Penetrating cold, but few bitter hearts?
Anecdotal comments in contemporary Southeast England
The streets of central London were loud but nothing like a win against France in Qatar would have created; it was more a busy Saturday in the holiday season with parties. Perhaps England supporters are so accustomed to disappointment that it passed relatively painlessly.
Probably the utterly penetrating cold drove some home. The news reports indicated that the north of the country did receive snow to complement the humid, damp, frigid cold that went through gloves, mittens, and coats easily. A few hearty souls smoked in various outdoor locations in and around London but I saw no one in the otherwise ubiquitous shorts that we now see among men under the age of thirty (I did see shorts only yesterday).
What has been fascinating is the lack of complaining about the industrial actions, except for an occasional note. At the Imperial War Museum yesterday, a docent was scathing in chastising the transport workers, noting their demands are just late to the game since teachers and especially nurses truly have not had raises commensurate with inflation. Some tube lines such as the Circle Line are undergoing major strain with these actions but the voluminous tube crowds are simply carrying on. I am not hearing about gatherings to call attention to union demands in so many sectors but this industrial unrest has been happening for over six months. Most conversations in trains, busses, and in crowds focus on parties during the holiday season.
What will be most interesting will be how the elderly deal with the skyrocketing fuel costs. A server in Windsor today commented that the cold really is extraordinary for this time of the year in this place. I find it hard to imagine that elderly are finding this simple to address. It is one thing to do without luxuries and even holiday parties but quite another to find any additional savings to pay for heat so early in a winter where inflation is already topping 10%. Should they turn heat off for the bitter evenings? Congregate with others in public buildings until it is time to go home to jump into bed with an electric blanket or hot water heater? Hard to know but certainly worrisome for anyone on a fixed income as so any older Britons are. Perhaps their lack of mobility is what is causing this challenge but the likelihood of personal woe over this cold and the associated cost to address it strike me as sometching the Tories will hear about in some form.
Britain is struggling to adjust to the new realities of the world. It would appear the aged will continue finding this the most challenging. Will there be unexpected consequences in the British system? Time will tell but I find it impossible to belief that all ramifications are avoidable.
One sign of hope for spring was some beautiful delicate flowers in Lambeth yesterday. Such joy! FIN