To think the country is b*gg*r*d, and life as we once knew it is over?

[RejectedFleece]

Just that really.

This type of hyperbole isn't helpful.

Have you travelled Op?

For me its much more important than that, we have ever increasing poverty and more children in poverty, we have huge huge delays in waiting lists at all levels of the NHS, we have failing health, social and public services due to lack of investment, we have a broken housing system

This are my concerns

Why is everyone so okay that things are going backwards?

God knows

Why the fuck do we work five days a week if we can't even afford a holiday?

Some most long for Dickensian times!

Are we comparing ourselves to backward countries now and congratulating ourselves that we're not quite that bad

Well yes, quite. That's why we shouldn't just roll over and accept it. Its bizarre to me people just saying ah well poverty is okay. I imagine it's people who haven't ever experienced it.

We were poor during the "glory days" too. It was shit then and I thank my lucky stars we had our child when we did because we would be sinking in that position right now. Its not okay. Two ft wages should not put a family in poverty. Something has to give.

We need to bring in euthanasia and be done with it. There’s so many people here who don’t want to be.

Yep it seems they do. They'll be suggesting we bring back the work houses next.

No, this just the ups and downs of life. It's no worse than the unemployment of the early 1980s or the negative equity of the mid 90s.

The only different thing that could end life as we know it that it coming is climate change.

The economy will adjust, the sun will still rise, life will go on.

Or Russia nuking us.

I agree and it's very unsettling.

Lizzie , Who can get a grip though?
Starmer looks terrified at the prospect of taking on all shit too ( if he doesn't get the boot by a fixed penalty notice that is)
I didn't know about the billions that wasn't factored in for the benefits bills either , that is bad :( how on earth did that happen?
Keep on borrowing isn't a good idea either.
It is so grim but they also want tax cuts too!
I just don't understand how it all works , but I know it's not good.
Plus we are in for a heatwave too and I hate it too hot 🥵
It is depressing and like many people I feel a bit down about it all tbh

True I stopped listening to the radio on my commute and started listening to audiobooks instead, stopped watching the news and just read headlines once in a while, and I'm much less stressed and feel on an even keel emotionally.

Its probably quite easy to say that if you're not wondering how to feed your children or heat your house, isn't it?

We have it not too bad here, many countries are in a much worse state than we are. Last week in Spain 16 paracetamol cost £6, bananas £1.80 a kilo ( if you can find them) and as for eating out, not a chance, a meal that was £15 a head 3 years ago is now £35

I do understand that because I tell my OH off for 'doomscrolling' as they call it

But at the same time, that switching off leads to complacency and apathy and leads to the political system just carrying on as is, nothing being challenged or improved. I personally think this is what lead to brexit, people simply didnt understand what they were voting about.

I find the paracetamol hard to believe, I ended up needing prescription antibiotics in Spain last week and they didn't cost much more than that!

Where were you in Spain? A few weeks ago my partner popped into a chemist in Madrid and paid the equivalent of about a quid for paracetamol, food was very cheap in the supermarkets too, and also eating out.

Yep it seems they do. They'll be suggesting we bring back the work houses next.

I assume they won't be having to go there but have no problem with others doing so.

Food is cheap in this country though, as a percentage of incomes we spend much less on food than many other countries and than here in the past. Wages went up much faster than food prices over the last half a century or so.
The price rises now are still going to be difficult for people with absolutely no spare income, but that's because housing costs, fuel and other essentials (and not so essentials but things we are so used to they feel essential) have risen a lot more and take up a higher proportion of income. Food is still cheap here.

I was paying 14% interest on my mortgage in the 90s. Food was also a bigger proportion of my income and inflation was around 10% in 1990. And 25% at some stage in the 70s.

It's crap - but it has been worse
__

Oh pish. All my life I've seen big drama on the news...life goes on very much as before. If I didn't watch the news I would have remained oblivious to 98% of it.

Yes, it will right it's self in the end ! Don't despair just vote vote and vote some more

@bellac11 I know you weren't asking me but we were in Majorca and it was just as cheap if not cheaper than the UK food wise. I don't recognize the experience of the pp, they must have stayed somewhere much posher than me

Food is cheap in this country though, as a percentage of incomes we spend much less on food than many other countries and than here in the past.

That was my point. Food is going up in price hugely because food prices had been kept artificially low for years.