybe things will pick up again if we don't have alien invasion, a proper pandemic, comet strike, zombie apocalypse or snow.

I don't understand the electricity prices. Haven't they capped them in France. Why haven't we?

It'll be tough for a while but people will keep plodding on and eventually get through it. Consumerism may have to be re-thought which is no bad thing. Humans are amazingly adaptable and rightly manage to find happiness in small things. I'm slightly apprehensive but not panicking.

All those stupid poor people, eh, so easily fooled. Not like you, with your superior intellect, that can understand things so much more clearly.

I have to ask; what is it you do with this superior cognitive ability? Test pilot perhaps, or cancer researcher?

@OldPot

I totally agree

We both work and are very worried about affording things. It's 2022 our utilities have gone from £90 a month to £160 to £270 and to go up again in October then again in January- nobody will be affording anything.

Other industries will all suffer as nobody will be able to afford to pay for essentials never mind luxuries!

It's just worrying

@MintJulia you sound amazing and so positive despite what must have been (and could be) a tricky time. Good for you! I will channel your positivity.

As someone in the latter half of their 50s I agree with this.

I have been on so many employment, Inflation and housing roller coasters. My elders will have been on more.

Central heating a TV flying abroad were for a minority in the 60s and Russia threatening nuclear oblivion. Then came the rocky 70s 3 day week, power cuts. Then came the 80s 16,% mortgage and the Russians threatening nuclear oblivion. Then came the 90s house prices tumbling inflation. Then came the 2000s thankfully a quiet decade. Then came 2010s inflation, tighten your belts no wage increases. 2020s, covid, inflation, Russia threatening oblivion. (FOR THE THIRD BLOODY TIME)

I know I'm resilient enough because we continued to save, in the so called good times because we never trusted any government who told us to spend spend spend.

@925XX so do people have to die to get to that?

Far to many people in this country,shit is going to hit the fan,
no police to protect you thanks to cuts in funding!

FWIW The Great Reset goes something like this. The super-rich has figured that the world can only reasonably support 500 million folks without toppling over into runaway climate change, mass famine, disaster and war. Since they want their families to have a world in which they can comfortably exist they are actively pursuing policies which can cause a mass extinction of the unneeded the covid 'plandemic' was the start. I haven't looked into it too deeply but it's probably another anti-Semitic conspiracy.

You will own nothing and you will be happy ..

knowyourmeme.com/memes/youll-own-nothing-and-be-happy

They aren't even hiding it !

Average uk fees under 15k for secondary?

Quite possible with other choice made

what does this mean? Most people who earn 100k tend to live in an area with expensive housing &/or an expensive commute. And people can't choose to have been born years ago when housing was much cheaper or if they have parents who help them on the ladder.

The meetings are real. They aren’t secret, and reporters who attend write about what is discussed there.

The idea that they are plotting to keep you down and establish a new world order though, that bit is all made up.

Absolutely! I wasn't even "poor" as a child in the 70s and 80s but we had so much less. DH and I could cope with much less, but I'm not sure what my teens would make of it having what they want pretty much on demand. They expect to be able to go swimming at the gym or order a takeaway whenever they fancy (much to their grandparents horror )

Haven't they capped them in France. Why haven't we?

main reason is the French wouldn't tolerate the prices, we are far more passive.

I agree. Capitalism relies on growth. If there is no growth then we return to a feudal system.

A feudal system in its infancy does not favour the rich. The rich grow out of the feudal system. Lands were given because a men killed other men. They then grew rich with economies of scale through the middle ages and then through the industrial revolution.

No growth, then capitalism collapses.

Climate change will be the main influencer of the collapse of capitalism. Be nice to your neighbour.

It goes in cycles

yes historically but we never had the boom after 08

It pisses me off when older colleagues suggest that Netflix is the reason for my predicament. What's £9.99 gonna get me? It won't even pay for the bus tickets for us all to get to the town centre, once 🤣

Netflix, Sky, mobile phone contracts. All come in for scrutiny from the ‘this is a luxury not a necessity’ police. They don’t realise that £9.99 for a subscription to Netflix or a basic package from Sky or similar are probably the only ‘luxuries’ some people have left. If we can’t afford to go out to eat, or the cinema, or any of the things we used to do before the gloom and doom set in, are we really terrible people for hanging on to a few things to make life bearable ?

I might have to move to Gransnet

I can't fathom all this takeaway malarkey.

I am the Four Yorkshiremen and the Dowager Countess all rolled into one.

but seriously...holidays? Takeaways? As a norm? I don't get it.

pp mentioned govts telling us to spend. I don't recall this but it's not a message I'd listen to.

And of course they are also to blame for similar situations all over the world. People need to get their heads out of the sand somewhat.

Far to many people in this country,shit is going to hit the fan,

too many immigrants?