What’s your 25th December lunch/ dinner going to be? Vegetarian? Vegan? Beans on toast whist huddled around a one bar fire? Food at the local ethnic restaurant? Ten courses served in the baronial hall? Eight around the table with children and aged relatives for a traditional ‘festive’ blowout? If the latter The Guardian reported, 14 December, that the cost of a traditional Christmas dinner could cost the provider thirteen per cent more in 2023 than it cost in 2022.
‘Christmas dinner could cost 13% more than last year, with everything from turkey to sprouts rising sharply in price, reflecting high energy bills and poor growing conditions for vegetables.’
But the “good new” (sic) is that, ‘The rise in cost is almost triple the overall rate of inflation, which stands at 4.7%. However, the increase is significantly less than the 35% jump in the cost of Christmas dinner recorded last year. ‘
The ‘basket’ of food is based on ingredients for the feeding of eight persons.
‘The cost of turkey is up 11% to £1.50 a person. Those with a sweet tooth may be saddened to see that mince pies are 15% more expensive but relieved that Christmas pudding prices are 1% lower. There is no change in the cost of brandy butter or cranberry sauce.’
Lovers of Christmas puds rejoice and remember yo give thanks to capitalism for providing that item at an amazing one per cent cheaper. (sarc).
Not known what the increase, if any, is on Christmas crackers. But we, the vast majority, must be crackers to continue to allow this iniquitous system, capitalism, to continue.
Further ‘good’ news comes from the national energy regulator Ofgem British households have piled up record debts of almost £3 billion ($3.8 billion) with electricity and gas suppliers,
The total amount owed to energy suppliers has soared by £400 million since mid-October, according to a report released on Friday. It is now at its highest ever level due to a combination of sustained high wholesale energy prices and wider cost of living pressures, which have led to unpaid energy bills, the regulator said.
As part of a plan to protect the energy market and consumers from the growing risk of ‘bad debt’, Ofgem announced a one-off price cap adjustment of £16 (equivalent to around £1.33 a month) to be paid between April 2024 and March 2025. The regulator defended the move as necessary to ensure suppliers were “resilient” and able to help customers who needed support.
“We know that cost of living pressure is hitting people hard and this is evident in the increase in energy debt reaching record levels,” said Tim Jarvis, the director general for markets at Ofgem.
‘The scale of this debt means that it is crucial that suppliers have sufficient funding to ensure they can meet the strict regulations Ofgem has in place around how they treat customers facing payment difficulties. This adjustment to the price cap will ensure suppliers have the resources to support customers struggling with debt...’
This succinct précis, from a 38 Degrees email, contains the outrage that many are probably feeling but the solution lies not in petitions but in a class conscious population that understands socialism and how to achieve it.
‘This
is outrageous. Ofgem are raising our energy bills AGAIN - to "help
energy suppliers." That's the same energy suppliers that are
raking in billions in profits, by the way.
The increase
of £16 might not seem like a lot, but for the millions of people
counting the pennies, this is simply
unaffordable. And honestly, it's just ridiculous that Ofgem is making
sure energy companies with massive profits get a bailout, while
millions of people are facing difficult choices between heating and
eating.
This is about principles. We can’t let Ofgem
think they can increase our bills, whenever the energy companies
pressure them to do so. The Government is already feeling the heat
with their poll ratings slumping after the announcement. It’s time
for a huge petition saying enough is enough.’
The French state-owned EDF (Électricité de France) energy company is featured in the MailOnline where it’s reported that EDF UK customers have been receiving notifications of their energy payments increasing by thousands of pounds.
‘MailOnline has heard from some customers claiming they were told by EDF that their overcharging issues were related to a switchover onto a new system called Kraken -
Sources at the company also insisted to MailOnline that there was no problem with the migration to the Kraken platform and there was also no issue with smart meters.
But many of the issues appear to be linked to smart meters – with 2.7million out out of 33million meters in the UK not working properly according to Government figures.’
A Kraken is a fabled huge sea monster thought to be a huge danger to sailors. Capitalism is real.
The Guardian, 21 December, carries a story quoting a Norfolk Primary School Headteacher describing malnutrition in children.
A free breakfast provider said, “Children with teeth falling out, children with bowed legs, in current society – this isn’t the Victorian era. Parents are doing their absolute best, but they’re being marketed deliberately cheap, unhealthy food.”
Santa don't have the solution. Socialism does.
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