UK: A troubled place at the end of the year!

I live in Blackpool one of the top if not the top English holiday resort in the country. However when I am in town sometimes I notice homeless people sleeping rough and people lying on the floor probably out of their senses hooked on the drug spice. This is what is happening up and down the country and many times people walk on by including myself who don't seem to care and if they do they are probably afraid of getting involved for fear of unknown consequences.

Watching tv ads this year for Christmas I have never seen such blatant materialism which is constantly being bombarded as at us. Then in total contrast, an ad comes on for The Salvation Army showing people who have nothing being helped by this wonderful organisation.

The UK today is a nation of two halves the super rich and those who are just about managing or even worse. Perhaps then that should be the super rich, those just about managing to coin a term from Theresa May and those not managing.

People will get themselves into debt this year or get maxed out on their credit cards or go to payday loan companies to make sure the kids get that electronic games console they want. Then they will take out another loan to pay off a loan and it gets to be a vicious circle a spiral if you will with some people not working or on zero hours who should really know better but they don't. The government clamped down on WONGA but other payday loan companies have replaced them. Yes, you can blame families for getting themselves into debt but these companies are just as bad as they prey on the weak and vulnerable charging massive interest to pay loans off. Then there are the gambling companies which lure people in and yes people have the ability to say yes or no but when you are trying to make ends meet on a low-income temptation is hard to resist for some. Gambling companies like the payday loan companies are preying on the weak and vulnerable even though many of them carry a warning about gambling.

Brexit is still dividing the nation over remainers and leavers and so these shenanigans go on. The government despite proof that austerity is breaking the nation when it comes to services the most vulnerable depend on and cuts backs on benefits and peoples wages being stagnant just carry on regardless. Universal Credit is a disaster and the evidence is there that those dependent on it are suffering until they receive their first payment but the government carries on regardless with this too.

Sorry to paint such a gloomy picture as we approach Christmas and the end of the year but that is how life is for some in our country.