Why is the UK struggling more than other countries?

[jak2002003]

1 minute ago, 3NUMBAS said:

a lot to do with wokeism and torys are worried about their jobs after hounding boris out of office for petty offenses

 

still they claim boris will be back sometime as sunak gets       low poll ratings

 

but cost of living crisis looms large over finances

How has 'wokeism' made the UK economy so bad exactly?  I I'm interested to know how that works...in relation to leaving the EU and the succession of bad leaders we have recently had. 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

I was pointing out that I have no sympathies with anyone who complains about having to wear clothes to keep warm in their house

Even sick and old people for whom wearing more clothes is insufficient to keep them warm.

[jak2002003]

3 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

I was pointing out that I have no sympathies with anyone who complains about having to wear clothes to keep warm in their house

You don't care about poor people freezing to death as they can't afford to heat their house.  Wow. Seems rather cold hearted. 

 

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

Just now, jak2002003 said:

You don't care about poor people freezing to death as they can't afford to heat their house.  Wow. Seems rather cold hearted. 

 

 

Stop right there .

Who is "freezing to death" ?

Has anyone in the UK actually "frozen to death" (whilst sitting at home watching television) or are you adding a non existent scenario ?

[youreavinalaff]

38 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Well perhaps a comparison with something a little more relevant than the most impoverished province of Thailand.

Isaan is not a province. It's a region.

 

In reference to my comparison. I was showing how different people cope in times of hardship. 

 

Those that get on with it compared to those who wait for handouts. Perfectly comparable.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 minute ago, youreavinalaff said:

Isaan is not a province. It's a region.

Of absolutely no relevance to the topic under discussion.

[Mac Mickmanus]

47 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

You don't care about poor people freezing to death as they can't afford to heat their house.  Wow. Seems rather cold hearted. 

 

 

Me "cold hearted" ?

That could be because I AM one of those people who are "freezing to death" in a unheated UK house , well I would be freezing to death if I didn't put more clothes on .

  Just had two weeks of below zero temperatures outside and even though my gas company have given me 800 Pounds worth of free credit , I didn't use the heating and just put warmer clothes on .

   No doubt the people who are complaining  about it being too cold were also complaining about it being too hot last summer

[Bluespunk]

31 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Me "cold hearted" ?

That could be because I AM one of those people who are "freezing to death" in a unheated UK house , well I would be freezing to death if I didn't put more clothes on .

  Just had two weeks of below zero temperatures outside and even though my gas company have given me 800 Pounds worth of free credit , I didn't use the heating and just put warmer clothes on .

   No doubt the people who are complaining  about it being too cold were also complaining about it being too hot last summer

So you say…

[jak2002003]

1 hour ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Stop right there .

Who is "freezing to death" ?

Has anyone in the UK actually "frozen to death" (whilst sitting at home watching television) or are you adding a non existent scenario ?

A lot of people.....mosrly elderly, and unfants and children get ill and health problems form cold and damp.  Do some research perhaps?  

 

How can you have no sympathy for children and other people suffering in the cold?  

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

A lot of people.....nosrly elderly.  And babies and children get ill and health problems form cold and damp.  Do some research perhaps?  

 

How can you have no sympathy for children and other people suffering in the cold?  

Although we aren't talking about the old or Children , we are talking about people who aren't old or Children and I personally donated the equivalent of my winters gas bill to poorer people and I sit in the cold with warm clothes on .

[Scott]

Troll post reported and removed.

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 hour ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Me "cold hearted" ?

That could be because I AM one of those people who are "freezing to death" in a unheated UK house , well I would be freezing to death if I didn't put more clothes on .

  Just had two weeks of below zero temperatures outside and even though my gas company have given me 800 Pounds worth of free credit , I didn't use the heating and just put warmer clothes on .

   No doubt the people who are complaining  about it being too cold were also complaining about it being too hot last summer

Just checking my online gas bill and its current status and bearing in mind I haven't paid a gas bill at all in 2022 for all you doubters 

 

 

Your account balance

£783.93 In credit

[Bluespunk]

8 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Just checking my online gas bill and its current status and bearing in mind I haven't paid a gas bill at all in 2022 for all you doubters 

 

 

Your account balance

£783.93 In credit

A: that is not proof. 
 

B: this thread is not about you and your alleged anecdotes. 

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

A lot of people.....mosrly elderly, and unfants and children get ill and health problems form cold and damp.  Do some research perhaps?  

 

How can you have no sympathy for children and other people suffering in the cold?  

"Damp" is a different issue to just being cold though and being cold doesn't make you ill , although damp is an issue caused by either structural problems or house ventilation issues , damp issues can be addressed separately by either fixing the structural issues or taking other measures to stop damp occurring 

[youreavinalaff]

15 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

A: that is not proof. 
 

B: this thread is not about you and your alleged anecdotes. 

Unless they appeal to your way of thinking.????????????????

[Bluespunk]

6 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Unless they appeal to your way of thinking.????????????????

Nope. 
 

Anecdotes are not relevant, much like your off topic baiting. . 

[stevenl]

3 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Stop right there .

Who is "freezing to death" ?

Has anyone in the UK actually "frozen to death" (whilst sitting at home watching television) or are you adding a non existent scenario ?

Complaining about adding non existent scenario from the guy who introduced a 50 room mansion to the discussion.

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Complaining about adding non existent scenario from the guy who introduced a 50 room mansion to the discussion.

It was relevant point to show I would have the same opinion about anyone who complained about having to wear clothes at home to keep warm and I was asking whether posters who sympathised with the guy in question, would also equally sympathise with a Lord living in a draughty stately home complaining about having to wear clothes to keep warm .

   I keep a constant  opinion, I don't change my opinion to suit a political agenda 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 12/25/2022 at 4:59 PM, stevenl said:

So now you're using NZ examples to show the UK is doing ok.

I'm pretty sure it's the same in the UK. Three generations of unemployed in some places.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

A lot of people.....mosrly elderly, and unfants and children get ill and health problems form cold and damp.  Do some research perhaps?  

 

How can you have no sympathy for children and other people suffering in the cold?  

Cold probably never killed anyone unless they couldn't dress for it. I suspect they are no worse off than we were when I was a child and it was generally colder back then. I haven't seen a frost like was normal then for many years.

[Mac Mickmanus]

16 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Cold probably never killed anyone unless they couldn't dress for it. I suspect they are no worse off than we were when I was a child and it was generally colder back then. I haven't seen a frost like was normal then for many years.

I find that I usually feel "under the weather " (unwell) when I have fluctuating temperatures (same in Thailand in air conditioned rooms) when I go from hot/cold inside a room to cold/hot outside the room . 

  I seem to end up with a sniffle and a runny nose and feel the temperature change and it feels even hotter/colder when going outside .

  I don't put heating/aircon on and thus don't have temperature changes and don't get ill .

     7 degrees now and I go outside wearing shorts and flip flops and it doesnt seem cold at all . 

   Had I had my heating on full blast , I would have had to wrapped up warm when going out and would have had a runny nose ,

   Just need to acclimatise and adapt to the outside temperature , same as I do when its 40 degrees in Thailand 

[Bluespunk]

40 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

I find that I usually feel "under the weather " (unwell) when I have fluctuating temperatures (same in Thailand in air conditioned rooms) when I go from hot/cold inside a room to cold/hot outside the room . 

  I seem to end up with a sniffle and a runny nose and feel the temperature change and it feels even hotter/colder when going outside .

  I don't put heating/aircon on and thus don't have temperature changes and don't get ill .

     7 degrees now and I go outside wearing shorts and flip flops and it doesnt seem cold at all . 

   Had I had my heating on full blast , I would have had to wrapped up warm when going out and would have had a runny nose ,

   Just need to acclimatise and adapt to the outside temperature , same as I do when its 40 degrees in Thailand 

Good grief…

[Mac Mickmanus]

21 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

I agree.

 

We've not had the heating on in the 2 years we've live in our current flat as we've never felt too cold.

 

Our energy direct debit is £67 a month. We are currently £208 in credit. Add to that the £66 a month we've been receiving as support, our energy bills are next to nothing. 

Yes, I am trying to work out whether there's a bigger picture going on , like the Government keep telling people to keep their house warm , gas and electric prices have been raised and the Government are sending us money to pay for it .

[kwilco]

What does the new year hold for Brexit? More of “project fear” becoming reality.

 

The whole world has been dealing with Covid, energy and inflation only the UK has had Brexit as well……

This year will see further cracks in the UK economy, putting them further behind the rest of Europe and they government at present is so=wing the seeds of serious civil unrest…..

 

The Brexiteers claim this year will see the removal of EU “red tape” – they don’t say what that is, but presumably it is the continued removal of free/borderless trade freedom of movement and human rights.

 

Boris’s “oven ready” deals have evaporated into nothing…. There has been no boost to business, but many have reported contractions…..the new rules have slowed businesses, hampered trade and proved to be unthought out. This from a single-issue government too tied up in dogma to deal with the day to day practicalities of running a country. two years after the trade and cooperation agreement was first agreed, current problems go unchecked,  more EU traders go elsewhere, and damage continues to be done. The new UK mark of product quality is also creating problems as it isn’t being recognised abroad as the same reliable quality as the previous EU system and this is damaging trade too. The TCA has 5 years to run but overwhelmingly UK businesses want it re-negotiated immediately.

 

The shrinkage in the economy is now generally accepted to be over 5.5% lower than if the UK had remained in the EU and this has had a massive impact on the amount of taxes any British government can raise which leaves them at a disadvantage compared to Europe when it comes to dealing with the threats of inflation and shortfalls in income of the poorer sections of society. For example UK pensions ae half that of France and one third that of Germany. The move to bring them more in line with EU levels has died off in te face of UK’ss economic woes.

 

The US has lost interest in the UK as a trading partner as it no longer has so much to offr - The pound has lost nearly a fifth of its value since the EU referendum

The British pound has fallen 19% to the US dollar since Britain voted to leave the European Union on June 23, 2016. [ Refinitiv].

 

Brexit has brought in trade barriers for UK businesses and the many foreign companies that used Britain as a European base. impeding imports and exports, sapping investment and creating labor shortages. All this has exacerbated Britain’s inflation problem compared to other countries. This of course is now reflected in Labour relations in the UK. There is a  sense of gloom hanging over the UK economy. Striking workers are walking out in numbers not seen since the 1970s (i.e. before UK was a full EU member). Pay and conditions and the worst inflation in decades is eating into wages. At the same time, the government is trying  to cut spending and hike taxes to fill the gap in their budget. This happened under Thatcher and resulted in widespread violence, rioting in many cities and in South Wales they backed down on colliery closures as they were warned of serious “civil unrest” – I don’t think the current Brexiteer government has the necessary skills to avoid this – given the latest remarks by cabinet ministers like the health secretary.

 

While Brexit isn’t the sole cause of cause of Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, but it has made the problem more difficult to solve than elsewhere in Europe.

[nauseus]

6 minutes ago, kwilco said:

What does the new year hold for Brexit? More of “project fear” becoming reality.

 

The whole world has been dealing with Covid, energy and inflation only the UK has had Brexit as well……

This year will see further cracks in the UK economy, putting them further behind the rest of Europe and they government at present is so=wing the seeds of serious civil unrest…..

 

The Brexiteers claim this year will see the removal of EU “red tape” – they don’t say what that is, but presumably it is the continued removal of free/borderless trade freedom of movement and human rights.

 

Boris’s “oven ready” deals have evaporated into nothing…. There has been no boost to business, but many have reported contractions…..the new rules have slowed businesses, hampered trade and proved to be unthought out. This from a single-issue government too tied up in dogma to deal with the day to day practicalities of running a country. two years after the trade and cooperation agreement was first agreed, current problems go unchecked,  more EU traders go elsewhere, and damage continues to be done. The new UK mark of product quality is also creating problems as it isn’t being recognised abroad as the same reliable quality as the previous EU system and this is damaging trade too. The TCA has 5 years to run but overwhelmingly UK businesses want it re-negotiated immediately.

 

The shrinkage in the economy is now generally accepted to be over 5.5% lower than if the UK had remained in the EU and this has had a massive impact on the amount of taxes any British government can raise which leaves them at a disadvantage compared to Europe when it comes to dealing with the threats of inflation and shortfalls in income of the poorer sections of society. For example UK pensions ae half that of France and one third that of Germany. The move to bring them more in line with EU levels has died off in te face of UK’ss economic woes.

 

The US has lost interest in the UK as a trading partner as it no longer has so much to offr - The pound has lost nearly a fifth of its value since the EU referendum

The British pound has fallen 19% to the US dollar since Britain voted to leave the European Union on June 23, 2016. [ Refinitiv].

 

Brexit has brought in trade barriers for UK businesses and the many foreign companies that used Britain as a European base. impeding imports and exports, sapping investment and creating labor shortages. All this has exacerbated Britain’s inflation problem compared to other countries. This of course is now reflected in Labour relations in the UK. There is a  sense of gloom hanging over the UK economy. Striking workers are walking out in numbers not seen since the 1970s (i.e. before UK was a full EU member). Pay and conditions and the worst inflation in decades is eating into wages. At the same time, the government is trying  to cut spending and hike taxes to fill the gap in their budget. This happened under Thatcher and resulted in widespread violence, rioting in many cities and in South Wales they backed down on colliery closures as they were warned of serious “civil unrest” – I don’t think the current Brexiteer government has the necessary skills to avoid this – given the latest remarks by cabinet ministers like the health secretary.

 

While Brexit isn’t the sole cause of cause of Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, but it has made the problem more difficult to solve than elsewhere in Europe.

And a very Merry Christmas to you too.

[Mac Mickmanus]

12 minutes ago, kwilco said:

South Wales they backed down on colliery closures as they were warned of serious “civil unrest”

 

UK coal mining saw a sharp decline in the 1970s and had practically disappeared by the start of the 21st century

 

 

https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/coal-mining-uk/

[RayC]

I'd heard of the 'Big Mac' index but must confess that I was unaware of this additional 'Mac' index, which measures the relative warmth of the UK population.

[placeholder]

17 minutes ago, RayC said:

I'd heard of the 'Big Mac' index but must confess that I was unaware of this additional 'Mac' index, which measures the relative warmth of the UK population.

Given the quality of the governments performance, I'd say they were relying on it to make policy decisions.

[Chomper Higgot]

14 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Although we aren't talking about the old or Children , we are talking about people who aren't old or Children and I personally donated the equivalent of my winters gas bill to poorer people and I sit in the cold with warm clothes on .

Since when we’re we excluding the old, children from this discussion?

 

Oh… got it… since the impact of poverty and cold on the old and in children sank your arguments.

[Mac Mickmanus]

*Deleted post edited out*

 

Things that effect me in the UK and my experiences also effect many other people in the UK and they share similar experiences . I am quite sure that my local supermarket wasn't the only supermarket in the UK was rammed packed before Christmas and that I am not the only person in the UK who has been giving credit by my gas company .

   Things that effect me also effect everyone else in the UK.

If you were to accept and believe everything some posters living in Thailand say, you would think everyone in the UK gets their food from foodbanks and people are  freezing to death at home because they cannot afford to heat their homes .