Are we entering a depression?  The politicians say no, but they would, wouldn't they, never tell the whole truth - could lose votes.  I love that quote from the film "Forrest Gump" when the doctor fitting Forrest with a leg brace says that the boys legs are as "crooked as a politician".  Depression?  I think I have.  Petrol prices rising every week - At this rate we will be paying most of our salary for the privelege of going to work.  Food prices rising and even though I think I'm alright, just, I am concerned for those families with low or little income struggling even harder to feed themselves. 

Struggling to Get By - I know because I 've been there, many years ago when there was less benefits to claim than today and bringing up a young family on my own, I considered giving up completely but realised that this was selfish thought, a cowards way out.  My children needed me and they must come first, but oh what a struggle to live - robbing "Peter to pay Paul", making deals with creditors and so on.  So I can only guess at what low income families are going through today.

One of the  most annoying grievance I have government policies is the high duty on fuel, 75% duty and VAT.  They are raking it in to squander of doomed IT projects.  Plus when oil prices rise significantly they get more of your cash so it's in their interest to do NOTHING.  Even juggling with income tax (removal of 10 pence tax band and the appearance of wanting to let you keep more of your hard earned wages comes to nothing in reality because for every pound they give you back they steal another £2.00 from someone else, usually those that can ill afford to.  The recent tax change gave me an extra £16.00 per week - but not really, due to spending an extra £12.00 per week on fuel and £20.00 more on food bills I am still losing anyway like many of you.

As all previous goverments regardless of which party is in, as far back as I can remember, when I took an interest which is when I left school and started work any tax changes were implemented to appear to give you something back but take more somewhere else - £5.00 a week more in your pockets but not really if you smoked, drank alcohol and drove a car which most of us did back then.  This is what we worked for all week, smoking, down the pub at weekends and taking the family out for a drive into the country - a litle luxury we held dear but not any more.  It is a bloody LUXURY NOW!  Have to think twice now, can we afford it.  Give up smoking, visit the pub once a week, usually Sundays and sorry kids, just one cheap ice cream each.

Homes Repossession

Latest figures show that 27,530 people lost their homes in the first three months of 2008.  That averages at 305 per day. This rate of repos is the highest for 18 years and in some areas it is likely to double, mainly in the north.

This is the repercussions of the credit squeeze, economic downturn and many famlies coming off fixed rate interest deals. Living costs such as energy and food are rising faster than the rate of inflation and wages leaving many to struggle to meet mortgage commitments.

"Everyone of these famllies are in distress and still have to find a place to live" said Barry Gilbertson of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Shelter spokesman said that many mortgage lenders where too quick to take court action.  The chancellor Alistair Darling met six major lenders urging them to go easy on struggling families.  The chancellor is to pledge £9 million to support mortgage payers over three years but this say many is miniscule and a little to late for those 27,000 that have already lost their homes.

"The Prime Minister could help by removing HIPS and axing stamp duty for first time buyers on properties under £250,000" said Tory shadow housing minister, Grant Shapps.

We think we have problems

Burma  - What a disgrace the military junta in Burma is, a bunch of despots determined to hold power regardless of the cost of lives of their own people.  The Burmese have not had a lot over the past decades, their country isolated from the world but now they have even less after the cyclone hit their lands.  Even the small amount of aid allowed in is being confisticated by the generals.

They don't want aid workers in because they think that spies will creep in too to report on the repression they have inflicted on their people.  I would say spot on - They have reason to be paraniod, because they are despots through and through.  Wouldn't you just like to ram their weapons right up to where the sun doesn't shine - that's real pain but nothing to what the people are suffering now.  In fact suffering will continue for some time in the future as irreversible diseases take a hold and possibly affect the babies that are to be born in future.

The China Problem - This vast country is progressing to a industrial power house at a eyewatering rate.  We condemn it for many reasons but we rarely complain when we buy high tech products, clothes and toys at low prices.  The people of China have had nothing to speak about for many years, we considered them a land of illerate peasants but not any more.

Three Gorges Dam

Unfortunately some are suffering this development at great cost to themselves and I am speaking here of the giant Three Gorges Dam blocking the Yangtze River, which will generate vast amounts of "green energy" using hydro-electric technology.  So you cannot knock them for that, although I doubt if it will counterbalance the numerous coal fired powered stations but it's a start.

However, the dam is good on the face of it but now the people that have been displaced are wondering wether the benefits of this dam actually outweigh the negatives.  Take a look at the trailer of a Chinese-Canadian film maker who travelled back to China to view the problems that the dam is causing.  Filmed on a cruise ship taking tourists to view the Three Gorges and the gigantic lake it is forming.  We think we have problems?

Watch Trailer - Up the Yangtze

Last update : 12-05-2008 13:49

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