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.

@Boybandfacedfannyfart I'll take your Corinthians 13:11 and raise you a Matthew 18:3 😁

I was trying to think of some sort of helpful answer.
But cant think of one.

Sorry for your predicament and those of others.

@loulouljh what is all planned by design all I see is some people alluding to a dystopian future it’s like they want that to be reality and if it is reality what can we do ?

I know, I have to say I found TempsPerdu's post rather tone deaf too.

I agree with those saying we've had it too easy for too long. It's unsustainable. Blaming the Tory government is ridiculous - it's just as much to do with Labour. Has everyone forgotten the "there's nothing left" note when Labour vacated No.10? It wasn't a joke!

I'm with you lightand.

It shocks me that some people think this is just all down to "brexit and a Tory government".

I know Venezuelan people there's rich fat old men with young girls who they tattoo as their property. These girls should be sitting GCSES. Then there's the poor old people who've survived polio but are left with the health issues resulting from that terrible illness

Blaming the Tory government is ridiculous - it's just as much to do with Labour.

Labour hasn’t been in power for 12 years, haven’t you noticed?

Has everyone forgotten the "there's nothing left" note when Labour vacated No.10? It wasn't a joke!

It was a joke - a well established Treasury one began by an outgoing Tory chancellor. The letter recalls a similar note left by Tory Reginald Maudling to his Labour successor James Callaghan in 1964: "Good luck, old cock ... Sorry to leave it in such a mess."

Some posts on this thread remind me of those Russian spammers on The Undeclared War who sit in a room all day posting anti-UK shit on forums.

I can’t understand why anyone would think that living standards would always get better.

@Xenia
It doesn't feel anything like as bad as the 1970s - 60% inflation over 3 years - UK has 10% over a year in 2022. 99% upper tax rate 1970s. 1970s more strikes than now, 3 day week, country on its knees, power cuts. It is nothing like that now in 2022. Also we had the threat much higher than now of nuclear war. So far 2022 is a walk in the park compared with that and heaven on earth compared with world war 2 that my parents suffered

Inflation was measured differently then, Truinflation puts it at 15% now.
We had 99% tax rates since 1945, all of it on investment incomes.
Will get power cuts this winter.
The threat of nuclear war has never been higher, Iran, N.Korea, China and of course Russia.

I'll give you WW2 but then i'd take a bet and say no one on here was alive in 1939, so you may as well say "its not as bad as 1360" (Black Death)

I like to think that we improve, not hark back to some dark age.

But why should we have to tolerate a lower standard of living just because we are in Britain?

We can see what is possible - we know our peers in France/Germany/other are better off. We know Britain has the worst performing economy in the G7. We know that is a political choice this government has made - why should we just accept it?

If you're poor you do have a problem because I don't think the government are going to pickup your energy and food increases

If you're on the edge with your mortgage have leased cars and work in the private sector which can be fragile I think you could be in trouble.

If you're retired on a state pension you need to explore for the first time if any government help is available.

If you're rich well you maybe seeing tax increases.

No-one knows which way the government will jump at the moment

@Buythebag40 The country is in a far worse state than 2010.

Look at the personal and national debt?

But whatever, the Tories have been in for 12 years, plenty of time to fix things but as far as i can see, everything and i mean everything is worse... name one thing that has improved?

Jeez, we ve even got Polio back in London.

Wait until Liz Truss sells off large chunks of the UK to oligarchs. She's calling them low-regulation 'investment zones'.

Much of the early closing is due to shortage of staff - rising prices will probably mean retirees move back into the workplace and those in work will work longer hours.

I never had trouble paying my bills in the 70s, I was in a pretty average job but we rented a cheap flat and had a secure tenancy. Life's much tougher for people in their late teens/20s now.

I've never had as much disposable income as I did then. We had holidays, went out most nights, bought expensive clothes and shoes, ate out a lot and never had to worry about money. Most of us were able to buy a house well before we hit 30.

Even the power cuts and 3 day week were fine for us. Our flat had gas fires, gas cooking and gas water heating so was the place to be during power cuts. We played board games and bridge by candlelight and weren't bothered by it at all. There were occasional shortages of things, but it was never more than a day or two before you found somewhere that had it in stock.

Well, we've had a good run and it was bound to come to an end some time. The coming of the end was probably speeded up as result of too many people trusting that Rich People Understand The Economy and repeatedly voting them into power because they hoped The Rich People would make them Rich too and the Wanting Things to Be Fair People might not let you Get Rich.

I got to about page 2 or 3 but it was depressing.
I'm going to put my fingers in my ears & carry on, just as I always have done!

Happy days ahead then

I argued against lockdown due to the social and economic repercussions. Oh how I was flamed.

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.

It's the usual economic cycle. What did you all think was going to happen? That the money machine could keep printing money indefinitely.

The piper has always to be paid.

I can't think of a single thing that's better.

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.

It's worse than 70s because council services are so bad 4 weekly bin collections, our hospital in special measures 19 hours in a and e. Death rates higher. So don't get sick. Education in turmoil. Etc etc

That resources box sounds great and I'm sure her school will really appreciate it. My DD's school asked for donations of books on World Book Day - along with the books I popped in some of the things DD said they had run out of - glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, colouring pens, whiteboard markers etc. and her teacher was really thankful xx

I don't like the way some posters have said things like "yes it's bad, but we will get through it" or words like that. So that would be the British fighting spirit and the War and.....yada yada I suspect.

NO, we should not have to get through it. We deserve far better in this millenium. Standards should be raised not lowered and then tolerated with a sigh. It is so defeatist and shows a complete lack of pride in the UK.

Lowering taxes will only benefit the few. Policy needs to benefit the many.

Glad I'm gone to the nirvana of a great EU country. Not perfect but outward looking and optimistic. I could not tolerate living in the cesspool that is UK now. The weeds growing up through the cracks is a good analogy for inertia and acceptance. NO, people need to DEMAND better. And be willing to fight for it.

God awful place now. Run by the few to the detriment of the many.

Given British furlough was less generous than German furlough, why is Germany in better shape now?

Furlough is not the cause.