To be fed up of hearing 'just get on with it'?

[glitterpaperchain]

This kind of 'just get on with it' RE the heat is all over Facebook. People talking about the heat in 1976 and saying 'we just got on with it' or 'we muddled through' (as if people didn't die as a result of that heatwave)

My issue is - shouldn't we as a society be aiming higher than just getting on with things and muddling through? We should be campaigning for better infrastructure, better working practices.

I just think we have all this technology, we're supposed to be a rich country, let's fight to make things better rather than just managing. What happened to the spirit of the first union workers who demanded better conditions and rights? I want to see that spirit back.

I remember 1976 and 1975, which also had an extended period of hot weather. I was a new teacher and I don’t think it was ever suggested the school should close. I don’t recall it being unbearable, but maybe that’s because I was young.

Perhaps we should think very long term and think about changing the working day to be more like the continental one. Hard floors in houses, shutters, natural fabrics, adjusting how we operate at various times of year.

I’m not suggesting anyone should ‘get on with it’ but we do need to adjust our way of living.

We ARE a rich country ...hence one of the reasons we are in tbe G7..but it's disparity of wealth that is the real issue . Some people have so much dosh they don't know what to do with it , others are scared to even heat their homes in winter.

So what do you suggest for today then?

If you had power to change everything would everyone be having a day off today?

It sounds like you are saying chefs and care home staff should have to work today

Its a few days a year max here the high temps are and issue. If you struggle with the heat that it makes you ill you would not be wrong in phoning in sick and taking personal responsibility to keep your space cool. Problem solved

I live in a hot country so I find it hard to understand. The temperatures are hot but not that hot. I went to school without air conditioning 20 years ago and it was just normal. I'm sure I wouldn't cope with the cold so I understand it's all relative but I really don't understand the level of fear and concern. Is it because our buildings are different that the temperature is felt differently or something?

1976 was a dry heat, it was hot but bearable, this heat is hideous.

For me it was the late advice not to go into work, really annoyed me after I'd bought train tickets and booked my hotel all at my expense.

Last year I came close to getting air conditioning, if I hadn't been thinking of selling up I'd have installed it. Still haven't put the house on the market but def moving, so no air con this year, but new house will have aircon.

We need to adapt our houses at least...

People talk about just 'getting on' with things such as a heatwave because there are many more important things we could be thinking about to improve society. It's disproportionate to get enthusiastic about restructuring our whole infrastructure and culture on account of what is essentially four days a year of hot weather.

It is a lot hotter than 1976 and it is humid whereas 1976 was a dry heat. If you sweated, you could cool. With this heat and humidity, it is scary as if you get hot, you can't get cool so easily.

I don't agree we are a rich country. If we were, the infrastructure we have would function well but nothing does function well, The Police, courts, water companies, imiggration,jails, electricity companies, the NHS, GP surgeries, massive waiting lists, the railways, services cut to the bone and/or totally disappeared, the roads are more pothole than road, the COL crisis and the government is shocking too.

On reflection, I should have made my OP clearer. This sort of 'just get on with it' attitude is something I've been noticing for a few years now, and I've been wondering where that old fashioned British labour union spirit has gone. So seeing those attitudes during this heat was just a recent example.

However I didn't really make that clear in my OP so this thread is mostly just about handling the heat 😅

It’s expected that this is the new normal sadly

We are a rich country, but the people don't see any of that wealth, so to most people it doesn't feel like a rich country. The wealth is there though, hoarded at the top and untaxed

In 1976 most things worked most of the time. That's a huge difference.

Yes, but you need to read to the end of the sentence. That's the hottest day in June.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_weather_records
5 of the ten hottest days on record have been this decade. They were all above 36.7, hotter than any day in 1976. All but one of the hottest ten days have been since 2000.

Global warming is making temperature hotter, and fast.

I've been told I'm over-reacting to 'a but of warm weather'. I have got a medical condition that makes me more sensitive to heat plus I take 3 different medications that make me feel the heat more and one of them blunts my sense of thirst, which is not a good thing on very hot weather! To quote a cliché 'We can put a man on the moon.....' but even with all the amazing technology we have nowadays,it seems to be beyond the abilities of the powers that be to help people who really ARE suffering in the extreme heat.

But @Ablondiebutagoody it's not just a few days is it? It's months of flooding, disruption, literally crumbling infrastructure, no dentists, pressure on school places....on and on it goes.

Four days Do you always have trouble with maths

We're set to have had roughly four days of temperatures over 35 degrees. Or are you one of those in a flap whenever it's over 20?

I agree with you OP. It’s fine for some to ‘just get on with it’, but for others, the heat is detrimental to their health. And these heatwaves are only going to be more common as time goes on.

I live in Canada where we typically experience gross heatwaves a couple of times a year. The councils now set up cooling centres for people and water spray zones so people can cool off. People receiving disability benefits are also entitled to a free portable air conditioner and I’m thrilled that our taxes go towards that scheme. Many of us have heat pumps (standard in many new builds now), but we are facing an infrastructure issue in that power grids just weren’t designed for that many buildings to have them, so that’s a consideration. I don’t know if any country has quite mastered the art of heatwave survival yet.

Tree roots grow as wide as the trees height, so if they are post stamp gardens then it wouldn't be wise to plant big trees. Also not all would want their small gardens covered in shade. I wouldn't, but if I did then I could plant my own tree. Why should the developers need to do that

Yeah, Maggie’s “long term view” worked really well in terms of selling off council housing.

I was 18 in 1976 and it was the summer of my life, loved every minute of it!

I'm 68 now and take a different view.

Of course the world is heating up and of course we need to plan ahead. I agree with a lot of folk on here.
I haven't really been aware of 'just get on with it' . Most people i talk to realise that we have to start put making changes.

Im retired, but I'm not sitting at home in a cool room as someone mentioned up thread. I look after small grandchildren and its bloody hard work in the heat at my age.
Yes I agree that we need to aim higher. But it will take time with the shortage of money I'm afraid 🤷‍♀️

Our infrastructure is mostly privatised, which means profits go to shareholders, rather than back into that service.

It also means we are no longer a rich country because everything got sold off for a fast buck.

Thanks, Tories.

Edited to say that I’ve just spotted a post saying this wouldn’t happen under Thatcher. She was the one who sold it all off! 🤦‍♀️

Don't be ridiculous. Have you no understanding of how heat affects the body and that if you have lung or heart conditions? Many people will end up hospitalised this week and some will die. Is that not enough to be dramatic in your book?

We clearly need to add more Cooling tech to homes. All new builds and workplaces at least, as well as school buildings.

And what was the last week of May then?

I don't remember 76 being as hot as it is now,but then I was young and fit then!