View Full Version : Cost of living: solved
Just get a job...
https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/17/tory-mp-says-the-best-way-to-deal-with-rising-energy-bills-is-to-get-a-job-16295485/
...or, if you're a Tory MP, presumably get several jobs. (Boris has just reneged on his promise to limit MPs having second jobs).
Naturally I wrote to my MP suggesting he informs Boris what the word "promise" actually means because I don't think it's taught at Eton. :)
EssEllTwo
18-03-22, 10:15 PM
I knew I was going wrong somewhere. How does one get a "job" then? should I ask Pater if one of his Eaton chums can help me out?
years ago the media and Gov turned the public into "benefit claimer" hatters. now some of these people that threw stones have been made redundant there is a bit more sympathy so MP's now get the slating they deserve.
its a funny old world at the moment. could be worse it could be the 70's.
svenrico
19-03-22, 09:54 PM
years ago the media and Gov turned the public into "benefit claimer" hatters. now some of these people that threw stones have been made redundant there is a bit more sympathy so MP's now get the slating they deserve.
its a funny old world at the moment. could be worse it could be the 70's.
Yes, the 70's had their problems, but at least we didn't have a bast*rd like Putin then.
Yes, the 70's had their problems, but at least we didn't have a bast*rd like Putin then.
ermm Mao, Brezhnev....
difference is back then you had the TV, Newspapers and Radio that was all controlled and spoonfed propaganda. no internet...
It's only taken 12 years...
https://news.sky.com/story/cost-of-living-sunak-pledges-to-cut-16355bn-in-wasteful-government-spending-12570830
How about paying MP's by results? When poverty is on the decline, living standards on the rise and the national debt is dropping, then they get paid.
ermm Mao, Brezhnev....
difference is back then you had the TV, Newspapers and Radio that was all controlled and spoonfed propaganda. no internet...
Then Idi Amin and Pol Pot ......
then Yugoslavia, Rwanda, .......
svenrico
21-03-22, 12:00 AM
ermm Mao, Brezhnev....
difference is back then you had the TV, Newspapers and Radio that was all controlled and spoonfed propaganda. no internet...
I would rather have the BBC than propaganda fed to the Russian people by Russian state controlled tv .
Dragging this back onto a cost of living related subject...
Food banks:
"Leading foodbank the Trussell Trust handed out 41,000 food parcels (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-13351600) in 2009-10, the year Cameron came to power. By 2016, when he exited office, that number had risen to 1.2m (https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-fact-watch-food-bank-use-has-risen-under-the-conservatives-a3540231.html). The latest figure stands at (https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/)2.5m (https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/)."
This quote came from an article showing Cameron helping out at a foodbank which opened through his government's unnecessary austerity policy.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/david-cameron-foodbank-austerity_uk_6234c105e4b0c727d47e1b73
Dragging this back onto a cost of living related subject...
Food banks:
"Leading foodbank the Trussell Trust handed out 41,000 food parcels (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-13351600) in 2009-10, the year Cameron came to power. By 2016, when he exited office, that number had risen to 1.2m (https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-fact-watch-food-bank-use-has-risen-under-the-conservatives-a3540231.html). The latest figure stands at (https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/)2.5m (https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/)."
This quote came from an article showing Cameron helping out at a foodbank which opened through his government's unnecessary austerity policy.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/david-cameron-foodbank-austerity_uk_6234c105e4b0c727d47e1b73
simple fact is that if its free people will take it especially food. people would rather have their phone, fancy clothes etc.etc than food. there are people round my way that would rather look good than feed their kids properly so if free food parcels are there they will take them.
better teaching people to budget or heaven forbid cook.
simple fact is that if its free people will take it especially food. people would rather have their phone, fancy clothes etc.etc than food. there are people round my way that would rather look good than feed their kids properly so if free food parcels are there they will take them.
better teaching people to budget or heaven forbid cook.
Thank you Mr Daily Mail reader :)
If wages had kept pace with housing, food and energy costs I might agree with you but they haven't so people are getting poorer. The "give up your phone" trope is linked to the "stop buying Starbucks and buy a house" garbage which has been going around recently. One person calculated it would take over 100 years of no Starbucks/Netflix for him to afford the deposit.
If working people are needing foodbanks there is something wrong with society. The whole raison d'être for a society is to look after the weak because one day that might be you or me. Yes, there will be cheats, but we see that in our MPs too, it is no reason to stop helping people. It is just sad that charities have to step in to pick up the slack that (the current) government's idealogy refuses to acknowledge exists.
The start of this thread was a Tory suggesting people should get a job to solve their cost of living crisis - like their £85000 + energy/broadband expenses perhaps? Bearing in mind he is MP for Blackpool which, in 2019, was rated as the most deprived area out of 317 districts and unitary authorities in England - maybe he needs to talk to his constituents.
i have opinions that are not influenced by media and tbh its only when i'm on here that i get to know whats going on. otherwise i live a blissful ignorant life.
i shop at Morrisons and i'm fukin sick of seeing blue paper bags all over the place and fukin can rattlers standing at doors. i'm there to shop not to be hounded by so called charity.
simple fact is that if its free people will take it especially food. people would rather have their phone, fancy clothes etc.etc than food. there are people round my way that would rather look good than feed their kids properly so if free food parcels are there they will take them.
better teaching people to budget or heaven forbid cook.
If wages had kept pace with housing, food and energy costs I might agree with you but they haven't so people are getting poorer. The "give up your phone" trope is linked to the "stop buying Starbucks and buy a house" garbage which has been going around recently. One person calculated it would take over 100 years of no Starbucks/Netflix for him to afford the deposit.
If working people are needing foodbanks there is something wrong with society. The whole raison d'être for a society is to look after the weak because one day that might be you or me. Yes, there will be cheats, but we see that in our MPs too, it is no reason to stop helping people. It is just sad that charities have to step in to pick up the slack that (the current) government's idealogy refuses to acknowledge exists.
I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. Quite literally - the middle class is the emergence of working people not just being happy with their lot. I'm not saying they have to be, but we have to accept that there will always be relative difference even if eveything has moved up the scale in absolutle terms, yet everyone aspires to be like the 'top' echelon, and pretty much seems to expect to be able to have what the luckiest do. And so priorities and contentment levels have become badly distorted.
IMHO, individuals' expectations have gotten out of order (as per Bibio's opinion) and there is something wrong with society (as per Seeker's opinion). The need to make and accept hard choices is being largely ignored. Everyone thinks they can have pretty much everything and is trying almost any way to get it, with widespread corruption of morals and ethics. Also, what the population en-masse values nowadays baffles me to a large extent - the cult of celebrity for example:confused:
'Working' is not the word it used to be, 'entitlement' is taking over. An employee does need to do more than just turn up and go through the motions. Equally, employers do need to be responsble and reward more fairly - workers are not just a tool to flow money from customers to bosses with as little as possible lost on the way.
svenrico
21-03-22, 11:06 PM
simple fact is that if its free people will take it especially food. people would rather have their phone, fancy clothes etc.etc than food. there are people round my way that would rather look good than feed their kids properly so if free food parcels are there they will take them.
better teaching people to budget or heaven forbid cook.
I agree to some extent, we don't really know how many people take free food when they don't really need it if they spent their money on essentials and not luxuries. I don't believe smart phones are essential items (I don't have one ) or pay to view tv (I don't pay to view ,apart from paying tv licence ) Probably too many pay for take away meals they can't afford when they should cook at home.
When I was living in the US I watched the Republican Party convince the least healthy and uninsured (health) states that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was a bad thing despite it offering poorer people the opportunity to get health coverage.
Here, I watch the Conservative Party (ably assisted by the right wing media) assert that poor people are cheating scroungers.
In 2020 benefit cheats took about £8 billion out of a system that is currently giving out £225 billion. It's a lot of money but £16 billion was "lost" by the government in fraudulent covid loans to businesses and that was just written off without a murmur. Whereas an extra £500,000 has been allocated to hunt the benefit cheats.
I have cognitive dissonance: I don't trust people yet I believe most people don't cheat the system.
Poverty figures used to be published openly, they are still there but you now have to go look for them, courtesy of Cameron's government. The figures show that poverty was declining until 2010 when it started to climb but like the rise in food banks it's probably a coincidence that that is when the Conservatives took over and austerity began. ;)
redtrummy
22-03-22, 09:19 AM
I agree to some extent, we don't really know how many people take free food when they don't really need it if they spent their money on essentials and not luxuries. I don't believe smart phones are essential items (I don't have one ) or pay to view tv (I don't pay to view ,apart from paying tv licence ) Probably too many pay for take away meals they can't afford when they should cook at home.
I know someone that volunteered at a food bank in a decent sized town - In one day he had 5 customers that was a year or so ago - dont know if he still volunteers but when I see him next I will ask if things have changed.
Re smart phones - you do well not to need one, society is so geared to them its almost a necessity - For example we had to fill in the re-locator form to get back into the country last week I have no idea what we would have done without one. Times I have abandoned transactions as the vendor insists on a mobile number and I dont want to be a slave to the damned thing.
Society has changed, been driven almost to rely on fast food and convenience, not a healthy situation at all but silly laws where its cheaper to have a take away with all its environmentally damaging packaging than eat in I cannot understand. (May not still be the case, we don't do takeaways)
Luckypants
22-03-22, 10:00 AM
VAT was reduced to 5% on hospitality and takeaways for covid as a business support measure. This rose in October to 12.5 and will go back up in April to the full 20%. This is why takeaways have been cheaper over recent times. With the costs of energy and ingredients going up, takeaways will be getting expensive.
As far as a phone is concerned, it is deemed a necessity. It is impossible to engage with government departments without a phone number, so it is considered essential. Even the homeless are expected to have one. Smart phones are pretty much all you can get, but are also considered essential as for many it is the only way to access email. If claiming benefits you need at least an email address and a phone number. Access to all services is usually better via a mobile app. Remonstrating that the poor should not have a smart device is utter garbage when all agencies that help them work on the assumption you have access to such devices.
Remember the problems with for children from poor families not being able to access education during lockdown? The presumption from government was everyone has a smart device which led to many kids not being able to work on-line due to lack of equipment. Many poor families had one smart phone between them all. Try doing your homework like that.
Here's a good piece on why a smart phone is a lifeline, an essential for poorer families.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/poverty-smartphone_uk_5dcd260ee4b0d43931cfcabb
svenrico
23-03-22, 10:17 PM
VAT was reduced to 5% on hospitality and takeaways for covid as a business support measure. This rose in October to 12.5 and will go back up in April to the full 20%. This is why takeaways have been cheaper over recent times. With the costs of energy and ingredients going up, takeaways will be getting expensive.
As far as a phone is concerned, it is deemed a necessity. It is impossible to engage with government departments without a phone number, so it is considered essential. Even the homeless are expected to have one. Smart phones are pretty much all you can get, but are also considered essential as for many it is the only way to access email. If claiming benefits you need at least an email address and a phone number. Access to all services is usually better via a mobile app. Remonstrating that the poor should not have a smart device is utter garbage when all agencies that help them work on the assumption you have access to such devices.
Remember the problems with for children from poor families not being able to access education during lockdown? The presumption from government was everyone has a smart device which led to many kids not being able to work on-line due to lack of equipment. Many poor families had one smart phone between them all. Try doing your homework like that.
Here's a good piece on why a smart phone is a lifeline, an essential for poorer families.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/poverty-smartphone_uk_5dcd260ee4b0d43931cfcabb
I have email and a mobile phone but I don't have any Apps, no doubt I will be extinct before long.
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