Monday 8 November 2010
Poverty
I am not poor, but neither am I wealthy and never expected to be. Of course poverty is a relative term and as such it is likely that a significant proportion of our UK population will soon be slipping into that category. The cuts that the Condems intend to impose will result in mass unemployment with no jobs being created to absorb the waves that are certain to come. Unless those who are about to join the unemployed have made provision for that day they will be in serious trouble.
As a child I never thought of myself as being poor, but compared to most people today, we were very poor indeed and had no access to the so called essentials that people expect today. In those days, if you couldn't afford it, you just didn't have it, and we had no choice but to live within our means. We lived in a small council house with no double glazing or even roof insulation. When it snowed, as it often did, the snow was often blown through the roof tiles and into the loft where it had to be shovelled out before it melted. We had no heating, other than a single coal fire in the living room, and no hot water, other than that boiled in a kettle or in an old copper boiler. Our WC was outside across the yard and the bathroom was supplied with a cold tap only. We had no TV, no car, no computers or video games and few changes of clothing. Food was scarce and so we ate what we were given by and large; and if kids wanted money they worked for it. Everyone that I knew was more or less in the same boat though and so the way we lived seemed quite normal and we were not particularly unhappy, nor did we feel deprived.
From that position of course the only way to go was upwards, and life did steadily improve as the years went by. The standardof living that I enjoy now has been a long time coming and it would be hard to go back downhill again. For many that will soon become a reality, though i doubt that many will go back to the state that we lived in in the 50s. I hope not.
As a child I never thought of myself as being poor, but compared to most people today, we were very poor indeed and had no access to the so called essentials that people expect today. In those days, if you couldn't afford it, you just didn't have it, and we had no choice but to live within our means. We lived in a small council house with no double glazing or even roof insulation. When it snowed, as it often did, the snow was often blown through the roof tiles and into the loft where it had to be shovelled out before it melted. We had no heating, other than a single coal fire in the living room, and no hot water, other than that boiled in a kettle or in an old copper boiler. Our WC was outside across the yard and the bathroom was supplied with a cold tap only. We had no TV, no car, no computers or video games and few changes of clothing. Food was scarce and so we ate what we were given by and large; and if kids wanted money they worked for it. Everyone that I knew was more or less in the same boat though and so the way we lived seemed quite normal and we were not particularly unhappy, nor did we feel deprived.
From that position of course the only way to go was upwards, and life did steadily improve as the years went by. The standardof living that I enjoy now has been a long time coming and it would be hard to go back downhill again. For many that will soon become a reality, though i doubt that many will go back to the state that we lived in in the 50s. I hope not.
Monday 1 November 2010
Throwaway
Toxic waste is never far from the news, and in an ever expanding technological era, the disposal of it continues to be a problem.
Landfill sites are becoming harder to find, waste treatment facilities are few and far between, while the stockpiles of poisons get ever larger. Some companies are shipping the stuff abroad, paying others to take on the problem of disposal, and vast heaps of our garbage is inflicting harm on the poor of those nations, whilst those in charge reap the benefits.
The Chinese have the right idea. They export theirs by the container ship load, and we, like many other western countries, pay them for it. It is November so pretty soon the shops will be full of it, all ready for that unmentionable one day in midwinter.
Landfill sites are becoming harder to find, waste treatment facilities are few and far between, while the stockpiles of poisons get ever larger. Some companies are shipping the stuff abroad, paying others to take on the problem of disposal, and vast heaps of our garbage is inflicting harm on the poor of those nations, whilst those in charge reap the benefits.
The Chinese have the right idea. They export theirs by the container ship load, and we, like many other western countries, pay them for it. It is November so pretty soon the shops will be full of it, all ready for that unmentionable one day in midwinter.
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