AIBU to be totally confused (cost of living crisis)

[LittleBitHeiressLittleBitIris]

AIBU to not be able to understand/ grasp the scale of impending disaster that is building over the increased cost of living?

I genuinely don't see how millions of people with outgoings that are about to be actually higher than income is going to play out.

I'm not trying to be goady and obviously realise no-one has a crystal ball but am I missing something? Has this ever happened before in other recent times/ other cultures and what was the result. I can't even imagine what could happen.

I feel really clueless! Any ideas/ opinions/ further reading much appreciated 👍

[quote Bringsexyback]@Terfydactyl my apologies by trolley I meant the trolleys at the front of the store in Aldi and Sainsbury‘s that are filled with donations to the food bank typically it tends to be stuff thats just about to go out of date that Sainsbury’s or Audi have put in there, or junk and rubbish that people obviously do feel that those in need deserve a treat donate but they actually need dinner.[/quote]
Yeah soz I reread your post and figured I'd got wrong end of stick.
My apologies.

Still poor people need calories, if you cant afford heating then keeping warm requires calories and children of poor parents should not go without the likes of chocolate at Christmas. To be clear I give biscuits and cakes and coffee because I wish someone had given that to me when I was skint ( no food banks back then) and food banks at the time I started donating were overrun with pasta and beans and flour.
Lovely , thanks to everyone for giving, but pasta and flour require cooking, and the whole point was then and is about to be fuel poverty. Putting a pan of water to boil can mean zero heating that day. Putting the oven on to use the flour can mean no hot water.

I have emailed Amazon if anyone else wants to.
I know Amazon could give better. My idea was those who buy off Amazon could theoretically add a tin/packet of x to their order at say 30p and when Amazon had enough tins of x to make a crate or pallet they could deliver it to a food bank or the trussel trust. Or even offer to deliver a food parcel to a household.

Seriously, malnutrition in Britain in the inter-war years was so bad that there were barely enough fit soldiers for the army (this fact made people in charge finally take notice, general poverty they didn’t care so mich for). When rationing kicked in during the war, SOME groups actually had better nutrition than before the war.

My grandfather, born 1915, was around 5'7". My dad, born during WW2, was 5'11" and my brother, born 1970s, is well over six foot. Yes, there is a genetic component to the height difference but by and large it's down to nutrition. That is the physical effect of what was happening in the 1920s.

So whilst yes, we need to accept a lifestyle that is less detrimental to the planet, we really need to go forward to achieve this, not backwards. All those people saying now that it's the fault of having a too expensive car or not cooking from scratch - for some people those might be factors. But don't think that if we all tighten our belts somehow everything will be fine. It won't because ultimately, if you're sitting in your cushy job on a good wage, you're still dependent on others in the economy being able to afford whatever it is you're offering.

And just have a think about what tightening your belt means. It means you have so little money you can't eat properly and you lose weight. It originated during the great depression of the 1920s.

Quote: “ We keep being told we deserve it because we vote for Tory governments. Isn't it worth remembering that most people don't vote Tory actually.”

They have a majority, quite a large one. If most people didn’t vote for the Tories they wouldn’t be in power.
Also, people who voted for Brexit, this is on you.

@Bringsexyback as above I am in a sector legally barred from striking, and no we don't always get public support. I am also highly qualified, but continue to eye roll by all means. Your rudeness and lack of awareness is astounding.

We have been through this before, anyone remember the 70s and three day weeks? Or the 80s when base rate went up 4 times in one day to 15%

It’s just that lots haven’t, have spent what they haven’t got using cards, interest free loans, buy now, pay later and mocked people like me who save and then buy

It’s another lesson, like Covid, on how things can change quickly, and like covid we now have lots of people who, never having been through this before, will find it hard

And I say that as someone who will find finding money to pay these extra bills hard, but not impossible as I have saved because I know it’s cyclical and will happen again and again

@Malibuismysecrethome

There is a conspiracy theory that the only reason life improved for the average person after WW2 was that those in charge realised that the men who survived were hardened fighters and weapon trained and they wouldn’t stand for going back to their old life’s after fighting a World War.

And, they had the sense to vote in a Labour Government who brought in the NHS, Legal Aid, the Welfare State, Comprehensive Schools etc. That was a true attempt at levelling up.

If you vote in Conservatives, you get their policies - it's everyone for themselves 'people need to take responsibility for their own lives', and tough if you're ill, paid starvation wages, have exorbitant rents, out of work etc!

Not the concern of those with offshore accounts, links to aristocracy, enormous inherited wealth from dubious sources like slavery or exploitation of people working 18 hour days, tax evasion, sons at Eton etc.

@WhiteCatmas

Quote: “ We keep being told we deserve it because we vote for Tory governments. Isn't it worth remembering that most people don't vote Tory actually.”

They have a majority, quite a large one. If most people didn’t vote for the Tories they wouldn’t be in power.
Also, people who voted for Brexit, this is on you.

Oh go away with your Those who voted for Brexit it’s on you

I bet you blame everything on that

I think we need to acknowledge that Brexit has made us an isolated little island and limited our options and those of future generations. Not that we should be pointing fingers and blaming each other though as we really will destroy our island from the inside out.

@WhiteCatmas

Quote: “ We keep being told we deserve it because we vote for Tory governments. Isn't it worth remembering that most people don't vote Tory actually.”

They have a majority, quite a large one. If most people didn’t vote for the Tories they wouldn’t be in power.
Also, people who voted for Brexit, this is on you.

Most people didn't vote for them. A large number did, but still under 50%. They have a majority because of the First Past the Post system.

The government get 60p for every litre of petrol/diesel sold. So maybe they should reduce that down, otherwise people will not be able to put fuel in the car, in order to carry out their work, in order to pay for the gas and electric to heat their homes.

We should also stop paying energy companies to install alternatives to fossil fuels. Yes they should be fazed out, but why should we as tax payers, cover the cost of installing wind turbines, for the cost of it, then increasing the fuel charge, when the tax payer had already paid to get them in, in the first place. All agreed by the Government of course, with some back hand deal on the side, I would imagine.

Will soon be a situation like that Arni film, where those that couldn't afford, worked in the underworld, literally. In the doom of heat to supply it to all, for those who could and the cost of basics, was so extreme there, that they never saw away out.

@WisherWood

Seriously, malnutrition in Britain in the inter-war years was so bad that there were barely enough fit soldiers for the army (this fact made people in charge finally take notice, general poverty they didn’t care so mich for). When rationing kicked in during the war, SOME groups actually had better nutrition than before the war.

My grandfather, born 1915, was around 5'7". My dad, born during WW2, was 5'11" and my brother, born 1970s, is well over six foot. Yes, there is a genetic component to the height difference but by and large it's down to nutrition. That is the physical effect of what was happening in the 1920s.

So whilst yes, we need to accept a lifestyle that is less detrimental to the planet, we really need to go forward to achieve this, not backwards. All those people saying now that it's the fault of having a too expensive car or not cooking from scratch - for some people those might be factors. But don't think that if we all tighten our belts somehow everything will be fine. It won't because ultimately, if you're sitting in your cushy job on a good wage, you're still dependent on others in the economy being able to afford whatever it is you're offering.

And just have a think about what tightening your belt means. It means you have so little money you can't eat properly and you lose weight. It originated during the great depression of the 1920s.

I read somewhere that Manchester had 'bantam' regiments for men under 5ft 4 when recruiting for WW1. Tells you something about the dire living conditions there.

@fallfallfall

what did people do in the 20's; well simple meals, extra clothing and nothing new. homes were tiny and furniture sparce. people used their time making and selling. no tv, no "nail art", no phones in most homes, people added things to meat to stretch it out (oatmeal in ground beef, eggs and breadcrumbs). oil filled lamps for a couple hours after sunset and in bed by 8-9. awake with the sun. they used scraps of material to make rugs in the winter. but everyone was in the same situation (although some were very wealthy).

And child mortality rate was abysmal. And life expectancy was abysmal. And people's health was awful in general.

... are you seeing the correlation?

But yeah sure let's go back to how it was 100 years ago and pretend that's ok 👍🏻

what did people do in the 20's;

Seriously? They died. From cold, from communicable diseases that now don't threaten our lives, malnutrition was rife (any of the Rowntree or similar social and health reports will tell you that).

They had wretchedly diminished life chances because of their health.

The impact of what happened to people blighted generations to come. The geopolitical fallout was huge.

Yes, we're in a very different society now and a different world in many ways but in others we're very similar: a key similarity is the vulnerability of people in the lowest socioeconomic groups. All the oil, the wealth, the technology, and here we are again.

Will soon be a situation like that Arni film, where those that couldn't afford, worked in the underworld, literally. In the doom of heat to supply it to all, for those who could and the cost of basics, was so extreme there, that they never saw away out.

You see, I thought it was a step too far when a poster was forecasting a depression but, Total Recall?....Seriously?

In the 1920s Britain had the general strikes started when the coal miners had their wages cut by the mine owners in order to maintain profit.

This was because a drop in sales due to Germany having to give "free" coal to France as reparations for WW1 so GB couldn't sell their coal to France.,

Can't have rich people losing money (/sarcasm)

During the strikes MC volunteers stepped up to attempt to cover the strikers (sickos)

In the end the Gov gave mine owners subsidies to cover their ;lost profits so m iners would not get wages reduced

Perhaps I shouldn't be but I'm shocked at how much the government is burying its head in the sand on this. We all know it's coming and they're going to wait until the bitter end before throwing a few people crumbs of assistance.

We got our oil tank filled last week and instead of the 400-480 it usually costs....it was over £1000.

Food is so expensive too. We don't know what our electricity increase is yet but we'll find out soon and it won't be nothing.

We weren't on the bread line before, although far from comfortable. We do now have to make certain sacrifices and the option of 'saving' for things like planned is now a non starter.

It's going to spiral people into debt. 'Pay in 3' 'no interest for 30 days' 'pay day loans'. A lot of people will have to turn to these services and it's not going to end well

It's because the support system already isn't working. Even working people who are entitled to some Universal Credit, the parameters are off. So maximum you cam claim for rent is £200 less than the cheapest place available, maximum for nursery is hundreds of pounds less than the cheapest place.

Also, people who voted for Brexit, this is on you bullshit!!! A global pandemic and a worldwide gas shortage has f all to do with brexit

it's illegal in the UK to increase rent by 20% within a 12months period
Where did you get this from?

I think the comment refers to the food bank being an excess of sweet items and is a reply to your comment requested that people donate treats.

It's like this 150 rebate, to quieten the masses for revolting....so essentially in April I get my council tax taken out and put back in... that's it. One month of not paying council tax whoop de doo. That is not sufficient help! Plus for many people this 150 rebate won't even cover a month... Come on Boris and Rishi you can do better.

DGrandad used to say he and his mates enlisted in 1914 because they'd get three square meals a day in the army, more than they had at home. He was a miner doing 10 hour shifts on bread and scrape and a bottle of cold tea. And a lifelong Labour man.

We really don't want to go back to the twenties.

They have a majority, quite a large one. If most people didn’t vote for the Tories they wouldn’t be in power.

In the UK you can get into power with well under 50% of the vote. In fact, many governments do. It's because we have a FPTP system and a parliamentary democracy rather than a representative democracy. A majority in parliament is by no means reflective of a majority vote.