Brits are a happy lot.
Dec 18th 2011, 3:57 pm
#46
The Kwisatz Haderach
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: North Wales
Posts: 8,080
Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Same here. What I do remember was power cuts, rubbish piling up and having no pocket money for a few months. Reason for that? My dad had to go away for work and the Post Office was on strike. He had no way of sending money to my mum and the trip from London to Kirkcaldy was too expensive to do more than once a month. The 50p a week me and my brother got obviously made a difference.
Black and white telly, no car, bare floors because we couldn't afford carpet. Constant strikes. the 3 day week, etc. Do I look back and think I was deprived or something? Of course not. I was a kid / teenager growing up. I would go back to that in a flash. For my parents though, it must of been a horrible and stressful time.
Black and white telly, no car, bare floors because we couldn't afford carpet. Constant strikes. the 3 day week, etc. Do I look back and think I was deprived or something? Of course not. I was a kid / teenager growing up. I would go back to that in a flash. For my parents though, it must of been a horrible and stressful time.
Power cuts, and rubbish, it was awful. My sis and I were being raised by a single mom in a council house, and her hours were cut, she worked two jobs to keep us going, no benefits, child support that was a joke. We didn't even have a TV for about 3 or 4 years after ours broke. I was so out of the loop at school 
I remember being a teen in the late 70's all my friends and I getting ready to finish high school (78) and all of us thinking that we'd be unemployed forever, and had no hope. It was very depressing.
Oh I got 50p a week too (from my Dad) and had to let my Mom have it quite often to help pay the milk man.
Dec 18th 2011, 4:15 pm
#47
Ping-ponger
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Just read about Fuel poverty. The proportion of homes in fuel poverty in England and Wales has risen from 18% to 24% in two years, estimates suggest. Nearly 5.7 million households are in fuel poverty - when more than 10% of their disposable income is spent on fuel.
Also, Falling incomes will mean the biggest drop for middle-income families in the U.K. since the 1970s, says a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The IFS forecasts two years "dominated by a large decline" in incomes, pushing 600,000 more children into poverty, By 2013 there will be 3.1 million children in poverty in the UK, according to the IFS projections.
Also, Falling incomes will mean the biggest drop for middle-income families in the U.K. since the 1970s, says a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The IFS forecasts two years "dominated by a large decline" in incomes, pushing 600,000 more children into poverty, By 2013 there will be 3.1 million children in poverty in the UK, according to the IFS projections.
I think "mortgage poverty" is a more relevant index for some people.
Dec 18th 2011, 9:52 pm
#48
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Just read about Fuel poverty. The proportion of homes in fuel poverty in England and Wales has risen from 18% to 24% in two years, estimates suggest. Nearly 5.7 million households are in fuel poverty - when more than 10% of their disposable income is spent on fuel.
Also, Falling incomes will mean the biggest drop for middle-income families in the U.K. since the 1970s, says a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The IFS forecasts two years "dominated by a large decline" in incomes, pushing 600,000 more children into poverty, By 2013 there will be 3.1 million children in poverty in the UK, according to the IFS projections.
Also, Falling incomes will mean the biggest drop for middle-income families in the U.K. since the 1970s, says a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The IFS forecasts two years "dominated by a large decline" in incomes, pushing 600,000 more children into poverty, By 2013 there will be 3.1 million children in poverty in the UK, according to the IFS projections.
Dec 18th 2011, 10:19 pm
#49
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Yes but 'fuel poverty' is a much better Daily Mail OMG the sky is falling type headline isn't it ?
I think "fuel poverty" is a misleading term. It mainly is an index that reflects energy costs. There are people living in mansions who are in "fuel poverty", but I certainly wouldn't class them as poor. In the "old days" people would be in "food poverty" if you define it in similar terms - food prices are much lower these days (people spend a much smaller proportion of their income on food than they used to).
I think "mortgage poverty" is a more relevant index for some people.
I think "mortgage poverty" is a more relevant index for some people.
Dec 18th 2011, 11:54 pm
#50
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Actually, 'Fuel Poverty' is a phrase used by the government and many other organisations dealing with fuel poverty in the U.K: 'The government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and pensioners are unsure whether they qualify for extra help, according to a pensioner group. Thousands of older people may be left in the cold this winter because the government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and too complicated, according to a leading pensioners' group.'--Guardian
Dec 19th 2011, 12:06 am
#51
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Actually, 'Fuel Poverty' is a phrase used by the government and many other organisations dealing with fuel poverty in the U.K: 'The government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and pensioners are unsure whether they qualify for extra help, according to a pensioner group. Thousands of older people may be left in the cold this winter because the government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and too complicated, according to a leading pensioners' group.'--Guardian
Dec 19th 2011, 2:07 am
#52
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Actually, 'Fuel Poverty' is a phrase used by the government and many other organisations dealing with fuel poverty in the U.K: 'The government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and pensioners are unsure whether they qualify for extra help, according to a pensioner group. Thousands of older people may be left in the cold this winter because the government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and too complicated, according to a leading pensioners' group.'--Guardian
Dec 19th 2011, 8:37 am
#54
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Actually, 'Fuel Poverty' is a phrase used by the government and many other organisations dealing with fuel poverty in the U.K: 'The government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and pensioners are unsure whether they qualify for extra help, according to a pensioner group. Thousands of older people may be left in the cold this winter because the government's fuel poverty scheme is poorly publicised and too complicated, according to a leading pensioners' group.'--Guardian
She actually lent £100 of it to me 'cos I was skint. The people at work thought that hysterical! I was saying at work what should I get her for Xmas and a witty colleague replied 'How about a thick winter coat seeing as you've had her winter fuel allowance.'
Dec 19th 2011, 11:58 am
#55
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
I don't think anyone should be cold in the winter, but as we were remembering the '70s, doesn't anyone remember when most people didn't have central heating, where the living room was kept warm and everyone squeezed into it, and where a hot water bottle or perhaps a dodgy electric blanket was all that warmed the beds? We put the next day's clothes under the eiderdown so they'd be warm in the morning, and then mostly dressed under the covers.
We all wore lots of layers and shivered as we went to the loo, then quick back to the living room where we argued about what to watch on telly. We all thought that was normal, and I don't remember stories of people dying of the cold.
Perhaps we need to bring back blankets. I'm shocked by how hard it is to find decent blankets here. A duvet's all very well -- but only if it hangs down a foot or more on sides and end -- but better over a well-tucked in sheet and blanket or two if it's really cold.
BTW, on the seventies, there's a reason we went to Canada in 1976!
Bev
We all wore lots of layers and shivered as we went to the loo, then quick back to the living room where we argued about what to watch on telly. We all thought that was normal, and I don't remember stories of people dying of the cold.
Perhaps we need to bring back blankets. I'm shocked by how hard it is to find decent blankets here. A duvet's all very well -- but only if it hangs down a foot or more on sides and end -- but better over a well-tucked in sheet and blanket or two if it's really cold.
BTW, on the seventies, there's a reason we went to Canada in 1976!
Bev
Dec 19th 2011, 1:26 pm
#56
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
I don't think anyone should be cold in the winter, but as we were remembering the '70s, doesn't anyone remember when most people didn't have central heating, where the living room was kept warm and everyone squeezed into it, and where a hot water bottle or perhaps a dodgy electric blanket was all that warmed the beds? We put the next day's clothes under the eiderdown so they'd be warm in the morning, and then mostly dressed under the covers.
We all wore lots of layers and shivered as we went to the loo, then quick back to the living room where we argued about what to watch on telly. We all thought that was normal, and I don't remember stories of people dying of the cold.
Perhaps we need to bring back blankets. I'm shocked by how hard it is to find decent blankets here. A duvet's all very well -- but only if it hangs down a foot or more on sides and end -- but better over a well-tucked in sheet and blanket or two if it's really cold.
BTW, on the seventies, there's a reason we went to Canada in 1976!
Bev
We all wore lots of layers and shivered as we went to the loo, then quick back to the living room where we argued about what to watch on telly. We all thought that was normal, and I don't remember stories of people dying of the cold.
Perhaps we need to bring back blankets. I'm shocked by how hard it is to find decent blankets here. A duvet's all very well -- but only if it hangs down a foot or more on sides and end -- but better over a well-tucked in sheet and blanket or two if it's really cold.
BTW, on the seventies, there's a reason we went to Canada in 1976!
Bev
Dec 19th 2011, 2:08 pm
#57
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
My parents moved into a newly built house when I was a baby. It was very small but because it was new, it did have central heating and I don't remember being cold. But now, in her old age, my mum seems to view central heating as a luxury, and only heats a couple of rooms in the house. The rest are frigid! I always wear layers when I go to her house.
Dec 20th 2011, 4:39 am
#58
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Re: Brits are a happy lot.
Will you stop bringing facts into Returnees 'the sky is falling threads'
Unsure if you get it? If you get an 'old age' pension it is paid to your account automatically. My mum didn't do anything to claim it, she just got £200 paid into her account. She does not qualify for pension credits or any other help.
She actually lent £100 of it to me 'cos I was skint. The people at work thought that hysterical! I was saying at work what should I get her for Xmas and a witty colleague replied 'How about a thick winter coat seeing as you've had her winter fuel allowance.'
She actually lent £100 of it to me 'cos I was skint. The people at work thought that hysterical! I was saying at work what should I get her for Xmas and a witty colleague replied 'How about a thick winter coat seeing as you've had her winter fuel allowance.'
Dec 20th 2011, 12:22 pm
#59
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Joined: Jul 2002
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Posts: 12,010
Re: Brits are a happy lot.
I don't think anyone should be cold in the winter, but as we were remembering the '70s, doesn't anyone remember when most people didn't have central heating, where the living room was kept warm and everyone squeezed into it, and where a hot water bottle or perhaps a dodgy electric blanket was all that warmed the beds? We put the next day's clothes under the eiderdown so they'd be warm in the morning, and then mostly dressed under the covers.
We all wore lots of layers and shivered as we went to the loo, then quick back to the living room where we argued about what to watch on telly. We all thought that was normal, and I don't remember stories of people dying of the cold.
Perhaps we need to bring back blankets. I'm shocked by how hard it is to find decent blankets here. A duvet's all very well -- but only if it hangs down a foot or more on sides and end -- but better over a well-tucked in sheet and blanket or two if it's really cold.
BTW, on the seventies, there's a reason we went to Canada in 1976!
Bev
We all wore lots of layers and shivered as we went to the loo, then quick back to the living room where we argued about what to watch on telly. We all thought that was normal, and I don't remember stories of people dying of the cold.
Perhaps we need to bring back blankets. I'm shocked by how hard it is to find decent blankets here. A duvet's all very well -- but only if it hangs down a foot or more on sides and end -- but better over a well-tucked in sheet and blanket or two if it's really cold.
BTW, on the seventies, there's a reason we went to Canada in 1976!
Bev
I'm all for providing additional help with winter heating costs for older adults who need it, but not indiscriminately - I think even the Queen is eligible for a winter heating allowance (mind you, she does have a lot of house to heat!)
Dec 20th 2011, 11:21 pm
#60
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 116
Re: Brits are a happy lot.
I think many Britons are not happy now. Apart from rising prices, high divorce rates and the highest obesity levels in Europe, the future looks grim. I know that other countries are facing a grim future too, but this thread is discussing happiness in Britain. If you think it's bad now, I would brace yourself for a bleaker financial few years ahead, as many experts have predicted. It's a shame, but one needs to face reality. It's time to batton down the hatches and be thankful that you have enough money to pay for food and heating.