It’s not looking good is it?

[User15384]

Cost of living crisis
Choice between heating v eating
Pound dramatically falling
Higher interest rates
NHS on brink of collapse

And now the warning of a flu-covid “twindemic” this Winter

It’s all quite overwhelming and sad and seems to be never ending 😞

I*m getting on a bit and have been around the block many times OP. If it's any consolation my attitude is 'meh' to the whole situation.

I've lived through better and I've lived through worse and I'm not going to get stressed and sad because what is the point*

Well I’m 58. I’ve never known anything like this. So you must be much older than me.

@SarahSissions If that was true, then the IMF would not have issued a warning to the UK to reverse its economic policies and the Head of the Bank of England would not have said the government policies are undermining the bank.

The IMF and the Bank of England being so openly critical is a very big deal.
Trying to pretend this is fake news does not wash.

What pisses me off is the 'Labour would be worse', 'Labour had the winter of discontent', 'Labour bankrupted us during the 2008 financial crisis' (due to that letter, that was supposed to be a joke).

Meanwhile, under various Tory governments we've had the three day week, miners' strikes, the high interest rates in the 1980s, the 1990s financial crisis, the complete lack of growth in the 2010s and now this.

To be fair to both sides, a lot of the issues were due to global problems and could have happened under any government. Yet still the Tories are seen as the party of stability and fiscal responsibility, and people won't vote Labour because they assume a Labour government will mean high national debt, lots of borrowing and a poorer economy.

For anyone who hasn't already read it, I highly suggest looking at this- www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2021/06/24/the-tories-have-always-borrowed-more-than-labour-and-always-repaid-less-they-are-the-party-of-big-deficit-spending/

Then see if you still want to say that Labour are irresponsible with the economy.

I’m 69 and this is by a long way the worst I’ve ever seen. Nobody younger than about 85 can remember it being worse.

And the last time things were so bad is when the UK government had to get a bail out from the IMF. We are heading that way again. You have to go back 60 years to find a time when things were this bad.
It is sheer financial incompetence from the government.

@antelopevalley the IMF have been criticised over being overly political and overstepping their remit on this. They are an incredibly partisan organisation.

Well thank fuck I didn’t avoid the news as keeping update led us to making a very wise recent financial decision that would have other wise cost us hundreds of pounds a month.

Burying your head in the sand doesn’t work.

Why can't people look back and see how much better life is now than over the last 50 years?
17% interest rates are bad.
Power off for days at a time.
Ice on the inside of your windows.
No Central heating, just a coal fire in one room.
People couldn't afford to run a car.
12% unemployment, I think not sure but it was this high.
And the strikes, I remember those, they were bad.
People couldn't afford to run a car, so you shopped at a very small corner shop if you were not in a town.

Where’s the criticism? I haven’t seen any. More gaslighting.

I feel ok actually. Off for a mini break with my children shortly (single parent), nice part time job, careful with money but don’t have flash tastes or debts, amicable relationship with ex who never ever waivers about child maintenance. So I feel pretty ok atm. Reining things in ie I’d love to splurge on pair of Russell and Bromley boots that I’ve coveted for ages but realise that at this time would be daft and reckless. Anxious about mortgage renewal next year but…. Well I suppose my innate optimism and positive outlook on life sees me through this kind of time (I have had far worse in the past involving bereavement and financial concerns aren’t a patch on bereavement)

I also try to avoid some of the news.

@perenniallymessy I totally agree. 2008 was genuinely an internal financial crash event and without warning. Brown and Darling worked overnight to secure the banks and then we're fully on the scene next day to discuss- you know- like grown ups!!

And if they want to go back to winter of discontent , well it's a bit desparate going back to70s - can we call this Autumn of discontent??

Seriously, me and my child were ill with viruses from February - August this year. I am praying I have gained some immunity because I am at the end of my rope with it. Vitamin C lipsomal and high dose of Vit D - 4000 IU is highly recommended. Do not have any advice for the other shitty situations though!

17% interest rates are bad. Yes
Power off for days at a time. Didn’t happen, it was hours at a time
Ice on the inside of your windows Going to happen again.
No Central heating, just a coal fire in one room. Would happen again if people still had fireplaces, as it is they’ll freeze
People couldn't afford to run a car. Some people still can’t, that number will increase
12% unemployment, I think not sure but it was this high. Could easily happen again, employers are already closing businesses because they’re losing money
And the strikes, I remember those, they were bad There are going to be a LOT more of those
People couldn't afford to run a car, so you shopped at a very small corner shop if you were not in a town Still happening

Next?

Scaremongering - The spreading of frightening or ominous reports or rumours.

@Bearsan

It's scaremongering if it's not true. This is true. It's happening right now.

Gaslighting - making someone seem or feel unstable, irrational and not credible, making them feel like what they're seeing or experiencing isn't real, that they're making it up.

@Blossomtoes I’m 69 and this is by a long way the worst I’ve ever seen. Nobody younger than about 85 can remember it being worse.

I would challenge that. I'm nowhere near 85 and can remember the "Winter of Discontent" - which we survived BTW.

For those too young to remember -
The Winter of Discontent was a period of unrest, mainly centred around strikes against unfair wage restrictions, accompanied by storms that occurred during the winter of 1978-1979 . James Callaghan, Prime Minister (Labour Party) during the Winter of Discontent, had put restrictions against wage increases into place in an attempt to combat inflation- a limit of 5% on wage increases. Some trade unions did not agree with the wage restriction, nor did a lot of union workers (which was over half the total workforce), so many ended up striking from November 1978 to February 1979. The strikes consisted of, but were not limited to: Ford Motor Company employees, drivers who transported goods, and even healthcare workers from around the country. The effects of these protests were amplified by the weather; the coldest UK winter in 16 years.
While the Winter of Discontent was certainly terrible, it was not as bad as some make it out to be. A common myth even today is that there were “bodies lining the streets”, food shortages, and rubbish piled high on pavements. Why? Because history is written by the victo r- Thatcher and the conservative party had sided themselves against these protests and won the office of prime minister after doing so.

@Blossomtoes

😂 that's all just your opinion, not fact! 😂

'Next'....like you are some authority on the subject, hilarious!

I remember it too. Try reading the last paragraph of your cut and paste @MrsHarrisgoestoTimbuctoo

I am sure the government have criticised the IMF for what they said. The reality is the IMF extremely rarely say anything about government financial policies. The fact they have shows how serious this all is.

@Blossomtoes Try reading the last paragraph of your cut and paste.

Which part in particular do you refer to?

People can keep on saying like Trump that this is all fake news. But people can see what is happening. Even if the government banned all media overnight we can still see ourselves the soaring food and energy costs and empty shelves. These are everyday realities.

And anyone who watches any news knows that UK finances are in a total mess at the moment. The head of the Bank of England has publicly said government policies are undermining the bank. That is bloody major.

Short term this is going to be very bad but I am also worried about the long-term effects of this whole mess.
Thatcher's government sold off social housing and the effects of that are still being felt today. This government appear to be demolishing the NHS among other things, what will the long-term effects of that be? It won't be good.
I do try not to give it too much headspace but I don't believe in burying my head in the sand either. There's a fine balance and it's not easy to reach it.

Loo roll crisis - covid?
Petrol shortage - War in Ukraine and opportunistic profiteering by oil companies along with supply chain issues

Honestly you think if there was no media there would be no wars or global pandemic? What a world you live in.