It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

mardatha

Stoves are awesome ! I'm reading the "granny sucking eggs" book and finding it a tad boring - but one thing that strikesme as a HUGE difference between then and now is the calibre of politicians and govt. Lord Woolton had worked in RL and been very successful, many of the cabinet also had been in real jobs like teaching and medicine - and knew what life was really like for ordinary people. This lot we have in today - and also their labour counterparts - have never had a proper job, most of them. School, college or uni, then the party. This is why they are so out of touch and seem so stupid to us. They tell us to do this or that - who listens ? we say, quite rightly, "what the hell would he/she know about it" and ignore. Respect has to be earned and they havent earned any cos they havent ever DONE anything!

ceridwen

That much is true Mardatha - re the background of a lot of current politicians.

The people I've met ITRW that have come from moneyed backgrounds DO feel free-er to think about things/action things in many ways than people who have had to "keep their nose down to the grindstone" BUT:
- it does take being in a position where one has had to deal with things like unemployment/dead-end jobs/fighting to be able to buy a house (or not being able to manage it at all)/fighting for necessary health care (or having to wait for/do without it because the NHS doesnt provide it - so it has to be paid for)/living in an area that has "problems" of some description/etc to understand what its like for those of us who have to "keep that nose to that grindstone" and fight for the things we need.

Those people who have - and have always taken it for granted that they WILL have - money know that problems are much less likely to arise in the first place and that, if they do, they can buy their way out of them.

It does make for a different outlook if one cant just think:
- Got a health problem = much less likely to happen in the first place and, if it does, pay for the best care there is

- Got a neighbourhood and/or house problem = buy another house elsewhere

and so on.

I hate having to fight for/wait for/do without things rather than being able to think "Need it - so I have it - NO problem". It does influence your attitude to life having to fight/wait/etc OR not as the case may be.

mardatha

Well saying that C, there are also the old-fashioned money people who were brought up to care about their neighbours. I've known a Lord who was brilliant at helping his tenants far over and beyond the call of duty - creating jobs for the youngsters and schoolkids of big families who were struggling...and also a very rich famous couple who went to court and were fined for not paying the Poll Tax because they thought it wasn't fair & wanted to show solidarity with their poorer neighbours. But that's very much Old Style and there's not a lot of them left.

jamanda

kittie wrote: »

Thank you very much greenbe, I`ll get on to it today. So nice to hear of a method that should work

I don`t think any of us should ignore the news today, all of a sudden we are almost in meltdown and we cannot bury our heads in the sand. One Italian bank is about to go under and the big risk is that more will follow and the recesiion ahead could well happen and be very bad with it. I am going to listen to camerons speech today, no ifs and buts and no more second chances for us, no matter who is to blame, it is as it is. Most of us have the basics put away but the real risk is to jobs, businesses and homes. Dh and I will be ok but our children would not be, our 3 with their mortgages and two with small children. They are worried and one has had a very near miss with redundancy, another works all hours in a very stressful job just so that he can maintain success for the (very large) IT company who have already laid people off. Another in a professional job attended a `drumming up business` meeting yesterday. All gut wrenching worrying stuff

We need to get back to that war mentality, there are enough of us in the uk to keep this country afloat and I believe we can do it. As for me, I will pay off my credit card today and will keep spending if I can, cash mostly but a credit card when internet shopping, only to pay it off just after I use it (cc is safer for internet shopping)

Couldn't agree with you more. DH and I would struggle through, probably, but I'm seriously concerned about son trying to manage mortgage and bills in London, and daughter and 3 kids with builder husband and not so much intermittent work, but extremely intermittent payers. Like a roller coaster in their house and it wouldn't take much...

Also have aged parents to worry about. They aren't destitute but mum doesn't like having the house "cluttered up" with stores for "in case". Have bullied her a bit into keeping a few extra staples in in case I can't get there quickly.

I'm very concerned about the European crisis, possible banking crisis and I believe we are all heading into a proper depression sooner rather than later.

I have done all I can to stock up, etc., but if offspring and grandkids turn up it wouldn't last long.

rachbc

Ahh Haribo you have just reminded me that I must chain saw some logs this weekend / nag hubby to do it. Have plenty of coal but running low on logs and have a tree's worth to do.

We did a new statement of affairs last night looking at how things stand now our childcare bill is reduced and hubby has his promotion and hubby is dead set on making some drastic mortgage overpayments whilst rates are low and aiming to be mortgage free in 10 years or so. I know we could do it if we slogged but I'm not sure I want to slog - need to find some middle ground I feel.

Feel we've come a long way in the last 4 years from worrying we'd made a huge financial overstretch moving house and having another baby (whilst continuing to try and live the tiny mortgage 2 incomes lifestyle of before). I've gained a professional qualification and hubby has a slogged for his promotion and it feels that we are moving out of our personal toughest times so I hope global economics don't put us 3 steps (or more) back!!

Becky_2

smileyt, thinking of you today. Sending you a big hug.

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

Stoves are awesome ! I'm reading the "granny sucking eggs" book and finding it a tad boring - but one thing that strikesme as a HUGE difference between then and now is the calibre of politicians and govt. Lord Woolton had worked in RL and been very successful, many of the cabinet also had been in real jobs like teaching and medicine - and knew what life was really like for ordinary people. This lot we have in today - and also their labour counterparts - have never had a proper job, most of them. School, college or uni, then the party. This is why they are so out of touch and seem so stupid to us. They tell us to do this or that - who listens ? we say, quite rightly, "what the hell would he/she know about it" and ignore. Respect has to be earned and they havent earned any cos they havent ever DONE anything!

Heartily in agreement with you there, Mardatha; just had to turn off Radio 4 as William Haig was drivelling on about something or other. Remember him, back in the day, 16 y.o darling of party conference? Never had a proper job in his life as far as I know. Seems that once upon a time we had people in politics who had achieved things of note in the RW and then had gone into politics.

I don't kid myself that they were altruistic in doing so; a successful business-person doesn't stand as a Tory candidate for love of the common (wo)man. Or, they had come up from the mine or the shop-floor, had experienced serious injustices, and were determined to elbow their way into the structures of power and get things improved. Or, they were professionals of one sort or other, who thought that things which they saw in the RW badly-needed to be addressed. Of course, any of the above could and did go to the bad once they got their snouts in the trough.

What to we have now? Muppets of all political stripes from comfortable backgrounds who get into student politics, get to know all the right people, end up in Westminster as MP's researchers often working for free as interns (an option so impossible for the majority of us that it's laughable) then get put forward as political candidates for a part of the country which they probably couldn't even find on a map. The more favoured ones get put up for seats with a safe majority and are shoo-ins for offices which they have no experience to hold, allegedly representing people about whose lives they have no blinking clue. And we pay their salaries, I think?

Two of our local MPs are precisely of this caliber. I get to talk to people in their "offices" when they ring my employer. They seem to have staff who are about 13 y.o. and pig-ignorant of the most basic ways of working; i.e. thinking that we can discuss Mr Bloggs' affairs with them, in the absence of Mr Bloggs, without Mr Bloggs' express written authority to do so.

"But I'm from the MP's Office," they witter self-importantly, as if that makes everything tickety-boo. I honestly fight to resist the urge to be sarky and point out I wouldn't give a damn if they were from the Prime Minister's Office; no third party authority, no talkie.

When I think that my MP has a majority of about 300, that these were believed to be student voters (and they probably aren't still even living in P.C., having bequeathed The Muppet to rest of us), and I could spit tacks.

The author last night was great, lotsa laughs.

Hobsons_Choice

Glitzer wrote: »

((((Big hugs)))) for all those that need them,

My x-ray came back clear yesterday so my GP is happy for me to go back to work tomorrow. As much as I dislike my job it will be a relief to have regular adult company and not rely on my best friend to drop in. I'm not used to seeing her so much and we've run out of things to talk about! :rotfl:

I also had a CT scan yesterday for the headaches. Consultant called me late last night so I went into panic mode. Anyway whilst the CT scan came back clear for my sinuses, which he expected, it did show "an area of concern" and he and the senior radiologist want me to go in for an MRI asap. I should expect a call this morning to book the MRI. Really hoping my best friend is free around the time it gets booked in for; the consultant mentioned trying to get me in today and I don't have a penny for the bus fare until Friday neither does DH and I can't walk there, heck I can barely manage the bus stop! :rotfl:

DH is getting a bit worried with all the time off I have had and thinking I may get dismissed instead of redundancy.

Glitzer: really hope there's nothing to worry about, and will be thinking of you. ((hugs)) for you (and SmileyT and anyone else that needs one today)

Rowan9

Smileyt - thinking of you today.
Glitzer - you are getting really good care from your consultant. Hope you get your appointment over and done with and set your mind at rest. It's hard not having the bus fare - is there anyone who could help you out?
Well I've just fallen out with a woman (in RL) by leaning out my window and screeching 'oi' then telling her off for picking up a little dog (admittedly by its harness) to clip the lead on. She's a dog wa;lker so had 6 or so dogs and this is the 2nd day in a row I've watched her do this with the wee dog. I've always had big dogs so couldn't do this anyway and I do know that mother dogs pick their pups up by the scruff of the neck blah blah. Anyway, I've taken my bolshy head back in from the window and am calming down. I'd hate to be paying her to look after my dogs. She just stand and texts while they run around. Ok, she does walk them too but I'm not in the mood to say so . Another older dog walker really plays with her pack and gives them a good romp about.
Ok.
Out this morning and then will pop into Te$co to see if the cheese deal is still on. Haven't been yet. Don't need anything else - might get some bread from the baker's at the top of our road as I like to buy locally if it isn't too pricey. WM hasn't been on for a few days so might, just might, rustle up some washing to do. Need to clean the kitchen. DH said he'll clean windows later so that's good. My shoulder has been a bit easier lately but I don't want to push my luck:p. DD coming round later for a coffee so I'll have a nice chat with her. She's been off to West Coast with her OH for the weekend. It will have been good for her to have a break away from uni as she has a term of lectures, essays and exams before starting out on placement (student nurse) again in Jan.
Ok folks. Hope you have a good day. Again, smileyt, thinking of you this morning.
W

Gigervamp

Smileyt, thinking of you.

wmf, is it the buy 1 get 2 free offer you're talking about? If so, it's finished I'm afraid. Was going to pick up some more yesterday as we get through a ton of cheese in this house, but saw the offer had finished, although the Pilgrims Choice is on a bogof offer from today.