Prepping for Brexit thread

fuddle

Jack Monroe is now a professional opinion giver. This person earns a living by giving opinion. That doesn't make their opinion any less valid but equally, in my eyes, it doesn't give it any more clout.

People like Jack, Owen Jones etc etc are forever across the media, being forceful, passionate and often controversial - they have to, to keep themselves relevant... and paid.

I am aware of Jack's struggles. Jack was going through financial difficulties as I was going through my own. Jack blogged and wrote a book to get out of their predicament. I wrote on here and built a store cupboard.

We are all so different, coming at things from different angles, morals, social standings, beliefs, personalities and finances. I don't ridicule Jack for choosing the way she got on her feet so why should Jack critise the way I did it?

My answer? Because Jack being controversial will get her media attention, sponsorship and a paycheck.

This is my problem with our news today. It's massively opinion based and the more your opinion stands out the more popular, sometimes for the wrong reasons, gets you to stand out.

Professionally opinionated make money from professionally offended folk and sadly, the ignorant, in my opinion. This fake news culture is here because opinion gets shared about as being fact, as being news worthy etc and all the while readers and listeners are agreeing or disagreeing and allowing politics to split us.

In my opinion it's fool hardy to get irate or passionate about things like Jack's tweets because it adds to the bad feeling we are already facing as a society.

Cheapskate

Fuddle, you're dead right, as usual! Call me a cynic, but sometimes I think that professionals like the two you mention deliberately use extreme language to encourage people to bite back, and create an argument, and then they're at each other's throats, and some claim to be (professionally) offended.

Why can't folk agree to disagree? It's all opinion, anyway! Since when did my opinion trump yours or vice versa (the general 'you' or 'I')?

Nice to 'see' you, fuddle - I've been MIA for a while, RL had got overwhelming!

A xo

VJsmum

Farway wrote: »

I also find it odd that the losers blame False News and Russian trolls because the vote did not go the way they wished, but in the same breath blame the older generation, who in the main, like Mrs LW & me never watch any of it, ignore leaflets, take everything with large heaps of salt and rely upon decades of life to guide us

Taken from Twitter and the BBC here are the facts:


1) Majority of Vote Leave's AIQ spend went to Facebook ads. That's a fact.
2) Facebook did NOT check if it was legal. That's a fact.
3) The EC found the scheme was illegal. That's a fact.
4) Facebook's platform facilitated those illegal ads. That's a fact.

No one is saying anyone here was influenced, what is a fact is that many people may have been. We can't know how many. False or misleading adverts were placed all over, not just Facebook, and it is likely that some will have been influenced and the winning margin was narrow. These adverts were funded from money that is likely to have originated outside of the UK. Aaron Banks has a lot to answer for - but it is unlikely that he will ever have to because he has money and influence. Paul Dacre likewise....

I am not a bad loser, jeez I think almost every parliamentary candidate I have ever voted for has lost. I suck it up and get on. I understand the reasons why many people voted to leave, I really do. But I also understand why it is in many rich people's interests to make sure we do. And those reasons are in contrast to those of ordinary people.

On that note, I am out of this thread and will stick to the other prepping thread .

Peace out

lessonlearned

I must confess to being a bit of cynic too. Can't stand professional bleeding hearts and those who "do good" in the media spotlight.

There are millions of people who do good every day, just quietly rolling up their sleeves and getting on with it. The everyday unsung heroes and heroines who keep the wheels turning.

Bigjenny

Like many I voted to leave based on my opinion, not influences by others. If the majority had voted to stay I would have accepted that.


I am adding a couple of extra items to my stock cupboard every week and a couple of month before Brexit I will buy some meat to put in the freezer, to ensure I have enough to cover 2 or 3 weeks around that time.


I think the current hysteria will increase as Brexit grows ever nearer and people will start to panic buy and strip the shops as usual when they think there is a shortage of something.


I will also keep quite about my store cupboard.

Primrose

A good idea to keep quiet about one,s stiredupboard I think. There will always be those who haven,t had the forethought to do some forward planning and will be looking to be bailed out.

[Deleted User]

I deal in fact and fact alone but not until I've checked that fact out and actually know that it is true or false. I think a great many people have the inclination to believe all things they see on screen or in the media (whichever bits they dabble in) no matter how unlikely, no matter that it can be proven untrue and no matter that it seems too good to be true, I don't because I'm a sceptically cynical person and I don't believe in fairyland, la la land or utopia. So in my world there is truth and untruth and its not all shades of grey but stark black and white and I don't think the great British public are as easily duped and led astray as some folks have decided they are. People who earn a living from expressing opinions are the ones whose opinions I question most deeply, particularly those who are politically motivated, there's nothing wrong with passion over issues and for a just cause but name calling, trolling and downright rudeness have no place in my world and people who use tactics like those have only their own interests at the core of it and a complete distain for the rest of the world if they don't agree with what is 'enlighteningly' fed to us in the first place. I do believe in manners, politeness and consideration towards my fellow beings and I can often see the complete lack of any of these in some posts too!


This thread isn't about politics and idealism it's here for the practical purpose of looking at ways that we can buffer ourselves against the unknown that is a post Brexit UK it's not a place for name calling and blame it's for ideas and suggestions that may help us through difficult times and that's all!

Primrose

I suspect that over the past several decades - since the last world war in fact, this country has developed and has inadvertently perhaps through the best of motives, encouraged people to develop an increasing attitude of reliance on the state to solve all their problems.

Whilst we need government to set an example in protecting infrastructure and protecting essential supplies , perhaps what the population really needs is encouragement to start thinking for themselves and taking some personal initiative in looking after their own welfare and wellbeing.

We managed it pretty well during the last war. Those of us of an older generation learnt these traits from our parents and grandparents. Perhaps what we need to be doing now is teaching and encouraging a younger generation who are not familiar with these ways of living how best to be get a quart out of a pint pot but also to be innovative in using what resources are available for the best benefit of the country.

. We also have a lot of clever people in this country who need to be encouraged and inspired to achieve all they are capable of. Really it,s all about making the best use of our resources. Where is the modern day Lord Woolton (of WW2 Woolton Pie fame) to inspire everybody. Sadly aI look around our modern day politicians and see little in the way of these leadership qualities so ordinary folks need to take responsibility for their own wellbeing.

dreaming

The thing about opinions and influence is that we are all influenced in some way, whether we know it or not. Some of this influence is overt through media, but there is also the less overt influences such as past experience. As I have said before, I am influenced by my past -(my family being relatively poor when I was a child, through the rising prosperity of the latter part of the 20th century, through the financial crash (when I was working in finance) to the present day of being on a fixed retirement income. It is this that has mainly influenced my desire for some small sense of "security" with a store cupboard. Although I read and try to analyse the information given out about "issues" it is sometimes difficult to tease out what I consider to be real. As with most things there are often several equally-qualified "experts" all contradicting each other. More often that not I go with my gut-feeling and just try to live as quietly and equitably as possible. This is undoubtedly due to the influence of my past experiences that no matter what the politicians say or do, life for the majority of us goes on in one way or another. Most people are very adaptable (even the so-called "snowflake generation" will find their way) when necessary - it is all the build up that leads to feeling anxious and unsettled.
By the way, I have been noticing empty shelves in my supermarket for the last year and can't decide whether it is just mismanagement in the supply chain of my particular store, or part of a scaling back.

[Deleted User]

We can re-learn many of the 'old fashioned' ways that were used to such good purpose in both world wars on the home front. The most obvious when feeding a family is to give a sustaining breakfast like porridge which will fuel bodies until lunchtime, if snacks are needed apples will fill a gap and a glass of milk or a milky drink at the mid morning break will fill any 'holes'. Lunch starting with a small bowl of home made soup and a roll will mean less expensive meat will be needed as will a good serving of seasonal veg and some potatoes, a good gravy or sauce will add interest. A seasonal fruit based pudding in small quantities accompanied by milky custard will give enough energy to see you through to supper and a cup of tea mid afternoon will keep you from feeling hungry. Supper or high tea lighter than lunch and perhaps something savoury like beans on toast/scrambled eggs on toast/macaroni cheese etc. will give enough comfort to sleep without being too full or unable to digest. Small people need a glass of milk before bed and the nutrition is right and you aren't hungry.

Things to make life a little less difficult will keep spirits buoyant rather than feeling that life is dreadfully hard and will be very necessary from now until we actually know how life will be if Brexit happens. Little things make much difference!