Thursday 21 December 2017

in the bleak midwinter





The UK Christmas spend has been estimated to be more than £78.69 billion in 2017.

A new NHS hospital in the UK with 210 beds cost £75 million plus another £15 million for roads, equipment and infrastructure. That's £90 million.

UNITED KINGDOM achieves a Happy Planet Index Score of 31.9  and ranks 34th of all the countries analysed.

Latest official figures show an estimated 5,174 people were forced to sleep outside in UK in 2016.

The lives and futures of millions of children are in jeopardy. We have a choice: Invest in the most excluded children now or risk a more divided and unfair world.

1 in 10 young women in UK cannot afford to buy sanitary products.

It is estimated that 20% of all Christmas presents are unwanted and unused.

Why don't we protest more? Why don't we care enough to stop austerity?

Leaked report on mental health crisis in UK indicates a rise in suicides and that 75% of people needing help / treatment are not receiving it.

The Trussell Trust is the largest food bank network in the UK, and it handed out around 41,000 food packs in 2009/10 compared to 1.2 million in 2016/17.

Every year we are warned that if the High Street Christmas spend is not enough our economy and therefore our quality of life will suffer. How mad is that?

"I am not dreaming of a white Christmas" - Homeless young woman aged 19.

Why are thing such a mess? Could it be that it is because we want the wrong things.

Why does the UK government increasing appear to be a reactive body that can only see a problem when it is critical to their re-election. Then they act too late with too little? Perhaps it is because they don't know what to do. When questioned in the House of Commons by the opposition leader about the recent UN declaration that austerity had seriously harmed the well being of disabled people, May replied - "There are more employed disabled people than ever before".

While so many are with out essentials, Christmas is a mostly indulgent, bloated festival of self interested greed that doesn't extend to the poor and dispossessed though, it is claimed to be a time of love and good will to all.

Will things have improved by next Christmas? It partly depends on what you want. Time for real change?


peace



4 comments:

alan in southampton said...

Well said R.E.B. I couldn’t agree more. I am fearful that our government both National and local do not know how to reverse austerity. They have become used to collecting our money and taxes but have lost the ability to spend it as it should be.
How about this. A shout went out tonight (Xmas eve) on social media locally amongst those why try and do a bit for the homeless in the city for a shortage of …… Knives and forks! Can you really believe that ? Yet all around us I see the lights going out for the Christmas break in countless municipal buildings that have excellent catering facilities and equipment. ODO.

Anonymous said...

The government wastes so much money, sure that wasted money could go towards the NHS or housing some of our homeless!!!

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