The Winter of Discontent #2 Food, energy, transport, jobs, housing etc

[ClockworkDolly]

They don't pay for anything, our MP has all his travel and housing paid for, he is currently having an extension on his house, paid for! Beyond wrong and it takes away from them doing the job because they actually care.

They love the gilded lifestyle being an MP brings. But, it is not just the Tory Party who do it, they all do it.

Before Tony Blair became PM, there was a Scottish MP, John Smith I think his name was, who was the Leader of the Opposition in the Labour Party. He was so down-to-earth and in touch with people. Sadly, he died of a heart attack and Tony Blair took his place. I really think John Smith would have made an excellent PM.

 

[mcfeez]

There is one more thing I want to add:

Before the referendum it was all about: "we give money to the EU that could have gone to the NHS!"
Where is all of this money now and why doesn't it go to the NHS now?
Now it is: the NI increase is necessary to save the NHS.

Did anyone genuinely believe that claim, that the EU money was going to go into the NHS?

That was a foolish thing to listen to.

 

[IngressUK]

The problem I have with our local Aldi is the queues at the tills.

Our local branch only has eight tills to begin with, a maximum of three seem to be open during the day, and only one after 6:30pm.

This leads to the inevitable queueing down the aisles. Your frozen purchases are no longer frozen by the time you get back to your car. I ditched my purchases on my last visit as there were only two checkouts open and queues at least 15 trollies deep.

I know Aldi are supposed to be 'no frills', however they should do more to sort out this issue. Especially as many of their stores are getting busier.

 

[Doctor_Wibble]

I think there genuinely may be a crisp shortage. We've had problems getting certain crisps, mainly Walkers Ready Salted, from Asda for weeks now. Haven't managed to find them elsewhere either.

I'm not sure about a shortage, but the supply definitely seems quite patchy.
On the other hand this means there are warehouses stuffed full of all manner of undistributed crisps, not just the well known ones but a multitude of rare and exotic types too, ready for the picking!

All we need now is fuel for the unmarked hgv. And someone to drive it.

 

[Lisdiz]

When I was sheltering from a storm in a Tesco Express, I watched a man attempt to walk out with a basket of goods before being stopped by a security guard.

Thing is, all that he had in that basket (full to the brim) was ready-to-eat mackerel fillets.

I'm still confused to this day.

Being used for Revenge on cheating partner but not wanting to have to pay for said revenge?

 

[YellowLadybird]

Inevitable really wasnt it?! Altho, its nice to see that people are donating again as I remember going in my local asda and at one point, there wasnt anything in it a good few times but now it's starting to fill up again to the point where there is like 2,3,4 trollies worth of food. In all the shit the government throw at us, there will always be people out there that are willing to help. I love that.

They've started doing prepacked, pre priced bags in my supermarket by the checkout and it's great. Like when you're walking round you just think normally about getting what is on the list (inevitably all over the store) and to then have it there at the last minute makes it so much more accessible. Like what is an extra £2 when I've already spent dozens on my own crap? Also you know it's what they need and not what I think they want.

 

[dancingqueen5678]

was a really heartbreaking watch. I just don't have any words for it. It makes me so angry. Thos two kids living in temporary accommodation sharing a kitchen and a bathroom sitting outside coop to use the internet. Just devastating. I can't even imagine what lockdown was like for people in overcrowding or temporary accommodation situations. How do you homeschool a kids with no internet or no room to do anything

The school was tremendous

 

[hollowcrown]

People going on and on about Brexit when these things are going on all over the world. but the brainwashed still need to parrot Brexit in every post. Brexit was a huge push to divide us and confuse us. Make us unsteady in what we believed. I didn't think you could get more left-wing than me but now I'm apparently a right-wing ignorant racist. I didn't change,the left changed My left might not agree with what you say but would fight for your right to say it. now the left will shut you down over a word. PC was invented to make us unsteady always wondering or worrying if we were going to offend someone. The left love to label everyone and there are so many agendas right there, We are fighting each other over words and labels and while we do that governments are literally getting away with murder.

Brexit has not caused these problems but it has made Britain more vulnerable to it. It could have been navigated if we had a different government from the people in charge right now who did it properly, but had it not happened at all I think we would have fared much better.

Also the overton window is a thing. What's considered left changes over time.

However I do agree with you in some ways. Labour activist wing (journalists like Owen Jones who you see on Twitter) focus far too much on liberal social issues at the expense of economic leftism which is turning off people from voting Labour.

 

[Timz]

Me at work in depths of winter

 

[dancingqueen5678]

cook your rice in stock. It'll taste amazing every time

 

[GobShyte64]

Saw this on my news app this morning

Inevitable really wasnt it?! Altho, its nice to see that people are donating again as I remember going in my local asda and at one point, there wasnt anything in it a good few times but now it's starting to fill up again to the point where there is like 2,3,4 trollies worth of food. In all the shit the government throw at us, there will always be people out there that are willing to help. I love that.

 

[Doctor_Wibble]

We do over consume and we have too much choice, we’re going back to the 80s!

Sorry to disappoint but it will be the 1880s so no big hair or legwarmers.

 

[IngressUK]

Better stop the waste now. It was always a waste of time and money. The whole project could have been spent upgrading the whole UK network and reopening some lines. We are are small island, high speed isn't all that necessary

I don't advocate every single line that ever existed but has since been closed, being reopened.

However there are a good number of schemes that would make a real difference to those communities cut off in the 50's, 60's and even 70's.

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

I stopped reading the daily mail etc as most is just scare mongering. However, I do have a cupboard in my bedroom that has two extra packets of pasta, 4 tinned tomatoes, 4 baked beans, 4 tins of soup and a couple of tinned fruit and tinned veg. Packets of noodles and porridge oats and a couple of long life milk. It's something I do every year running up to winter, I don't drive so get online food shopping and one year the snow was bad so the van couldn't come out. I also think if I were poorly and couldn't get out at least I would have something in. It's all stuff we use anyway(apart from the long life milk) so it gets used up regardless in the end or would be donated to someone that would make use of it. It's just a safety net, nothing major but makes me feel better.

I also have a bit of extra food at home (pasta plus pesto / tinned tomato, cereal, tinned soup, biscuits etc) and it came in handy when I was so ill after the 2nd vaccine. I basically stayed in bed for five days and it was a relief not having to go to the supermarket

 

[Daisymai]

So the pig is killed, dismembered and eaten in the most gentle, most humane, most understanding way possible.

I’m sure the pig will be eternally grateful.

I was talking about whether farmers cared about killing animals for no reason. Eating meat or not is a completely different conversation

 

[Purrrrrrr]

Surely m&s know the difference between there and their.

they are quoting the leave voters and their spelling

That's right, all leavers are thick, all remainers are bright and clever, it doesn't matter the shortages are everywhere let's blame Brexit and remainers

 

[Mark81]

I also have a bit of extra food at home (pasta plus pesto / tinned tomato, cereal, tinned soup, biscuits etc) and it came in handy when I was so ill after the 2nd vaccine. I basically stayed in bed for five days and it was a relief not having to go to the supermarket

Yeah that's another reason. If you get sick and you don't have someone who can look after and shop for you it's handy to have an emergency stash to see you through a few days

 

[Tublet83]

I don't advocate every single line that ever existed but has since been closed, being reopened.

However there are a good number of schemes that would make a real difference to those communities cut off in the 50's, 60's and even 70's.

Completely agree, if we want to “level up” we need to improve accessibility to communities

 

[Tatooine_legend1]

Do you know what I have been thinking this too! If ever I tell anyone they think im mad

Modern life seems to be making more people mentally and physically ill. It cannot be good for us. Look up the Hadza in Tanzania. For me they live a beautiful lifestyle. But even their way of life is being changed as farmers start encroaching more and more onto the lands they live.

They used to be thriving, but now their numbers are dwindling and there's only around 300 active members living the genuine hunter gatherer lifestyle, even others from the same tribe have been slowly adapting to modern life, it's a shame.

I read that missionaries and tourists go visit the tribes, this is all well and good, but they are taking sweets and other 'western" foods to them, now some of the Hadza are becoming diabetic and their health is deteriorating because of that.

Anyway, sorry for essay but I swear this way of life is not good for us. We have all these possessions, but ultimately we are just chasing the next possession. We aren't one with nature any longer. Close knit communities are pretty much dead. People seem to be getting more and more aggressive and frustrated. People are way more selfish too. Society is not becoming better, in my opinion.

 

[Mark81]

I know I'm luckier than a lot of people, and don't worry about being able to afford the basics - but I really feel like between these Economic/Brexit woes and Corona Lockdowns (which I appreciate are all deeply interrelated) that I'm left wondering when/if I will be able to actually get a life and not feel like I'm waiting for things to start.

I moved back with my parents in Feb 2020, as we were all moving to a new area and I was starting a job so it made sense to start with them and maybe save a bit to get my own place. But two years later, I'm still going to be here. Still mostly WFH and don't have many friends as it's been difficult to get out and meet people; the same with relationships. My life isn't awful, but it feels a bit constricted and disappointing sometimes. I just wish I knew when it was all going to end. I would like to have a family of my own and I just wonder how on earth I'm supposed to contemplate doing that in such a chaotic world where it's also so difficult to meet people!

I absolutely appreciate others have it worse, but you have to wonder what the long term consequences will be for lots of us - educationally, socially, romantically - that will persist long after any virus might have been conquored.

I feel exactly the same. I'm not comfortable but I'm OK enough to weather the current climate I think. But I feel like I'm in perpetual limbo to try and move on with my life. I was in-between jobs/career break when covid hit and although I have found work during covid in all feels very much temporary and I can't plan and even question what am I living for. Is this it now.

I'm lucky than many but I do have this...when can my life begin feeling and also question what's the point of doing what little I can do. I feel like in a way lockdowns were easier ad you know where you are. Now it's just co start uncertainty without actually getting anywhere