Britain in 2022

 There is no doubt that here in UK, as in many other parts of the world, we live in a very unequal society.

Yesterday the death was announced of the Queen, aged 96. She died in one of her many homes, surrounded by her family. She lived a long & happy life.

The vast outpouring of grief being shown by many across MSM, TV & social media is way beyond even what it was when Diana died in 1997.

The Queen was a woman that very few of us would have ever met or had any dealings with. The nearest most people got to her was probably licking the back of a postage stamp.

It is possible to express condolence at her passing without all the public displays of mourning that is going on.

Yes, she was a Mother, Grandmother & Greatgrandmother and will of course be missed by her family but the world should not grind to a halt because of her death.

There are many who see the monarchy as an outdated institution and we could go into the old arguments of them being good for tourism etc but we have surely moved beyond that by now.

Scandal after scandal; members of the royal family seemingly above the rule of law or totally oblivious to how ordinary people live. 

They live their life surrounded by the best of everything whilst ordinary people struggle to heat their homes, feed their children or keep a roof over their heads.

Is this really the kind of society that we want to live in, in the 21st century?

Many believe that the monarchy is outdated and should be consigned to the history books like bear baiting, child labour and throwing people in the Tower of London & then beheading them.

The UK is probably as divided now as it ever has been. 

Estimates reckon that over 227,000 people in UK are homeless - either sleeping on the streets or in temporary B&B accomodation.

Nearly 6.73 million people are waiting for NHS treatment with over 355,000 waiting for over a year.

There are over 4.3 million children living in poverty in UK; thats 30% of all children.

We are currently going through a cost of living crisis which sees many thousands of people worrying about how they will pay their fuel bills and its not even winter yet. 

Spending time analysing who or what is to blame does not solve the problem that many are facing, and many will undoubtedly die this winter but as with covid, many of those in power seem to think its ok to "let the bodies pile high" with around 210,000 casualties of the pandemic so far.

The world does not stop because one woman has died. People are still dying around the world due to wars, famine, floods, climate change etc.

People are still sleeping on the streets; unable to heat their homes or access vital medical treatment.

Around 1,680 people died yesterday, of which the Queen was only one.

For every family that lost a loved one, it will have been an upsetting time and they will all need time to grieve.

Today, another 1,680 or so people will die and so again tomorrow and each day forward.

It is possible to be respectful and also say that the death of one person is no more tragic than any other.

In the grand scheme of things, death is the only certainty we have and no-one however priviledged or rich they may be, can escape that inevitability.   

 

Christmas & the cost of Living Crisis.

 As the cost of living crisis is really starting to bite for many, many people I've been thinking about just how hard Christmas will be for many families.

It's a tough time for many any year but this year is going to be especially hard for so many people.

How do you explain to young children that there won't be the usual amount of presents under the Xmas tree this year? How you you tell them that you have to make the choice between heating the house, putting food on the table or buying presents?

Many families rely on foodbanks & other small charities especially at Christmas time but the cost of living crisis is also affecting these places as donations drop and high energy costs are giving many no choice but to close their doors.

It is definetly going to be a bleak mid-winter.

So, we know what the problem is and although we are not politicians and can't solve the many & varied issues that are causing all this there must be something that we can do to help allieviate, even if only for one day, the anguish, dispair and distress that many people are feeling.

If you can, please support your local foodbank. They need essentials every day of the week (tbags, sugar, tinned stuff, toiletires etc) but in the few weeks before Xmas some little extras would really be welcome. Maybe biscuits, sweeties for the kids, tinned fruit, selection boxes etc. Just because people are poor doesn't mean that they can't enjoy a few little luxuries now and again.

Far too many people judge others when they see them with a mobile phone or driving a car without stopping the think that they may have had that phone for years or they live somewhere with no reliable public transport. 

Life is complex enough without others judging you for the way you live. 

If you have kids maybe have a sort through their old toys and see if there is anything in good condition that could be donated. Many foodbanks double up as a kind of Xmas gift bank too so are always looking for items that can be re-gifted. 

If you have a foodbank near you why not pop in and have a word with them. Find out what they are planning to do for Christmas and see how you can help. 

It somehow feels wrong to be thinking like this and its not in any way meant to be patronising - I'm in a similar position myself and have been in a much worse situation in years gone by so I know only too well how hard it is. Going to bed in my coat & gloves with 2 pairs of socks and a hot water bottle & having to scrape the thick ice of the windows because we couldn't afford to buy coal so had no heat or hot water.

Things have improved a bit thankfully for us but we will still struggle this winter although not as much as many people will.

We need to remember that many small businesses will also be struggling due to the cost of living crisis. All their costs will have increased and many will be having to pass on at least some of those costs to customers, knowing full well that its a tricky situation for everyone. Increase prices too much and customers will not buy; not increase prices and risk going under.

Sorry if this blog post seems a bit erratic but I'm just putting my thoughts down in written form and its such a complex issue and one that needs a multi pronged approach to resolve that my mind is all over the place.

I feel the need to do something - but what? I know many other feel the same way. Reading through my twitter feed I see so many like minded people who are trying to figure out how, not only they can deal with the crisis themselves but how they can help others who are less fortunate than them.

I don't have spare cash to spend but there has to be other ways to help people.

I you have any suggestions then please feel free to comment below or start your own thread on social media.  

Maybe we need an appropriate hashtag that we can rally round - any suggestions?

I'm going to end this here as I've rambled on enough for now. Need to sit and thing about what to do next.

Thanks for reading this and if you feel the same as I do, thank you for caring.

Until next time.

To Jubilee or Not.

 I am old enough to remember the silver jubilee celebrations in 1977. I would have been almost 14 years old. Can't say I was much bothered about it all then but I'm certainly well bothered about it now.

Considering the state that we find ourselves in at the moment here in UK, what with all the post covid issues and the cost of living crisis, I find it totally shameful and deplorable that so much money is being spent on this when apparently we can't afford other more necessary things like making sure our hospitals can function properly or our schools are in a fit state in which to educate our children.

Today, 2nd June 2022, marks 70 years since the current Queens coronation. The state that our country is in now is nothing to be proud of. 

We have thousands of people living on the streets; a broken healthcare system; a cost of living crisis so severe that even people who are working are really struggling to survive whilst those who rely on pensions or benefits are having to make the choice between heating their homes or putting food on the table. Our school infrastructures are crumbling and many children around the UK are being taught in buildings that are old, unheated and even unsafe. Our health and social care system is broken with over 1.2 million people not getting the care they need. Our public transport system is broken due to severe underfunding for years and lets not forget the current energy crisis, with the news recently that up to 6m homes could face powercuts this winter.

With all this and more, many people are asking exactly what is there to celebrate?

The Royal Family has a dark past that many people are more than happy to sweep under the carpet & ignore.

Let's face it, the so called "british" royal family isn't even all that british but mostly german in descent. Read more about that here 

There were also the nazi sympathies of many of the leading royals, both before, during and after WWII.

Then there are the various scandals of Charles/Diana/Camilla, the Queens sister Margaret & her affairs, the divorces of Anne & Andrew and all the other affairs & scandals that have been kept as quiet as possible to avoid potential embarrasment.

The latest in a long line of scandals is the one surrounding Andrew and his connections with the now deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

All this and much, much more means that the image of the royal family has been well and truly tarnished over the years.

Support for the monarchy has fallen over recent years. Latest poll by YouGov show that only 61% support having a monarchy with 24% prefering an elected head of state. 

Which brings us to the nitty gritty of just how much all this jubilee stuff is costing and more importantly, who is paying for it?

Well, £28m is coming from the tax payer - you and me. £22m is also coming from the National Lottery too.

However, its not just the actual cost that is shocking but also that typically Bank Holidays cost the economy over £2b in lost productivity. Coming at a time when the economy is struggling to recover from the pandemic & the cost of living crisis it really does make the mind boggle. I guess the magic money tree is in full bloom in Downing Street.

Sitting here at my desk, on my laptop in my small flat on a Scottish Island I can see union flags & bunting blowing in the breeze from several houses in the street. Considering that the vast majority of this place have talked about nothing other than Independence for years I was quite surprised to see them.

There are several jubilee events happening this weekend here too apparently; guess they will all be back to waving their saltires next week rather than their union jacks.

We are almost a quarter way through the 21st century. How much longer will the UK monarchy last? Great Britain will face a change of monarch sooner rather than later - maybe now is the time we have a proper discussion and the chance to decide our future. The Queen may no longer be an absolute monarch but the institution of the monarchy is regarded by many as outdated and they want it replaced by a fully and fairly elected head of state.

Vive la Republique!!

Living with Depression

I live with depression. I have finally said it out loud. Notice I said I "live" with it rather than "suffer" with it. There is sadly enough stigma around admitting that you have depression without adding to it by saying you suffer with it; people automatically assume that you are somehow "less than" if you have any kind of disability or illness.

I was diagnosed with chronic depression just after I had finished my treatment for womb cancer in August 2010. 

Whilst waiting for an appointment at the hospital I was asked to take part in a short survey about mental health of cancer patients. I was contacted a week or so later and asked if I would like to take part in a trial being run by CRUK which was about talking therapy to help deal with the mental health issues in cancer patients.

I agreed and every 3 weeks for about 3 months I went across to the mainland and spent an hour talking about things with a very lovely male nurse.

I soon realised that I had had depression for many years, I just wasn't aware of it. Lots of things slotted into place the more we talked and it made me realise that what I thought was just me being fed up and tired all the time was actually depression.

Part of the programme was learning to spot when the feelings of depression were getting stronger and then finding coping mechanisms to deal with them.

I found the programme very useful at the time and in the years that have followed have found myself referring back to what I learnt when I've had bouts of feeling bad re-appear.

Depression can affect people differently. With some it comes & goes, with others it is permanent. What I found from the programme I did was that the more you understand your depression the easier it is to deal with it.

I have chosen not to take any medication; it was something that I felt wasn't right for me and because of that when I have mentioned that I have depression I've been told that its not really depression because I'm not on pills.

So it's something that I rarely talk about. Like I said before, it affects people in different ways and we all have our own ways of coping.

There is a saying that it's good to talk about depression and whilst that is exactly what I am doing now, it's not something that I feel will help me in dealing with my depression.

Most of my depression is due to my other health issues and the fact that I can't do all the things that I want to do. Having cancer changed my life for the worse.

On the NHS website page about clinical depression there is a quick self assessment test you can do to see if you could be depressed. I have just done it and scored 20/27.

Over the years since I first realised I had depression I have, thanks to the programme I did, been able to sense when it was coming on and used the tools I learned to help me cope. As a result, the episodes of deep depression had got less and less and I was able to cope because I could see when it was resurfacing.

During covid I ended up in hospital after having a slight heart issue and spent 2 weeks in the coronary care unit. After about 10 days I had a bit of a mini break down; unfortunately it happened on a Sunday and there was no-one working in the mental health unit over the weekend but the lovely young nurse who sat with me for 20 mins as I sobbed away said she would mention it to the ward nurse and get someone to come & see me on the Monday. It never happened.

Back home a couple of days later, I tried to get an appointment with the mental health services here on the island but was told there was a very long waiting list as there was only 1 MH nurse. I was told there was a volunteer run service here where you could talk to someone about your problems.

As I've mentioned before - I don't feel that talking is going to be of any use to me. It's not going to take away the fact that I have had cancer or that I am living with long term side effects of the threatment; it won't stop the pain & fatigue or the sleepless nights; it won't stop me being diabetic and having bowel problems which mean I can't get to the loo in time and end up messing myself frequently.

It won't stop the fact that I wake up every morning feeling sad that I have woken up and have to go through yet another day of living like this.

I'm not suicidal, far from it. But I go to bed every night hoping that this will be the night that I go to sleep and don't wake up.

Occasionally I have posted on social media about the way I feel; not the deep, dark, blackness of it but the more general side of living with long term health issues and whilst many who reply are well meaning, the "hope you feel better soon" or the "have you tried ...." comments can be hard to take especially when you know that you are not telling them the whole truth about just how bad things are.

I know there are quite a few of my FB friends who have depression and they deal with it in their own way, as I do with mine. Sometimes though it would be nice to have someone just listen and say "I hear you". That's all I want. 

I don't want anyone to "fix" me or offer advice on what I should do - go for a walk, loose some weight, get some exercise, blah, blah, blah.

I've been told I moan about things too much. That I should be thankful that I don't have cancer anymore. That I'm always talking about my problems - whatever happened to "it's good to talk" eh!!

It is good that there is a lot more awareness around mental health issues and they are being talked about a lot more but there is still a very long way to go. Mental health issues with men is still somewhat of a taboo subject though there are many good initiatives out there helping to break the stigma.

However when you have people in the public eye who seem to take delight in mocking others who are open about their struggles with depression then you have to wonder if we have come very far at all.

Well, if you are still reading this then thank you for staying with me.

You may not agree with my point of view but that's ok, it's my life, my issues and my way of dealing with them. All I ask is for a little understanding, which is something you have from me if you are going through something similar.

The Cost of Living Crisis 2022 (updated Aug. 2022)

 

There has been an awful lot written over recent months about the very real struggle that a lot of people are having due to the cost of living crisis.

Coming on top of the pandemic & years of austerity, many families are really struggling to heat their homes and put food on the table. It's not just those on benefits either; many working families are now struggling too.

The recent huge hike in energy prices has pushed many who were just about managing, over the very steep edge of a very high cliff.

The number of people having to resort to using foodbanks has risen dramatically and many foodbanks are now giving out food parcels to people who once were in a position to donate items to foodbanks but now rely on those places to feed their families.

It is all very well some very vocal tory MP’s talking about how those who use foodbanks need to learn how to budget better and improve their cooking skills but you can’t make a meal out of nothing. If the fridge and the cupboards are empty then not even a Michelin 5 star chef is going to be able to feed the kids.

Shopping around and buying cheaper alternatives of staple foods is all well and good if you have access to various supermarkets and have the means to get there. If you are struggling to put a decent meal on the table then it’s unlikely that you have a car and have to rely on public transport, which is costly in many areas. If you happen to live in a rural or isolated community then you may well not have access to regular public transport either.

Those who do the rounds on tele and radio saying how easy it is to feed a family on 30p or how a bag of pasta will feed a family of 4 really have no idea at all of how others live. These people live what is seen my many as a life they can only dream about. Putting their meals on expenses or eating & drinking in the highly subsidised restaurants in Parliament.

Many of you may know that I live on a small Scottish island; we moved here 20 years ago. The only supermarket here is Co-op; they have 2 stores. One is a regular shop and the other is a small convenience type store where the prices are often higher and the range a lot smaller.

The main store has been through various incarnations over the years; it was Safeway when we first moved here is 2002 then Morrison’s, Somerfield and finally it turned into a Co-op.

The island is lucky to have 2 butchers, a fishmongers and a greengrocer aswell but as a vegetarian we only use the greengrocers occasionally as their prices are often a lot higher than the already expensive Co-op.

I wanted to write this piece today to highlight the fact that as food prices are ever increasing due to things like Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the general cost of living crisis, for some people the struggle is even harder if you live in rural or isolated communities.

So, here is a short price list of items I buy regularly from my local Co-op. Bear in mind that I can only shop online due to being housebound so don’t have the option of buying reduced price items or the luxury of shopping around.

This week’s shop included the following items:

Box 10 free range eggs - £1.35 (now £1.40)

4pt fresh whole milk - £1.50 (now £1.80)

Fresh cauliflower - £1.00 (now £1.10)

300g pack fresh mushrooms - £1.10

1kg bag carrots – 66p

4 pack loo roll - £1.50

Iceberg lettuce – 70p

250g unsalted butter - £2.00 

1lite bottle sunflower oil - £1.80 (currently out of stock)

1.5kg strong bread flour - £1.20

335g piece fresh broccoli – 70p (now 75p)

Fresh swede – 85p

Pack 6 fresh tomatoes – 66p (now 80p)

Tin co-op baked beans – 44p

Co-op tin chopped tomatoes – 52p (now 55p)

In recent weeks several items have increased in price. The box of eggs has gone up 10p; the loo roll has increased by a whopping 15p and the butter has increased by 30p a pack.

I would really like to see that tory MP produce a meal for 30p on the prices I have to pay for basic food stuffs. Instead of patronising people who are having to resort to using foodbanks by saying they need to learn to cook properly and budget better he needs to have a reality check and understand why so many people are having to resort to using these place. It’s not just people on benefits who need foodbanks but people who are working, nurses, teachers, etc. Also, it's not just a matter of not being able to afford basic food items; many people also can't afford the increased energy costs so have no way of cooking food. Telling people to cook a proper meal is pointless if they don't have any money on the meter for the cooker.

Remember that under the tories, who have been in power since 2010, the number of foodbanks in UK has dramatically increased.  In February 2021 there were over 1,300 Trussell Trust food banks and over 900 independent food banks in UK.

Many people who have never had to before are now having to turn to foodbanks to survive. Only yesterday I saw a post on twitter about a 91 year old lady who was so ashamed that she needed to use a foodbank because of the cost of living crisis.

Demonising people who use foodbanks and who are struggling to cope is the tory way unfortunately and has been their staple line of attack for decades. If you are poor, on benefit or struggling then it’s seen as your own fault and you are nothing more than a scrounger. Same with the elderly, disabled, homeless and otherwise vulnerable.

Things are that bad now that the places who try to help those most in need are now struggling themselves and many small foodbanks are running out of supplies because they are not getting the donations in.

It is a vicious circle and as usual it is always those at the bottom who are affected the most.

What is the answer? To be honest, I don’t know. What I do now is that it is a complex issue and trying to paper over the cracks is never going to work. Until we have a system that cares about everyone then nothing will change. Sadly, most people only care about themselves.

Being a kind, compassionate, caring person who wants to see a more equal society where everyone has the ability to live a better life is often seen as being a bad thing. Thankfully there are some good people out there who are trying their best to help others. Without them, things would be an awful lot worse than it is for so many people. 

Sadly, things are going to get even worse before they get any better.

Footnote Aug 2022 - I have also noted that over recent months the value range that the Co-op have (called Honest Value) has been dramatically scaled back. Not sure if it is just in our local store or is happening across all of their branches but their regular own label stuff has also been cut back. Seems they are moving towards only stocking major branded goods which is not good for those of us on limited incomes who have no other shopping options.

Why you should always look behind the labels.

 Consumers have a lot of power in todays market place.

Where you choose to spend your money can have a huge effect on many things such as the environment or human rights issues.

We take something as simple as going to the supermarket to buy a bar of chocolate, a jar of coffee or a box of eggs for granted but your decision can have far reaching consequences that you might never think about.

You might not think that your decision to buy or not to buy a particular product will have any bearing on the way that the company who owns that brand or product will trade but you'd be surprised at just how much power consumers have when they put their mind to it.

Individual actions, when multiplied by hundreds, thousands or even millions of times hit companies where it hurts - in the pocket.

Most companies only care about one thing - and thats profit. Anything that affects that, whether it be bad publicity, slump in sales or even boycotts, has the ability to turn the heads of even the most hard nosed of CEO's and force them to change.

But just how easy is it to be an ethical consumer when there is so much choice about?

I'd say the most important thing you can do is to learn to read the labels on the products you buy - and I mean the labels on everything. Coffee, chocolate, wine, detergents, jeans, newspapers, electronics. Anything you purchase.

You are spending your money - don't you want to know where it is going? 

You can start with small steps if the thought of making wholesale changes to your shopping habits is too much to bear but the important thing is to do it.

Not only will you be helping to protect the environment but you will also be protecting the human rights of often exploited people around the world.

In this day and age of a global market many once familiar household brands are now owned by much bigger multinational corporations and it can often be hard to know who exactly owns what.

Which is why it is important to read the labels and, if you want to be extra clued up - do your homework.

Many brands that you think are ethical could be owned by a much bigger company that you might not actually want to contribute to so it is even more important to know your stuff as companies often get bought out and sold on.

Ethical Consumer is a great website to use & I recently found this article which you might find useful and a good starting point if you want to become more ethical in your shopping habits.

Remember that you don't have to make wholesale changes to the way you shop (good if you can, but its not always practical) but any change is a step in the right direction.

Together, with each small step we can make a difference.

New Year but same old covid!!

 Welcome to 2022. Where covid is still here, despite the government scrapping regulations that were trying to keep people protected. 

Now instead of trying to keep on top of it & protect the most vulnerable in society, we are being told to "learn to live with it" & get on with our lives.

Sadly for over 150k people, they have no life left to live as they have died & many of their families have not even been able to be with their loved ones in their final moments or attend funerals.

Many people understand that the way this whole pandemic has been handled has been nothing short of a total cock up from the very start.

Of course, its a once in a lifetime occurance (hopefully) & being able to forsee how things will evolve is always going to be difficult but when corruption, lying & incompetence are added to the mix then things get really complicated - & people die as a result, thousands of them.

With hindsight, many people would probably agree that the way the pandemic has been handled has been far from ideal. The economy has been the priority rather than people & that means that the suffering has been much worse that it needed to be.

It is almost 2 years since most of us heard the word "covid" for the first time & since then it has been ever present. Most conversations will mention it at some point, either in the supermarket queue or at the school gates or round the dinner table.

 Opinions get shared, tempers get frayed & arguments ensue. The pro's & cons of wearing a mask; vaccination status; kids in/out of school; another lockdown. 

Many people have struggled over the past 2 years -  those working on the frontline like NHS staff or those who are disabled or vulnerable & have been stuck at home desperatly trying to avoid being infected.

Covid has divided families in so many ways. Either through differences of opinion or because of lockdown rules forcing them apart. It has & continues to be hard for so many people.

According to statistics, over 153,000 people have died from covid but the actual figure is bound to be much higher if you take into account the number of people who have taken their own lives due to mental health issues during the past 2 years. This is something that doesn't seem to be mentioned much. The stress of covid restrictions on small businesses; on family life etc will have long reaching consequences.

Will we ever see the back of covid or is it going to be ever present in our lives? Something we absorb into our daily lives & accept as the norm. Who knows, but one thing is for sure, it has changed us far more than we know unfortunately.