Although the sun has been out and the sky has been blue for an unusually great amount of time in the UK this year, this is not to suggest that all is well (by British standards anyway). Humdrum tasks and day-to-day life are being undermined for virtually everyone (to varying extents) due to several issues. Strikes, not a prominent feature of British life for decades, have been unusually frequent and widespread this summer; access to water is increasingly being restricted; and the fairly obscure idea of "inflation" is manifesting itself in increased prices for various essentials. For most, these are inconveniences (fortunately, that is the case with me so far); for others, they are having a greater impact.
The strikes very much seem to be linked to the issue of inflation, as various trade unions (most noticeably, the railway unions) demand hefty pay increases in response to inflation. From speaking to people, there seems to be quite a lot of sympathy for them- not from me though. My view is that they are drawing the public into an issue, and punishing them, for something that isn't their fault. From my perspective, it is like the unions are squaring up to their bosses, as the public look on... then the public walk away with a black eye. This seems fundamentally wrong to me. When it comes to pay increases, I, like most British people, don't have a trade union to fight my corner for me- let alone have the ability to blackmail anyone with the threat of strikes. If I'm not happy with my working conditions or salary, I have to fight for myself- or look for another job. And, right now, with unemployment low and demand for workers high, employees are in a position of strength- without needing to strike and sabotage the daily lives of the public in the process. It's quite startling that part of unions' strategy is to calculate the most damage they can do to get their way; e.g., noting that many workers can now work from home, railway unions have shifted their strategy from strikes on weekdays only, to straddling weekdays and weekends, to harm a greater cross-section of people... What a terrible outlook to have! These workers aren't the only ones in the country unhappy with their wages; and, as a result of their actions, they do serious damage to people who rely on rail services. Included in this category are those businesses still recovering from the disruption of covid over recent years; it's almost as if the unions are privately thinking "the more businesses that fail because of us, the more likely we are to get our own way"... I think it's perfectly fine to make your case for higher wages- just leave the public out of it! In fact, I think it could be fairer all round if strikes were abolished and, in scenarios when unions would hitherto call a strike, they instead summon their employers to court, each side makes their case, and a court decides who is most in the right and compels according action. Fortunately, the government (despite the awkward limbo it is currently in, as the country is now effectively between prime ministers) seems to be taking steps to prevent such situations from having the same impact in the future. We will see how this pans out...
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, our unusually hot weather in the UK has led to water shortages- and this is expected to be a more regular occurrence in the future. From what I've seen, the long-term plan to deal with this so far is to muddle through, and water companies hinting that the usage of hosepipes being restricted could be an annual feature of British summers. Rather than placing the onus on the British public, to restrict their water usage (while paying the same water bills), I get the impression that there are fairer and more effective measures that could be taken now, and in the future: water companies are notorious for wasting large amounts of water through leaks- this should fundamentally be addressed instead of wagging fingers at the public about their water usage; the UK is being unevenly affected by this- therefore, those parts of the country with larger water supplies could share with those in greater need during the most difficult times; more reservoirs could be built so that we are better prepared and self-sufficient for when the dry periods arrive; then, of course, there is that aid to many of the UK's issues: reducing demand by limiting immigration further.
Finally, there is inflation. This has been triggered by numerous factors largely out of the UK's control, namely the coronavirus and its repercussions, then combined with the war in Ukraine. This has been a key point in the debate between the candidates to be the next British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss (it has also been the key differentiator between them). While Truss advocates tax cuts to allow more of the British to keep more of their earnings to cope with increased costs, Sunak advocates sticking with high taxes to deal with the British national debt. On the face of it (and as Sunak has repeatedly said), Truss' approach of scrapping taxes would increase the amount of money sloshing around the UK, thereby making inflation even worse; on the other hand, high taxes and high cost of living will ultimately lead to the public spending less, and thus would hopefully slow inflation. At the same time, as Sunak highlights, the higher taxes can be used to reduce our national debt; the interest accumulated as a result of this debt being one of the largest government expenses- and sees ever-growing chucks of taxpayers' money being passed on to those we have borrowed money from.
Inflation seems to be the worst issue of the above, as I have faith that the problems of strikes and water shortages will pass (for now at least) in the very near future. However, rather than sweeping these issues under the rug until next time, they should be addressed. I hope the next Prime Minister, and those responsible for Britain's current issues, will adopt the philosophy of fixing the roof when the sun is shining (or, in the case of water shortages, make the most of the rain before the sun shines too much again next time!).
