Yes. Because quite literally the costs associated with living are spiralling out of control. How people spend their money is entirely irrelevant to that, it has nothing to do with their priorities. That's why it's a cost of living crisis not a spending to live crisis. I think your post is very out of touch when it comes to the vast majority of people struggling with utility increases, food prices, etc. just because people you know still go on holiday.
It's got absolutely sod all to do with "people I know still going on holiday" I'm going on what I see day in day out. But I'll say oy yet again for you as you can't still after all your time on here seem to read what people write and grasp it.... Are things more expensive.... Yes! Are there people struggling..... Yes as there always has been and always will be unfortunately Are some finding it hard due to then having their priorities wrong....Yes Are the media making it out to be much worse then it is.... 100% yes Telling the truth and saying what I see day in day out doesn't doesn't make me out of touch. I'm glad you can tell me I'm out of touch and wrong from what I see day to day from 1000s of miles away in a completely different country though. You're first hand experience of what's happening here day to day must be top notch.
I have a pretty good grasp on what's going on in England with utility prices yes, it's not too tricky to follow the news. You made a post expecting pelters, you had OLM, Zim and I all explain it to you, and you dug in instead of acknowledging that your view was a controversial one. Best to move on.
I think you'll find I acknowledged in my first post on this it's controversial. Yes olm has giving his insight which you can't argue with as that's his industry ( and I hope for him or any other individual or business that's seeing things slow down, things return for them ) , but I know other individuals/businesses/industries that are absolutely thriving, growing and it's never been better for them ( and just because I know you're that kind of guy.... It's not oil and gas etc ). Times are tougher ATM for lots of people for lots of reasons, but also for some it's tough due to their priorities and chosen lifestyle. Previous generations ( on the whole ) went without when times got tough, ours seems to just get the plastic out and carry on ( making things worse ) I guarantee it wouldn't be thought to be anywhere near as bad if it wasn't rammed down people's throats 24/7 by the media But as you say, let's move on, which I thought you'd done last night but found the need to start again this morning, try sticking to it this time and continue to watch the oh so reliable media to build your picture of a completely different country.
I think the worst is past for now, but costs across the board are up something like 25% since COVID which is just ridiculous.
How people spend their money is irrelevant to the cost of living crisis. Not sure about that. Historically food cost about 35 to 40% of household budget, now it's down to less than 10%. Hard to get through the door into the local Asda where the cheap food is because of all the poor people queueing at the macdonalds in the foyer. Up the road from there is a bargain shop but don't go there anytime near school starting or finishing time as the car park will be full of cars dropping off or picking up the kids. Minimum wage of over £11 an hour, and a benefit system to top that up if found necessary, it absolutely is about priorities.
The whole cost of living crisis is a manufactured con. People suffering to create profit & sate greed. British Gas' annual profits soared more than tenfold to £751m in 2023. Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain said pre-tax profits hit £2.3bn, up from £882m in the year to 24 February. Energy giant BP has reported its second highest annual profit in a decade. Profits were $13.8bn (£11bn) in 2023. Cost of Living crisis? It’s a Cost of Greed crisis. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?
Eh? Think you're thinking of our discussion about how much a footballer would need to earn to be set for life, an entirely different topic.
So food is allowed to increase 25% because people can afford it? Think you've missed the point of my comment.
Wtf are you on about Syd. Nothing in the post you quoted has anything to do with footballers wages and that conversation
"But as you say, let's move on, which I thought you'd done last night but found the need to start again this morning, try sticking to it this time and continue to watch the oh so reliable media to build your picture of a completely different country." I never said that on this topic. Wtf are YOU on about. Last night my only contributions to this topic was discussing the concept of superannuation in Australia then some jokes about podcasts on long drives.
You said that it's an issue of what people spend their money on and their priorities. If they didn't spend money at McDonalds they could buy food from Asda, right? Otherwise you might need to explain what you mean.
You said to me last night on this very thread when I first posted on this and you commented... We'll have to agree to disagree then. Obviously that must mean something different in Australia, as here that's pretty much just a different way of saying let's leave it there.
There was a meme here in Aus for years because boomers insisted that people my age couldn't afford a house deposit because they spent all their money at cafe's having smashed avocado on toast. It was pointed out that if someone was spending 5 quid on smashed Avo every weekend that cutting that out of their spending would mean that it would take some ridiculous number of years to save a house deposit. It's a real 'let them eat cake' attitude from the haves about the have nots that because poor people dare to not spend their money exactly how they think they should then they deserve no sympathy. Ben posted the stats, that's the start and end of it.
In Hull and dare i say lots of places it's a fantastic salary, but in his constituency ( which as far as I'm aware is what he was talking about ) it's not a huge salary.
Don't tell me you read one of my posts, inferred a particular meaning from it beyond the words on the page, and are now trying to bash me over the head over it? Perish the thought. I said we would have to agree to disagree, but you carried on, so why shouldn't I?
It still goes pretty far. Unless people think they need a second car or a jet boat or a holiday house. Maybe the poor dears should sell one of those and shop down at Asda.
