Do you really feel it?
 

I've not been in the Uk for years (thank god) but I see on television, infact everywhere, how bad things are.

Can you really feel a difference though?

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

If you've not been in the UK for years, then how can you see it "everywhere"? :rofl:

I dont watch UK TV, thank God, and generally you shouldnt solely lie on the media to form your opinions, especially the UK media which will twist anything to boost their ratings or sell more papers.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Ok sorry, I don't see it from within the uk :rofl: other than my friends opinions. Dohhh that's why I was asking.

I do watch UK TV and have internet.

Actually if you read correctly I didn't make any opinion I asked a simple question........... can you see a difference or what? From your reply I take it that you don't, but it is a little unclear to me, thanx anyroad :rofl::rofl:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I'll second that!

What "things" do you refer to?

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Exactly. Unless they are reporting hard facts and figures, it's best to keep an open mind as regards the media.
As for things being bad - well the UK, like other western countries, is struggling to come out of recession (today the unemployment figures were up again). But even if 20% of the population are struggling, that still leaves 80% either doing the same or better. Yes, if you work for the public sector,chances are your job may be at risk. But many are benefitting from low interest rates as regards their mortgage. I've just seen Boris Johnson on the box defending the poor record of London transport, and he stated there are more passengers using the Tube than ever before. So, presumably some of those workers, tourists and visitors aren't doing so bad, even if they have to put up with unreliable trains.
Also, don't believe everything is coming to a halt in the UK. The government is going ahead with the crossrail project across London - good news too for Spanish construction companies! http://www.constructionenquirer.com/...racts-awarded/
Of course my comments have a London bias, and I can't speak for all parts of the UK. But, I suspect, life goes on much the same for a majority of the population, even if life's not all rosey for everyone.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Indeed, life does go on. I've said before, perhaps I'm lucky, but I haven't really experienced any difference in my day to day living, if anything, some things are cheaper, lots of deals about. Electricity, petrol and gas are going up, but that's no different to anywhere else. Yes, unemployement is slightly up, and will continue upwards for a while yet, but at under 8% it's better than Spain's nearly 20%. The UK can still borrow money at .75%, I read today that Spain is now having to pay something like 3.5%(?), that's a huge difference. The Spanish economy is looking a bit shaky. My only negative is I have had my house for sale for a few months now, and so far, no takers. But we're not desperate to sell, we were just thinking of buying a new, bigger place, we can wait.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

The thing is though, when you look at the number of "economically inactives" of working age in the UK, you end up with around 20% !!! Now, of course a lot of those are classified as being on incapacity benefit, so may be better off financially (at least for the near future, as the UK government has promised to crack down on this). But I suspect in reality all western countries currrently have around 20% of the workforce not working, even if you allow for a certain black market distorting things. The labour intensive industries have moved to the far East.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Hang in there,

There's a boom on the way.

IMO it's a regular cycle designed to keep us all down and make the rich richer, this is the time they all invest and take advantage of us.

Seen it all before.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

But Gordon promised us "no more boom and bust" :confused:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Heard it all before :rofl:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Yes, comparison of unemployment figures is a tricky thing.

Both the UK and US did some fudging of the figures around 20 years ago to exclude those who stopped actively looking for work or going to the job centre regularly. And in the UK, the number of people on disability benefit has quadrupled in the past 20 years.

There is a "shadowstats" site that says real unemployment in the US is not 9% like the figures, but more like 23%. i.e. around the same as Spain. For the UK, I dont know.

OK, there may be people Spain excludes too, but from discussions I've seen it seems this is a more complete stat. Spain should be more clever and start excluding people from their stats too maybe that way they wont be bullied so much by the ratings companies!

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Couldn't agree more!:thumbup:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Spain excludes anyone from it's unemployment figures who are not eligible to receive benefit. All countries massage the figures, some more than others!

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I dont think that is entirely true. As long as you go and sign on every three months then you are included in the figures. I believe it is the people who arent entitled to anything so dont go and sign on who are excluded.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

The country has gone to the dogs I tell ya.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

All the world has gone to the dogs:rofl:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I was in Manchester for a long weekend at the start of this month (yes I know I picked a bad time because of the snow and the air traffic controllers' industrial action, but my flight was only delayed 1 hour coming back).

Admittedly I was only there a short time but I didn't get the impression that things were bad economically, the shops were all heaving with people in spite of the weather, and the restaurant I went to for lunch was so busy we had to wait for a table - and no, it wasn't a cheap chain establishment offering 2 for 1 deals!

From my perspective the economic situation is much worse in Spain, not that it affects me personally but it's sad to see so many people without work, queues outside the local charity to get free food and second hand clothes, etc. I went to Cadiz for a few days in November and was really shocked to see how many homeless people were sleeping rough in the city centre, and the majority of them were people in their '50s or older and didn't look as though they had obvious drink, drugs or mental health problems.

NB will those forum members who claim that I can only find positive things to say about Spain please take note!

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

It just depends what you notice and exactly where you live in a country

I always saw more homeless people in the UK than in Spain, but then I lived in London. In Barcelona there were lots of people who used to ravage through the bins, but dont think they were homeless, but obviously pretty destitute.

I've only noticed the odd homeless person in Malaga city, no more than in any other city in the world.

The most homeless people I've ever seen is when I went to North America. Chicago had loads and Vancouver had a shocking number, although someone told me that all the homeless in Canada relocate to Vancouver as it has a relatively mild winter.

Btw, I used to go and visit Manchester for work only a few years ago, and the first thing I noticed was the many homeless and drunk people as you got off at the train station

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I wonder if there's a Spanish equivalent of the Daily Mail.
Then you could really cheer us all up.:frown: ;)

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

A Spanis equivalent of the Daily Mail? I wouldn't know, having been a socialist all my adult life and a former full time trade union officer, I wouldn't be seen dead reading it.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

You are right about the area around Piccadilly Station in Manchester, Cricketman, it's not very salubrious at all. Same in most cities wherever I've been in the world, really, close to main railway stations - Kings Cross, Victoria, Termini in Rome, Centraal in Amsterdam, never book a hotel that says it is close to the railway station because the area's always horrible.

What shocked me in Cadiz was the sheer numbers, far more than I've seen in Central Malaga for example, and as I said, a great many older people. Cadiz is a pretty small place and it really stood out. We also saw a few different protests about unemployment just in the few days we were there, I did read after we got back that the figures are even higher there than for Malaga province, at least 30%. That is pretty scary.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Good for you.

I wouldn't wipe my *rse with it.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I am in the UK for christmas and in my opinion "things" don't appear nearly as bad as things did in spain before I left.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Hmm, well I suppose the quality and texture of the paper isn't quite what it used to be. :D

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

heh. The best development of modern life imo has been the virtual disappearance of that greasepaper-like toilet paper.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Oh god yes. Terrible stuff. Izal?

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

It was a cunning plan to stop people using too much! :D

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

At my first school the bog was located outside, about 60 mtrs across the school yard and quite often all frozen up.
Pupils first had to request permission to go ,and then explain in front of the class which particular function they wished to perform, a No 1 or a No.2. :o
If a No 2, they then had to request a single tiny piece of the old type toilet roll, which was located high on the top shelf of a cupboard behind the teachers desk, where no one else could reach it.
I can only presume this was for security reasons, in order to stop anyone making of with more than a single precious piece at a time.
Maybe it was hard to come by back then, as at home we often used to make do with pages from old comics, like the Dandy and Beano. However at least we could then combine business and pleasure, reading of course, whilst sitting on the ancient wooden seat of the drafty outside bog.
It could be particularly drafty up the old khyber pass, if the guys opened the door underneath, to shovel the stuff out whilst sitting there.

Ay, times were tuf when I were a lad. :rofl:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

That's right, awful.

When we were young and saving up, we used to stay at the OHs Grandparents on the coast.
Every thing was great apart from the Izal. I used to have to put up with the stuff for a week at a time!
They also thought they were being posh because the didn't use a roll but from a china dispenser with IZAL emblazoned across it
.
Oh the plus side the nan did a great breakfast and Sunday roast.

Happy Days.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

When we used to live with my mother, she used to insist on using Izal, while the rest of us used to insist on something a bit more comfortable.

The joke was that she used to go on about how wonderful it was, but after a while we noticed that she had stopped using it and had switched onto the soft stuff.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

and the most amazing thing is, I'm pretty sure you can still buy it....well someone can:p I wonder who.

Edited as I can now confirm it's for sale at 1.49 a roll or flat pack, wow

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

1975, was a significant year for Spain but meant noting to our group of publicans, bookmakers and other assorted riff-raff which set off on a three-day mini cruise from Southampton to Bilbao. When we docked in Spain a group of us got a local train from the docks to the centre and on arrival at the station, not the main one, went to use the toilet. It was outside the station and contained two curious holes in the ground, quite big ones.

We eventually worked out their purpose and looked around for Izal, or anything else, but there was nothing. One of our group, a jeweller, had to make use of the facilities.

We then made our way to the poshest bar in Bilbao, called the Winston Churchill, but sat apart from the jeweller.

Three taxis took us back to the ship, the Pride of Bilbao, hours later. As we got to the top of the gangway, two police cars screeched to a halt below and the jeweller started running to his cabin.

It transpired that someone had stolen a gold fitting from the posh pub’s toilet. We all waited anxiously while the police wandered around the ship, but then we sailed off on time.

When we gathered in our local a few days later, the skittish jeweller appeared to show off a gold chain. It wasn’t a new one, it had been used before to flush the toilets of a posh pub in Bilbao.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

and it did not occur to you to take your own?

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Of course it occurred to me to take my own.

However I considered putting up with the izal was the better than offending my future OH grandparents.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

How on earth would they have known what you used?

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

A bit of a giveaway if you carry a roll of paper with you when you pop to the loo. Unless you sneak in to "do your business" in the middle of the night...:huh:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Anyone with half a brain would take sufficient from the roll with them. Even wimps have pockets, a wash bag or similar if they have to smuggle toilet paper.