Posted by: John Phoenix
VT Condemns the ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS by USA/Israel
$ 280 BILLION US TAXPAYER DOLLARS INVESTED since 1948 in US/Israeli Ethnic Cleansing and Occupation Operation; $ 150B direct “aid” and $ 130B in “Offense” contracts
Source: Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. and US Department of State.
Sky News reports that high energy prices, caused in part by restrictions on Russian energy resources, are hitting vulnerable people in the United Kingdom. As benefits are withdrawn, millions of pensioners are forced to choose between necessities such as cooking, bathing, or heating their homes, signifying that one of the most powerful countries in the world is rapidly declining.
British pensioner Roy Roots, 90, told the outlet that following the authorities’ decision to cut energy subsidies, he would be forced in the upcoming winter to choose between turning on the heating to cook, heating his home, or taking a bath.
“Do I cook, or do I have my heating on?” he asked, adding, “It makes me feel horrible.”
Roots added that he is worried about whether he will be able to survive the winter, which will require taking “drastic measures” such as cooking for three or four days or “showering once a week to make ends meet.”
He told Sky News: “Before I had a shower, I had a bath, and I used to have it up to my neck and lie in it for hours. But now I might shower every two to three days – I just can’t afford to have it on.”
The pensioner said he is already thinking about how to save for the winter to cover the gap left by the benefits cuts. He is preparing to wash clothes at 10pm and turn on the heating only from November onwards.
According to the outlet, around 10 million pensioners like Roots in the country could face similar problems in winter after the government decided to cut fuel subsidies by £200 to £300 a year.
Meanwhile, industry regulator Ofgem announced that the marginal price of electricity for a single-person household will rise by another 10% in October to an average of £1,717 a year.
According to a statement from the charity Age UK, cited by the Financial Times, the price cap hike spells “disaster for pensioners on low and modest incomes or living in vulnerable circumstances due to ill health.”
In turn, the Secretary of State for Energy Security, Edward Miliband, acknowledged that this increase is “deeply worrying news for many families” but defended it, citing “the mess that was left to us in the public finances.”
According to the Financial Times, “the average bill hit a record high of £4,059 in January last year as wholesale prices surged” following Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, “forcing the previous Conservative government to launch a subsidy scheme.”
“The latest increase in the price cap is also connected to the war in Ukraine, with wholesale prices climbing over the past few months because of uncertainty over Russia’s remaining gas supplies to Europe,” the report added.
The UK has been one of the countries most affected by the energy crisis resulting from restrictions on Russian energy resources imposed due to Moscow’s special military operation. As of today, inflation in the country remains above the 2% target, while the British economy only managed 0.6% growth in the first quarter of 2024 after a brief technical recession.
Bloomberg reported last month that British citizens’ debt is rising due to energy costs, with households already owing a cumulative amount of £3.3 billion. Energy debts at the end of the first quarter of 2024 rose by £1.1 billion from a year earlier, according to data from Ofgem cited by Bloomberg. The report says that rising mortgage, food, and other expenses have meant that some households now regard energy bills – which remain well above pre-crisis levels – as a lower priority.
The Labour government has promised to reduce energy poverty dramatically, but “change won’t happen overnight,” Rachel Littlewood, director of consultancy BFY Group, told Bloomberg. She said the “debt position will continue to worsen” in 2024.
However, the energy crisis affects not only pensioners and struggling families but also businesses. Cornwall Insight found that a typical small business, such as a pub, restaurant, or independent retailer, is paying more than £5,000 extra a year on bills, about 70% higher than before the energy crisis began.
Craig Lowrey, a principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “For all the criticism of the household energy price cap, it does provide a level of protection that businesses simply do not have. Given the impact of the cost of living crisis on consumer spending and high street trade, the government will need to seriously consider how to support businesses with their high energy costs if they want to prevent further closures.”
Nonetheless, much of the pain felt by households and businesses alike can be significantly alleviated if British authorities ended their masochistic anti-Russia policies that have only boomeranged and not collapsed the Russian economy as was delusionally expected. Instead of easing the depression and stress British citizens are suffering from the cost of living crisis, London instead prioritises support for Ukraine in the vain attempt to defeat Russia, which, two and a half years on since the start of the Russian military operation, is evidently not going to happen.
By: Ahmed Adel