Anybody else feel like we are heading for an equivalent of the "winter of discontent"?

[Ihatethedawnchorus]

There just seems to be more and more talk of strikes from different areas and it just feel likes a build up of general discontent(not blaming anyone, things are bad, not likely to improve in the short term and people are getting desperate and disillusioned with good reason)

Winds in the east, mist comin' in
Like somethin' is brewin' and 'bout to begin.
Can't put me finger on what lies in store,
But I feel what's to happen all happened before.

I think we have a lot more than just the usual British grumbling coming.

Up until now there have been many people in the UK suffering - there have people living in b and bs, relying on foodbanks, existing not living. But people were happy to vote Brexit, vote Tory, smile at Boris and his 'antics' - because it didn't impact too much on them. They had a roof over their heads, could afford to heat their homes, go on hoilday, throw things in the shopping tolly wothout checking the price, put petrol in the car, buy takeout coffee, eat out. All the normal things that make life enjoyable.

Except now more and more of those people have started to notice that the price of bread has crept up and that the $80 they sed to spend in Tesco is not £100. The cost of petrol means they think twice before taking a little trip out. Their holiday was disrupted because the plane was cancelled, or because they had to wait hours for their luggage. They notice that they can no longer get a dentist and that it takes day, even weeks, to get a GP appointment. They notice that their child has had three different teachers this year and that the class is often covered by a TA. They notice that their savings made so little interest that it is now losing money in real terms because costs are going up so much.

It's easy to ignore when your life goes on the same as it always did. Its harder to pretend it isn't happening when it is your lifestyle and your ability to afford things that is being affected.

I read on the news today that Boris is making a blatent attempt to appeal to women voters with his observations on men being the ones who start wars. I hope to God women are not fooled into thinking he is on their side.

I do think that people who had in the past, written unions off as trouble makers, and strike action as selfish may be reassessing their positions. It is getting harder and harder for the 'I'm all right Jack' brigade to pretend that they are in fact 'all right'.

Sadly so many will be financially ruined Christmas will be especially shite for many.

We're on the verge of recession and I don't blame people for striking.its a perfect storm of Tories being in power for years, Brexit, covid and Ukrainian war.but Tory party is the rich people's party they don't give a shit about ordinary people.other countries in Europe aren't in the state we're in.
people need to remember this when the next election comes around

Stupid racist shortsighted bigots who voted for it will be hit whilst the self serving, rich bastards who orchestrated it are rubbing their little trotters together as they get richer on the back of it.
And my Dad can't move to Greece as he has wanted to. Cheers for that.

I support striking now because of what's coming in October with another energy price rise that's when things will be even worse

I think it's truly scary already I know people can't afford to cook properly now what will happen in the winter ? And that's just one of the bills. I'm also sick of this jingoistic crap about what a great country this is when we have food banks etc

I agree with this. The inflationary pressures are primarily a consequence of current geo politics more than anything else. The UK is definitely not doing well on inflation figures atm but I think Europe is in for a tough winter too (which is shit).

The fundamental problem is doing anything inflationary will make everything worse so mass pay rises will feed into further inflation (I am absolutely not saying people don’t deserve them). It’s basically a shit situation all round.

But I guess if people want to see unburied dead bodies start to stack up again and rats running in and out of uncollected rubbish, a winter of strikes is the way to go.

Don't blame desperate people who want fair wages and conditions for the consequences of strikes - the people to blame are those sitting pretty in their mansions who don't know what it is like to go without food or worry where the money to pay the next electricity bill will come from.

So what's the answer then ?

I guess let the rich carry on without any inconveniences

I’ve just been abroad, why on earth do you feel the need to apologise? How ridiculous. I didn’t meet any Americans apologising for making abortion illegal, or French people grovelling for Le Pens increase 🙄.

The government seem to have money for what suits their purposes

I agree too. There is no easy answer, but large pay rises will just make things worse. Someone has to pay. That means higher prices and/or higher taxes which just feeds back into the inflationary cycle. We can't keep borrowing more and more - that's partly why we're in this mess, i.e. too much borrowing over the past 20 years! We're already paying billions per month in interest on the borrowing! No easy answers, except a lot more belt-tightening.

Yes, dark times ahead...

They are quietly introducing legislation that makes a lot of normal forms of protest a criminal offence, such a “causing a nuisance”:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police,_Crime,_Sentencing_and_Courts_Act_2022

The someone paying should be those who allowed billions to be wasted on an app and similar. MPs could agree to not have subsidised meals, free gym, pay rises to show some understanding of what people are going through. The magic money tree only produces money for self interested rich power grabbers, stuff those who need food, heating and shelter.

Belt tightening? Go to the food banks and give out that helpful advice I'm sure people there aren't doing it

It's getting to the point where I don't care which party gets in next time - so long as there are some bloody grownups on the team.

Johnson, Raab, Sunak, Truss, Dories, Gove and co are ALL woefully underqualified for their roles. They are all there just because they won't give Johnson a hard time and are all liars with no regard for the country or other people.

Someone's left a bunch of egotistical toddlers in charge of a whole effing country and they are tearing everything good down just to feather their own nests. Most of all: they are actively eroding basic human rights and principles of law.

Sod them all. I hope they rot.

I’m concerned that if we have a decent spell of heatwave this summer then there’s a strong chance we’ll have riots in some cities. In the mainland U.K. it seems to be a cyclical thing where frustrations and tensions boil over on hot summers nights to the point that people (usually young men) become violent, about every decade or so. The aftermath brings communities together to clean up the mess, but often the underlying causes remain so the cycle starts again.

At the moment there just isn’t the resilience in our emergency services to deal with that. On optimistic days I remember the numbers of people who turned up the mornings after the last sets of riots, armed with brooms etc to clean up their streets and help their neighbours. On pessimistic days I’m just glad that we’re not an armed population like in the USA.

Wake up people there are people in real poverty in your country

Well done you Emma.

I'm big on health and safety - and I'm appalled by the way this has been eroded in many areas. It doesn't benefit parents and doesn't benefit kids either. People like train drivers do highly responsible jobs.

We need schools and hospitals to run also trains, I need the postman to arrive each day - a barrister if I get divorced etc. and so many people deserve better.

Certain individuals (not on this thread but right wing persons) need to stop bashing people on sickness benefits and people with disabilities or people who are not able to work currently and realise how difficult it is for some of us to function if infrastructure collapses. Nursery fees etc.

The worst example - the doctor who was on the front line in covid got covid himself and then unfortunately long covid he applied for PIP (horrendous process anyway) and was refused it.

I am older, so do remember the winter of discontent I'm late fifties - and remember the miners strike and Thatcher.

However there is also the question of what did people expect when they voted Boris in?

There is a mess to be cleaned up now - in society and many of the 'Eton boys' simply don't know how to do it. Regime change needed asap.

The reason being some of them simply have a proximity gap, never having known what it is like to have to apply for Universal Credit or wait in a food bank queue or go to a women's refuge...or suddenly be unexpectedly pregnant and not be able to cope with another child.

The schools closed down in Covid and will effectively close down again with the teachers strike. Women took up the slack at the cost of our mental health and many at burn out. And we still get up in the morning and hold our worlds together.

Time that it is made absolutely and totally clear that the trickle down theory of economics is a total fairy tale. It doesn't work.

Money doesn't magically flow down from billionaires to those at other ends of the scale.

Rant over. Thanks for listening.

Collective action such as strikes and protests are needed

This. Well said.

I’m not sure. There is so little honesty / self reflection from the brexit / Tory voters who created this mess. STILL people going on ’ oh at least it wasn’t Corbyn’ etc. they are absolutely delusional and I wonder if not actually bright enough to join the dots.