UK has gone to shit.

[Ilovegreentomatoes]

What is happening to the uk? No food on the shelves, the cost of living has become extortionate coupled with stagnating wages it seems this is a country where unless your in the higher income bracket you really can't afford to live anymore.
Poverty is going to be rife I dread to think the amount of people who will be choosing between food or heating this year.
Aibu to think this country has gone to shit of the likes we have not seen for a long time.
I am lower income and feel like I can't afford to live anymore.

@Ilovegreentomatoes

Main message here....If you want any hope for the future get boris and his stuck up out of touch tory cronies out.

If people want the UK to be a secure and affluent country they need to be apologising to our longstanding European allies that they have spent years insulting, and beg to be allowed back into the most successful and rich and stable trade block in human history that happens to be with other countries who are natural military allies given our shared history and values, in geopolitical terms, and which also happens to lie on our doorstep and upon which we will always be reliant for basics like food and energy, whether we like it or not.

The UK needs to wake up from its collectively insanity, get over its ego and stop acting like an embarrassing, drunk teenager. Show some contrition and elect a Government that will act in the best interests of its citizens and focus on food security, energy security, health and education.

I won't hold my breath.

@Suzi888

Humans have happened, with their panic buying ways!

I can’t see that many people genuinely having to choose between food and heating and if they are, then they need to take a good look at their expenses.
My job involves working with people who are struggling and when you sit down to look at their finances, there are astronomical sky tv packages, mobile phone packages, personal ‘grooming’ costs, cigarettes, alcohol, constant minor home improvement costs (new rugs, sofas, colour schemes etc.) Brand new cars, designer clothing… maybe I’ve been in the field too long!

And that’ was a party political broadcast from the people who brought you “we need to leav the EU because foreigners are abusing the Nhs.”

@Sneezecakesmama

I wonder if the Pandemic had anything to do with it?

So if it did, why are the European’s not having supply chain problems.

On James O'Brien LBC programme this week he spoke with a man who was a caregiver for his mam, had 2 young people at home (11 and 13 if I remember correctly) and a job.
He fed his children a can of ravioli with pasta mixed in to bulk it out.

The ex-prime minister of Finland has asked the EU to prepare to send Food Aid to the UK

This is where Britain is

@zoemum2006

We have quantifiable evidence of the damage that the dodgy Brexit deal has done to the UK. We know the costs and restrictions.

None of this was what was ever mentioned in 2016 and yet people defend it like it was spelled out to us.

I'm fed up of the crooks making a mess of this country. A country that I do really like and it makes me angry how the government are running us into the ground.

It was spelled out. Repeatedly. It was called "project fear". The startlingly accurate predictions were all there, in the public domain, well before the vote took place.

@SunscreenCentral

On James O'Brien LBC programme this week he spoke with a man who was a caregiver for his mam, had 2 young people at home (11 and 13 if I remember correctly) and a job. He fed his children a can of ravioli with pasta mixed in to bulk it out.

The ex-prime minister of Finland has asked the EU to prepare to send Food Aid to the UK

This is where Britain is

Sick man of Europe v2.0

Next stop IMF again? 🙄😂

@baroqueandblue

I know exactly what you mean about the something you can't put your finger on

It's something about the mentality of the country which is why things won't change and the tories remain polling relatively highly despite the fact we're in utter chaos.

What I would call a kind of subtle social psychosis. No accident that both media and government rely on psychological manipulation to sell papers/get elected.

Only a British person would believe it to be subtle, surely? It's painfully obvious to everyone else. Read any of the press from other countries that refers to the UK in recent years? Very embarrassing.

[quote BunsyGirl]@wherearemychickens So holidays to the US have gone up in the last two years because of Brexit…bollocks. The pound was weaker against the dollar two years ago![/quote]
The average closing price for the pound was $1.38 in 2019 it’s $1.28 this year. Did Boris write that the dollar was higher two years ago on the side of a bus and you just believed it?

@Livelovebehappy

I’m same as someone upthread - live in Yorkshire, and apart from the first day or two of panic buying with fuel, the petrol stations are back to normal. No queuing, no panic buying. Supermarket shelves seem to be fully stocked. But I agree, everything seems so unpredictable atm, and scary. Not sure that anyone else though could do any different/better than Boris. I look at opposition parties, and there’s not one of them i would say is competent enough to run the country. It just feels we have no-one to turn to to resolve anything.

Dont know where in Yorkshire you are but I am north Been away for 10 days. Went to supermarket on Saturday with a list including basics. Less than 50% in stock and for lots of stuff the tickets were removed as it was long term supply issues. Queues due to limited staff and all of the fresh counters were closed- assume staff shortages as the counter staff seemed to be doing the online orders.

@DnVLittle

Theres too many people on this little island. Government need to look after the British people b4 trying to help the world. I'm second generation born Indian/british so I'm not racist b4 anyone starts. 😂 Realistically speaking, too many people and stretched resources, and not forgetting greedy companies/businesses.

You do know Germany took in a million refugees and they’re doing ok. We took 17000 last year and we appear to be floundering.

@Ilovegreentomatoes

Main message here....If you want any hope for the future get boris and his stuck up out of touch tory cronies out.

I’m not a fan of the Tories.

Is Boris to blame for Covid? Is Boris to blame for the rise in energy prices? The answer to both of those questions is No. and both of those circumstances have had and will continue u’re to impact on all of us.

Are they totally blameless? No. Would another party have done better? WTF knows.

Am not good at linking, but there’s a good thread on here re eating on a budget. If you can afford the initial outlay, check out heated throws - having them on the sofa costs pence to run, rather than having the heating on.

If you can, team up with a few friends. If each of you batch cook some meals, share them out between you to freeze. Means you get some variety rather than batch cooking on your own.

Anyone worrying re Christmas. Do you REALLY need turkey? Maybe get a couple of chickens and some frozen veg now to put in the freezer. As long as you have the basis of a meal, then all is good. Don’t buy into the media panic, just adapt your food list to be as basic as possible. No one really needs the excess food crap that sums up Christmas.

A lot of these things are similar elsewhere at the moment. I'm on a different continent, but very similar issues. Supply chain problems, food prices have gone through the roof, the city is full of homeless people sleeping in tents with winter coming on.

I’m assuming you’ll be happy to pay the massive price increase that it will cost businesses to implement this ideal? On top of the increased energy prices etc?

The reality is that topping up low wages with benefits was always a terrible idea.

@Cazzovuoi

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Yep.

@Ilovegreentomatoes

If tory get in at the next election....well really I give up.

OP, this will only happen if house prices crash. If you look at changes in political leadership, it normally follows a tough period where house prices are affected. I don't really understand it, because if you sell your house, it's all relative if you want to move to a similar property anyway. We should be judging our leaders by people having the opportunity to get on the property ladder and not be repossessed from it, not by whether it is making landlords rich. It is hard to even rent a place now. That's pretty bad.

I'm feeling like I need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I hate preparing though, as it involves spending money I was to save. I'm sick of it. I've never seen the Tories perform so badly.

I don't want to scare people, but there was a report about long term blackouts in Lebanon, and in China some factories have three day weeks, so this is hitting supplies (I know this to be true as DB heard it direct from Chinese supplier).

What I don't understand is how the provision of energy seems to have mysteriously fallen off a cliff edge everywhere in the world. I could understand if it is just a couple of countries who aren't self sufficient, but to me this seems like a manufactured crisis and nobody is asking why.

Tories will still win next election though….the hard left are essentially sabotaging any chance Labour would have
I agree. Labour has lost its way amongst ID politics and ideological authoritarianism. They have been a terrible opposition just when we needed a really strong one.

[quote BunsyGirl]@TatianaBis Shall I say it again…2019. Never mentioned 2016. I wonder what’s happened since 2019 that’s devastated the tourism industry. I must ask my friends that work for major airlines and holiday companies…well, the one’s that still have jobs…[/quote]
I'm still not sure what the relevance of car hire in the USA has to a thread about the UK being a bit rubbish.

@Dontgetyerknicksinatwist

And I think the government’s plan to scrap the £20 uplift to universal credit is absolutely heartless. How can they possibly justify this when peoples heating bills alone are set to rise by 35%? Some people will be pushed over the edge and I’m really worried for them

Its not the government's fault. Some expensive holidays in the USA have doubled in prize. Look a squirrel.

@Burtknowsbest

2 years ago living in the south east as a single parent, in social housing and on a salary of 28k I still had very little disposable income after my rent and bills were paid. I dreaded anything breaking down that would need a few hundred to sort out and it that would take me a couple of months to catch up.

Roll on a couple of years, chronic health issues out of the blue that have left me too unwell to work and currently surviving on 985 a month UC, £700 a month social housing rent and the rest left for bills and food… it’s always been like this for those of us that live close to the edge and have no safety net but now it’s just dire… needless to say that I have never voted Tory

You get £1700 a month in benefits? And you're struggling? Heaven help us.

@Thecurliestwurly it has in part to do with U.K. snd lot of the West going green, so large gas field in Holland closing. They, now like U.K., in bid of going green when sustainable energy is not quite there yet, made themselves dependent on Russian gas

So putting our self’s in the hands of Putin

France has no power problem as they are happy with their nuclear energy

Germany is going back to coal

But the U.K. is against fracking (for example) and has no own gas fields, not much nuclear and no realistic “green” options so bingo: we are now in Putin’s hands who can do with gas prices what he wants

With the focus on green energy (which isn’t there yet) , we’ve left ourselves vulnerable and at the mercy of him

[quote MarleneDietrichsSmile]@Thecurliestwurly it has in part to do with U.K. snd lot of the West going green, so large gas field in Holland closing. They, now like U.K., in bid of going green when sustainable energy is not quite there yet, made themselves dependent on Russian gas

So putting our self’s in the hands of Putin

France has no power problem as they are happy with their nuclear energy

Germany is going back to coal

But the U.K. is against fracking (for example) and has no own gas fields, not much nuclear and no realistic “green” options so bingo: we are now in Putin’s hands who can do with gas prices what he wants

With the focus on green energy (which isn’t there yet) , we’ve left ourselves vulnerable and at the mercy of him [/quote]
True story.

Is Boris to blame for Covid? Is Boris to blame for the rise in energy prices?

He is to blame for the gross mismanagement of the former, and for the political choices that will make the latter deadly to some people.

Grow up and stop indirectly apologising for that entitled wankstain.

Apologies, I think I mis read your post about benefits. £1000 total, of which £700 is rent.

No. We are so lucky to live where we are. Look around you, look at Libya, Afghanistan, Myanmar, various EU countries if you want to get closer to home (German fears over power, Italian failed harvests, Easter European food instability) and count your blessings to live in such a stable and luxurious country. Everywhere I go the supermarket shelves are full and I go to a lot in a wide area because I shop for other people, being a carer on UC and CA. We have heating, clean water, an NHS that is able to provide non-essential and elective treatments, bin collections. We are a rich, pampered country, we really are. What more does everyone want?