Cost of Living Crisis

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

The current critical position of both household and government finances is largely the result of the perfect storm of the government's largesse during the 'Chinese Disease', exacerbated by the following energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.

People can scream as much as they want, but the indesputable fact is that people have been both beneficiaries of the government's largesse and victims of the energy crisis.

The former is borrowing which has to be paid back, and the latter is unavoidable. Fact.

I think I might start putting "fact" on the end of all my posts, even though they're my opinion, it looks really cool and makes out that my opinion is fact.

Perhaps you would care to explain how (a) government borrowing does not have to be paid back and (b) how energy prices rises were not triggered by Russia's war against Ukraine?

Thanks.

I don't disagree with you; I was just taking the piss out of the use of the word fact. Fact.

[irie]

The current critical position of both household and government finances is largely the result of the perfect storm of the government's largesse during the 'Chinese Disease', exacerbated by the following energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.

People can scream as much as they want, but the indesputable fact is that people have been both beneficiaries of the government's largesse and victims of the energy crisis.

The former is borrowing which has to be paid back, and the latter is unavoidable. Fact.

I think I might start putting "fact" on the end of all my posts, even though they're my opinion, it looks really cool and makes out that my opinion is fact.

Perhaps you would care to explain how (a) government borrowing does not have to be paid back and (b) how energy prices rises were not triggered by Russia's war against Ukraine?

Thanks.

I don't disagree with you; I was just taking the piss out of the use of the word fact. Fact.

Is that a fact?

[wheelnut]

Left v right politics in the UK is mainly about economics. Do you tax and cut to avoid disaster, or spend and inflate to achieve the same objective. The spend and inflate route arguably got the USA out of the shit pre WW2, bur doesn't seem to have worked well since. Perhaps it was WW2 that did the trick for them rather than economic policies?

Post war, the US were in a great position. They hadn't suffered the war damage that Europe had, they had war debt payments coming in. They had huge surplus manufaturing capacity that could quicly be turned to making refridgerators and cars. The 50s was a golden time for the US.

[Cousin Jack]

The New Deal policies spent vast and borrowed sums on building infrastructure that is still in use today (Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, etc), and provided work for millions. Would that have worked without WW2 following close behind? I really don't know. Liz Truss was obviously convinced the idea would still work today, although I saw no clues as to the infrastructure she wanted to spend the borrowed billions on.

[wheelnut]

The New Deal policies spent vast and borrowed sums on building infrastructure that is still in use today (Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, etc), and provided work for millions. Would that have worked without WW2 following close behind? I really don't know. Liz Truss was obviously convinced the idea would still work today, although I saw no clues as to the infrastructure she wanted to spend the borrowed billions on.

Probably, long term. Of course what the british gov would do would invest billions in the infrastructure and then promptly sell it to foreign ownership to make a quick buck. Foreign owners would then charge us exorbitant rates to use the tax payer funded infrastructure

[irie]

I'm not arguing.

You didn't offer any points to argue and you were pulled up for stating vague comments as fact.
(Edited)

Did Ukraine trigger an energy response - Undoubtedly.
Is it the cause of the energy crisis - No.

Indeed. The cause of "the energy crisis" was a 'supply shock' triggered by the war in Ukraine.

I didn't offer any points to argue about because I can see nothing in the above to argue about, but perhaps you can.

[JackyJoll]

Should I be panic-buying electricity yet?

[David]

Should I be panic-buying electricity yet?

I can help there...I have 43 25 litre containers crammed with the stuff, I can do a very good price for you sir....

[JackyJoll]

Steal other people's electricity by storing loads of atoms with an electron missing, then when you need to you can release them and they'll attract other peoples electrons and it won't cost you anything.

That’s gonna keep me busy if I want AC.

[Yorick]

I was watching 'How the other half live' on the tv last night (documentary with actor Brian Cox) (yeah he's a well known lefty)

Interesting to see how billionaires live - billionaire John Caudwell's Mayfair mansion was unbelievably ostentatious (and not a little tacky in the main). But it was interesting how he even saw that as 'business' - "I spent 70 million on renovating it, but it's now worth 90 million more", something like that. And let's be fair, in one go he's generated 70 million quid of business, that most of us are unlikely to do in several fecking lifetimes. Caudwell lives like an effing King now but has a pretty ordinary background, and a fairly unremarkable work life until his mid 30s. Like I say, interesting stuff for that reason alone.

It's worth watching anyway, it's worth bearing Brian Cox (who I don't find very likeable), who seems to genuinely still suffer the conflict of being brought up in absolute poverty but has dragged himself out of it, and yet returning to his roots nothing much seems to have changed for those at the bottom.
I think there's a message in there somewhere. I dunno what it is though. TBF I didn't quite make it to the end to see what BC's conclusion was.

I watched this episode, but don't think it was special enough to encourage me to watch another.

[Druid]

Steal other people's electricity by storing loads of atoms with an electron missing, then when you need to you can release them and they'll attract other peoples electrons and it won't cost you anything.

That’s gonna keep me busy if I want AC.

You don't need air con in the north of Scotland

[Bike Breaker]

Steal other people's electricity by storing loads of atoms with an electron missing, then when you need to you can release them and they'll attract other peoples electrons and it won't cost you anything.

That’s gonna keep me busy if I want AC.

You don't need air con in the north of Scotland

I thought he meant alternating current. All my physics lessons at school were wasted.

[JackyJoll]

That’s gonna keep me busy if I want AC.

You don't need air con in the north of Scotland

I thought he meant alternating current. All my physics lessons at school were wasted.

But they were fun!

[Bike Breaker]

You don't need air con in the north of Scotland

I thought he meant alternating current. All my physics lessons at school were wasted.

But they were fun!

Physics was my favourite subject.

[Mussels]

The BBC did a highly scientific test on what it would be like to live in an unheated house. I can believe that an unheated house would get down to ten degrees in winter but do they really think anyone would still be wearing shorts and t-shirt?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63602501

[Kneerly Down]

What you need to do is live next to wealthy Chinese students. They will have the house at 27-29C. You then drill some holes into the party wall and use a low wattage fan to bring the warm air into your house.

[Druid]

That’s gonna keep me busy if I want AC.

You don't need air con in the north of Scotland

I thought he meant alternating current. All my physics lessons at school were wasted.

I was trying to be funny, and failing as usual

[David]

The BBC did a highly scientific test on what it would be like to live in an unheated house. I can believe that an unheated house would get down to ten degrees in winter but do they really think anyone would still be wearing shorts and t-shirt?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63602501

That is how I dress all year round, but I live in the balmy climes of s.w. Engerand.

[Felix]

The BBC did a highly scientific test on what it would be like to live in an unheated house. I can believe that an unheated house would get down to ten degrees in winter but do they really think anyone would still be wearing shorts and t-shirt?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63602501

That is how I dress all year round, but I live in the balmy climes of s.w. Engerand.

Apart from shorts as i hate them i live in T shirts. When outdoors working i get to hot with a coat on and even in drizzle i can see myself down to the T shirt but having said that Scotland is a lot warmer than the S.W of Engerland may think.

[Yambo]

The BBC did a highly scientific test on what it would be like to live in an unheated house.

No, they didn't.

I can believe that an unheated house would get down to ten degrees in winter but do they really think anyone would still be wearing shorts and t-shirt?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63602501

This is a great example of the BBC's one sided reporting. By failing to carry out the same measurements on the subject wearing different types and layers of clothing they are simply providing a worst case scenario. It's possible of course that they did carry out the extra studies but by only reporting on the one scenario they are misleading people. They had a great opportunity to give people real solutions to the current problem of do I eat or heat.

Or do I buy some thermals.