At last, the UK’s drought has come to and end (with a vengeance in some areas) although not in time to stop much of the country experiencing hosepipe bans which are still ongoing.
Who in the UK recalls the nineteen seventies? Drought, inflation, widespread industrial action, and the Cold War. Sound familiar?
I had one of those badges pictured up there. (In fact I think that one was from the sixties.) Those scheduled power cuts to cope with the coal strike were a good way to conserve power. Who knew we were being ecologically sound?
If things get as bad as media hysteria suggests, I could organise my own home power rationing to keep down the bills.
Back in the seventies, I hardly noticed. I was young and too busy to take much notice of news bulletins. We didn’t have a TV back then anyway.
Back then I was distracted by a new career, getting married and budgeting for a mortgage we couldn’t afford. Our family didn’t arrive till the end of that decade, by which time power rationing was a memory and our mortgage interest had further increased.
Continuing to work with a baby wasn’t a serious option back then, and hubby was earning less than the salary I was giving up. Maternity leave didn’t exist. Maternity grants were new. A second, reduced, one-off payment was available for those who produced offspring number two within two years. We missed out by a couple of months 😦
For three decades, our holidays were a tent in the UK, apart from those few years when my father paid our air fares to stay with him in Malta.
We didn’t have a TV through the seventies and well into the eighties. Even so, I don’t recall the newspapers and radio bulletins making the song and dance the media is making now of the cost of living.
For some time now, our TV reports seem unable to deal with more than one issue at a time. It started with Covid, which is, perhaps, understandable. Although I didn’t find the daily recitation of infection and mortality figures helpful without comparisons. (I certainly wasn’t writing them down to compare with tomorrow’s.)
Then there was so-called (by the media) Partygate filling every news bulletin, on and on and on until we were all sick of the repetition. But by then UK news bulletins seemed incapable of getting out of whatever groove they were in. Did the premiership battle justify daily, exhaustive coverage? Even the members of the Party who would be deciding on the result must have had enough by the time they cast their votes.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was, again, fair enough… And then there was the drought. (Well, we British do like to talk about the weather.)
Now every day’s newscast trots out yet another interview (or two, or three…) with someone bemoaning food prices and dreading higher power costs. While I don’t doubt such fears are real, this isn’t news. It is repetition.
It is almost a relief to have such “news” supplanted by preparation for the Queen’s funeral. Although, again, single-issue, just imagining the media hounds straining at the leash to get back to hounding once the period of mourning is over renders the repetition almost welcome.
Meanwhile, fire, flood, famine, war and rumours of war jostle for a late mention along with the latest shooting, knifing, NHS failure, or celebrity squabble.
Repeating yesterday’s bulletin is never going to be “news”.
The clue is in the name.
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Rant over.
What’s your pet newsreel hate?
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Writing Wrinkles, and Random Ramblings 
I have managed to avoid television to a great degree for some time now. We didn’t have one for ten years at all earlier. I have no interest in soap operas or celebrities, which means that the royal family as individuals are of little concern to me apart from their cost, and lack of accountability. Now seems a good time to consider an elected head of state rather than a hereditary one.
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Why on earth would we want a president as well as a PM?
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If that is the argument, why would we want a monarch as well as a PM?
I like the Irish model a damn sight cheaper than what we have at the moment and without the baggage of a US model.
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Because we already have one? Whatever happens to the monarchy in the fullness of time, I see no point in setting up a second-class substitute … with no history behind it to justify whatever pageantry is invented to support it (which, after all, is its chief benefit).
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I think what we have at the moment is pretty awful, I think it would be an improvement.
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I still don’t see the point of a president. If you want to get rid of a layer get rid of a layer. Since you’ve decided it’s an unnecessary layer (the monarchy has nothing to do with politics or running the country, so neither would a replacement ‘president’) why replace it with something else that will cost money.
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Baggage is right. I know why the founding fathers put it into place, but it’s archaic and useless.
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Baggage is right. I understand why the founding fathers set it up, but it’s archaic. Even back then it wasn’t needed.
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I was fixing up a chapter in my memoir and I decided to take a break and check my fe-mail.
What a pleasant surprise to see this new post of yours, Cathy. I needed the break. Sooooo, I’m going to weigh in with my $5 worth 🙂
If I didn’t know you lived in the UK I would have thought you were talking about the very same issues that we were having in the US in the ’70s.
I was younger than you back then, so I never knew a lot of the details, but I definitely remember the Cold War. It was a time filled with tension for everyone. Even if I didn’t completely understand it back then, I could definitely feel the fear from the adults around me. Other than that I can’t speak about many of the details of that decade.
I do love that button, “Save water. Bath(e) with a friend.” That certainly brought back memories for me. I forgive them for misspelling the word ‘bathe’. We won’t mention that faux pas again!
When you were talking about the repetition in the news the first thing that came to mind for me was when Covid hit. It seemed that for months EVERYTHING was about the pandemic. It gave me the very real sense that the whole world was on hold and nothing else mattered or existed. As eager as I was to know what was happening, at the sametime, it was a bit tiresome.
Don’t get me started on Queen Elizabeth II! Ooops! Too late!! 🙂
Many years ago I had heard talk of certain Brits who were upset about the Royals because they were really a drain on the economy. They thought of them as nothing more than figureheads that really had no place in this day and age.
I’m a member of a flash fiction group on Facebook where the majority of the members and admin live in the UK. That is such a great group and the admin are so encouraging and supportive. They even forgive me for being a Yank! LOL!
Well, I decided to PM most of them to get their opinion on the Royals. I got a lot of very interesting responses.
A few didn’t really care either way, stating they’re not into politics. A couple mentioned that what the country earns in tourism more than makes up for the loss in taxes.
Another member of the group, whom I’ve talked with a few times via Zoom said that because she’s Welsh, she told me the history of Wales and why they have a bitter taste in the mouth regarding England. She told me how the children were forced to wear a ‘Welsh knot’ around their necks as punishment for not speaking English back then. When the Queen died she did feel bad, but she is torn at the same time.
Two other members of the group made the point that, even though they may be figureheads, the Monarchy has been in existence for over 1000 years. That’s not something you can just get rid of. They are an integral part of the historical world stage, love it or hate it.
I agree with much of what everyone has said.
I lost a little respect for the Queen with Princess Di’s tragic death. She didn’t make any announcements or acknowledgments regarding her death for awhile. It wasn’t until she saw how much the people loved her did she understand that in order to instill hope and unity among her ‘subjects’, she would have to make a public statement. My respect for her was restored, although not 100%.
I never respected Charles because of the way she treated Diana, and when she was killed, it seemed to me that Charles was extremely cold about it. And it didn’t help that he had his Camilla.
It reminded me so much of how my parents divorced because my dad got involved with another woman. He eventually married her after the divorce. Just too many triggers for me.
Don’t even get me started on Camilla! Ooops! Too late! I think she has always had the compassion and understanding of one of the bricks that make up the Tower of London. I just don’t see any humanity in her. She and Charles are two peas in a pod and deserve each other.
I will never be able to marry the word ‘King’ with ‘Charles’. It’s hard to hear the words, “The Queen is dead!” God save the King!”
Let’s face it. This is the first generation that has known only one Monarchy on the throne and it will probably never happen again. In the past the lifespan wasn’t long, plus, practically everyone back then was too busy killing off rival family members to prevent them from ascending to the throne. Fun times all around! 🙂
Now we have Prince Andrew…… Is he going to tell me that with all those times he partied with Epstein that he kept his hands clean? One young woman said she had seen him several times. How could he have been involved with Jeffrey Epstein and not have done anything as upstanding as preying on underage girls?
Well, that’s the Yank’s Tank – err – take on the Royals. Let me know if you need me to further update you on the adventures of the Royal Pains in the Arse! LOL!
All in all, I must say that, except for the Princess Diana fiasco, I’ve always admired the Queens soft-spoken way she addressed her country during difficult times. I’ve always loved her genuine smile, too! She was well-loved and admired. Even though I’m a Yank, there is a part of me that feels a connection to her. May God bless her memory!
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Yes, Charles has a long way to go to earn the acceptance that Elizabeth enjoyed. Nothing to do with politics though. The Royal Family is supposed to be completely objective andnot even comment on politics in passing. It will be difficult for Charlie to keep his mouth shut on that score as he is fairly opinionated in other areas. now everything he says will be analysed to death. I certainly don’t envy him. I think he is keen to ‘slim down’ the monarchy considerably and will be more drastic than his mother could bear to be. Interesting times.
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I see that the monarchy isn’t part of politics, yet at the same time, I see how many times, just by default, there is that connection at times.
As a Yank, I do have a question for you. In this day and age the role of the Royal Family has definitely changed. They don’t ‘rule the land’ as they used to in Henry VIII’s day. So, what is their purpose?
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I gather they bring in a lot of business interest and their work supports a number of charities. I understand that Charles is keen to slim down the working monarchy so it’ll be interesting to see how that goes. I also understand he’s a touch short-tempered, so it will be interesting to see how long it is before he lets something out which gives away his political leanings (that he isn’t supposed to have).
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Those were my exact thoughts. They do an incredible amount of charity work and the revenue brought in by tourism alone has earned their ‘keep’. 😁
One thing that worries me about Charles is his temper. Did you see the video of him at his desk when he became very perturbed at the pens resting at his elbow?
Somebody removed them, then he got up. Camilla, sensing something, took over and sat down.
I do see a problem with Charles.
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It is bath, over here, although bathe is acceptable.
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Not that many of us use them any more – a new version would say ‘Save water; shower with a friend’. Reminds me a little of the tin bath that used to come in from the shed once a week to bath us kids in front of the back room fire.
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Showering is definitely more popular nowadays than bathing. However, I do enjoy a nice, long, hot soak in the tub – especially in the winter when it’s colder.
During the time in the tub I have a chair next to it where I’ll have a glass of juice, a box of tissues, a hand towel to dry my hands.
While I’m in the tub, I may listen to Old Time Radio on my phone, or check my fe-mail, check my Facebook notifications. I may also do some writing. I may even bring some of my cat’s toys with me and play with her.
During these times, my cat, Luna, will look at me and say,
“Mommy, when are you going to get out of the tub?”
Um, err, she doesn’t really say this……! 🙂
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I stand corrected 🤭
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We live in a strange world, Cathy. People seem to think it’s their right to traverse life with no issues or changes in circumstances. I looked up the economic projections for Europe and the UK this morning and you have little to worry about compared to most of the world 😊. I suppose that is why everyone wants to live in Europe and the UK.
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I suppose the future looks different depending on where you’re viewing it from, but I am disgusted at the enthusiasm the press has for stirring up panic among the vulnerable and hatred among the uninformed. Especially the BBC which uses viewers’ money to generate their biased reports. What price impartiality?
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I think the BBC is in the pockets of the Tory party and that bothers me. We are the fifth or sixth richest nation in the world yet we have food banks and people sleeping on the streets, third-world country territory.
We are capable of being better it bothers me that we aren’t.
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It’s the same thing in the US. Homelessness is a huge problem. The government just doesn’t care for its people like they should. So sad.
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it is tough listening to the same news over and over…
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You know what Solomon said?
“There’s nothing new under the sun.”
Life has a way of repeating itself.
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he was a wise man…
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I find the News very repetitive and generally avoid if possible, although that hasn’t been the case in the past couple of weeks. I never considered myself a Monarchist, but admired the Queen more as I got older. I dislike all the hype and discussion around individual members and celebrity status which has led to mostly speculation. Being older and a little wiser, I look back on the Charles/Diana period differently. Maybe they should have avoided giving interviews, and going public with their woes. Just like Harry and Meghan now. Also, now as a Grandmother, I can see how the Queen’s priority probably was to the two young Princes.
I was an adult in the 70s, but politically and worldwide, my memories have faded somewhat. I also feel very fortunate that I live a comfortable life compared with so many other people scraping by in poverty with disease and shacks to live in, no health systems etc etc in other countries.
It’s difficult to ‘solve’ homelessness and poverty in a short comment, or taking all the wealth from the Monarchy…oh if life could be so simple. Personally, I would take the wealth from footballers to solve some of the issues.
I DID write down the daily figures reported on covid from the bulletins…sitting on my own in my flat, I kept 4 journals during that time. I found it quite frightening.
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I’m with you a hundred per cent on the footballers!
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I can’t bear to sit and watch the news, I’m rubbish when it comes to TV anyway – which is helpful lol. I pick up headlines and the latest trending news online, much via Twitter which is usually quicker than the news broadcasts. I also have saved lists for various news sources on Twitter so I can click on that list and get it all in one feed when I can brace myself and gear myself up to it!
It seems to be a crazy old world these days…
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