Tory Andrea Leadsom says the cost of living crisis is over…

[Andy_W]

This is what really ***** me off about the way we report on things like inflation and wage rises etc. We should be using indexes and then things are easy to understand. Using %ages just gives them the opportunity to forget everything that has happened before the most recent published data. There is no context to "inflation has fallen to 3.2%". It's meaningless. Obviously they don't want things to be easy to understand because it suits them and their short term obfuscations.

Yup, they paint 3% inflation as an achievement, when it's never an achievement when 2% is the target and we've had a couple of years above that.

An achievement would be reversing the inflation spike, but the chance of that happening is zero, going the way we are.

Even if we dropped to 1% inflation it would take about 10 years to average back out like the big spike never happened.

Anytime an MP quotes inflation they should have to hold up a card which shows actual prices of 10 common items, food, housing, fuel, energy etc, and show where the last 10 years "should" have been based on 2% and where we are now.

Similar happens when they talk about this price cap b***ks on energy, it doesn't mean anything to anyone. List what unit rates were/ are, and show how fast rates went up when supply costs went up, and show how slow they come down when supply cost go through the floor.

Same happens with fuel too, the second there's any trouble the price of the barrel goes up, and the forecourt mirrors this plus an additional percentage (despite the fuel they currently have being bought at a much cheaper rate), then when the price of the barrel comes down again it take months for the pump price to come down and never goes back to where it was, as they still want to retain the same profit.

The MP's (especially Tory MP's) take advantage of the general public being oblivious to what this all actually means, the transparency if it all is terrible. The media do a terrible job of calling them out on it too.

They seem to forget that although the public generally are not clued up, there are a lot of people who are, and they talk to each other, so most will gradually realise they're all lying.

 

[festa5]

Yup, they paint 3% inflation as an achievement, when it's never an achievement when 2% is the target and we've had a couple of years above that.

An achievement would be reversing the inflation spike, but the chance of that happening is zero, going the way we are.

Even if we dropped to 1% inflation it would take about 10 years to average back out like the big spike never happened.

Anytime an MP quotes inflation they should have to hold up a card which shows actual prices of 10 common items, food, housing, fuel, energy etc, and show where the last 10 years "should" have been based on 2% and where we are now.

Similar happens when they talk about this price cap b***ks on energy, it doesn't mean anything to anyone. List what unit rates were/ are, and show how fast rates went up when supply costs went up, and show how slow they come down when supply cost go through the floor.

Same happens with fuel too, the second there's any trouble the price of the barrel goes up, and the forecourt mirrors this plus an additional percentage (despite the fuel they currently have being bought at a much cheaper rate), then when the price of the barrel comes down again it take months for the pump price to come down and never goes back to where it was, as they still want to retain the same profit.

The MP's (especially Tory MP's) take advantage of the general public being oblivious to what this all actually means, the transparency if it all is terrible. The media do a terrible job of calling them out on it too.

They seem to forget that although the public generally are not clued up, there are a lot of people who are, and they talk to each other, so most will gradually realise they're all lying.

Plus they can talk about inflation coming down all they like, but even for those completely oblivious to what that really means they still know what their shopping costs. And that isn't coming down.

Arguably implying that it will come down and it not doing, will just reinforce the view I think most people have finally reached, that they lie every time they open their mouths.

 

[Andy_W]

Plus they can talk about inflation coming down all they like, but even for those completely oblivious to what that really means they still know what their shopping costs. And that isn't coming down.

Arguably implying that it will come down and it not doing, will just reinforce the view I think most people have finally reached, that they lie every time they open their mouths.

Some people will see that reduction as thinking that the price of their bread is coming down though, as they just don't get it. They don't realise it's going up 5p again, when inflation's at 3%.

They get continually stuck into seeing another rise, and then thinking the reduction is around the corner, it's not coming.

The vast majority do realise they're talking crap mind, so they switch off from the Tories, but then it's the media parroting 10%-3% like it's a reduction in cost to the end user, and it's really not, as you know.

 

[Ziggy]

Perhaps she had better have a look at this weeks You Gov polling.
The Tories are reaching a crossover point with Reform
Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention figures (19-20th March)

The latest YouGov/Times voting intention poll has the Conservatives on 19% (-1 from 12-13 March) – the same share the party received at their lowest ebb in the aftermath of Liz Truss’s mini-Budget. These two occasions represent the joint-lowest vote shares the Conservatives have received this Parliament.

At the same time, this week’s poll also gives the Tories’ rivals to the right Reform UK their highest vote share ever, at 15% (+1).

Labour continue to lead the polls on 44% of the vote (no change from last week), while the Lib Dems are on 9% (no change) and the Greens are on 8% (+1).

 

[Nero]

Deliberately misleading. Politicians aren’t stupid, they often have warped ideals but they aren’t stupid. They are manipulative.

They know the majority of the population don’t understand inflation and think when the rate drops things are getting cheaper.

Absolutely. They know their media friends doing the priming and they just reinforce that.

 

[Fat_Dragon]

Some people will see that reduction as thinking that the price of their bread is coming down though, as they just don't get it. They don't realise it's going up 5p again, when inflation's at 3%.

Not necessarily. The inflation figure of 3.4% released recently is just an average figure. Some things will be going up more than the 3.4% like food and some things are currently reducing in price like energy etc...

The 3.4% figure doesn't mean everything is going up by 3.4%. For example when we were at the 10% inflation rate a while back vegetable oil rose by 65%, Pasta 60%, Tea 46%, bread 38%.

 

[Andy_W]

Not necessarily. The inflation figure of 3.4% released recently is just an average figure. Some things will be going up more than the 3.4% like food and some things are currently reducing in price like energy etc...

The 3.4% figure doesn't mean everything is going up by 3.4%. For example when we were at the 10% inflation rate a while back vegetable oil rose by 65%, Pasta 60%, Tea 46%, bread 38%.

View attachment 73814

Yeah, I was just making an example, and I read the same report every month

This is what is worrying me, most peoples largest outgoing, by far, is aspects do with housing. It's also something which realistically can't be cut out from the expenditure, and it's largely still rising, and will continue to do so, and will really start to hit more and more when peoples fixed terms run out etc. Renters won't get a break as landlords will just pass the cost on etc.

 

[Ex Footy Legs]

It's hard to know whether they are deliberately misleading people or are really so stupid that they do not understand how inflation works? I am not sure which is worse but both are terrible.

It’s the mislead bud honestly - they target the majority and not the minority because they know the majority are pretty clueless about stuff and aren’t that bothered about politics et al.
But the way the Tories have ruined this country I think more people will vote against them than ever before (hopefully) and barstewards like leadsom get the kicking (literally) that they deserve….

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

Olive oil is the wild one - about £9-12 a bottle and even £6-7 in aldi

 

[Andy_W]

Olive oil is the wild one - about £9-12 a bottle and even £6-7 in aldi

OO is the biggest con going, the finest example of diminishing returns, and even more of a con than the Tories, and that's saying something.

Crap for frying, too low a smoke point, apparently the "cheap" stuff is terrible yet nobody can tell the difference between extra virgin, virgin and normal in a taste test. Too many people in highly obese countries have been conned into thinking it's "healthy" when they already consume way too many calories.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

OO is the biggest con going, the finest example of diminishing returns, and even more of a con than the Tories, and that's saying something.

Crap for frying, too low a smoke point, apparently the "cheap" stuff is terrible yet nobody can tell the difference between extra virgin, virgin and normal in a taste test. Too many people in highly obese countries have been conned into thinking it's "healthy" when they already consume way too many calories.

Virgin / extra virgin by my understanding isn't quality grades - it's how acidic it is. extra virgin definitely tates different and is more for drizzles or dips. Virgin is less acidic.

 

[Andy_W]

Virgin / extra virgin by my understanding isn't quality grades - it's how acidic it is. extra virgin definitely tates different and is more for drizzles or dips. Virgin is less acidic.

Yeah, I get that's the theory, if you really think about it, but I doubt most would notice in a side by side comparison, and certainly not if trying each on different days, but maybe that's just me? Think I'm a bit more miffed that it gets marketed like a healthy dip, but this does not seem to me to be a great idea, especially not at £9 a pop and with so many overweight etc. Just one dip of bruschetta into oil is probably 100 calories, but who would be only doing one dip?

Drizzling oil onto bread, pizza or pasta sauces which already contain a ton of sugar, fat, cream, calories etc, is adding next to nothing, but ill health for most. I can almost understand it in countries which generally eat healthier, but next to none in the EU are below 50% obese or overweight (uk is 60%).

I don't mind a tiny bit of it mixed with balsamic drizzle or balsamic vinegar, like how you get in some restaurants etc, but that's because I like the balsamic, but the drizzle just on it's own is better.

Anyway, totally of topic

 

[Merlin]

I’m opening champagne this evening to celebrate

 

[sherlock]

Substitute olive oil for cold pressed rapeseed oil. It's nicer anyway and a third of the price.

 

[Abel Tasman]

in ever more desperate rhetoric

Tories need to channel British Empire soldiers who fought Zulus, says Geoffrey Cox

But former chairman Lord Patten says history won’t save the party against Labour

www.standard.co.uk

 

[Nano]

Yeah, I get that's the theory, if you really think about it, but I doubt most would notice in a side by side comparison, and certainly not if trying each on different days, but maybe that's just me? Think I'm a bit more miffed that it gets marketed like a healthy dip, but this does not seem to me to be a great idea, especially not at £9 a pop and with so many overweight etc. Just one dip of bruschetta into oil is probably 100 calories, but who would be only doing one dip?

Drizzling oil onto bread, pizza or pasta sauces which already contain a ton of sugar, fat, cream, calories etc, is adding next to nothing, but ill health for most. I can almost understand it in countries which generally eat healthier, but next to none in the EU are below 50% obese or overweight (uk is 60%).

I don't mind a tiny bit of it mixed with balsamic drizzle or balsamic vinegar, like how you get in some restaurants etc, but that's because I like the balsamic, but the drizzle just on it's own is better.

Anyway, totally of topic

It's just a replacement for butter. It probably is healthier than butter but that's not the same as being healthy.

 

[Andy_W]

It's just a replacement for butter. It probably is healthier than butter but that's not the same as being healthy.

Replacement and then some, big difference between thinly applying a coting and soaking something though, probably 5x difference, which will add up. Yeah, 100% on healthier but not healthy.

I don't put butter on plain bread though, and a very think layer on toast, but some people really do lap it on

 

[sherlock]

The thinking that fat is the enemy is very outdated now.

It’s sugar that is the real problem. Things like butter, oil, whole milk etc used as part of a balanced diet are not a problem.

Avoid anything that says low fat etc, the less processed something is, generally the better.

 

[Andy_W]

The thinking that fat is the enemy is very outdated now.

It’s sugar that is the real problem. Things like butter, oil, whole milk etc used as part of a balanced diet are not a problem.

Avoid anything that says low fat etc, the less processed something is, generally the better.

I know what you're saying, and kind of agree, but I don't think talk like you're saying in the first line actually helps, as they (the less clued up) then end up thinking "good fats" are actually ok, when it's only fine for people who are a healthy weight. Problem is people can't balance, if they have one really bad day, then they need to have 2-3 really good days to off set that, and doing that by eating butter/ oil/ whole milk etc is going to be practically impossible.

Sure, sugar is a problem too, a lot less calorie dense than fats though. Problem with sugar is it's addictive and then also comes with crashes afterwards. Annoys me when I see parents giving their fat kids full sugar fizzy drinks and chocolate bars.

100% agree on processed crap too. I find you can eat a lot more and stay a lot fuller for longer on less calories, if the food is a lot less processed.

Knowledge on diet is better now than it's ever been, yet people are the fattest they've ever been. So, somewhere along the line people are getting it all wrong.

 

[The_Lizards_Jumpers]

There's a world of difference between a good olive oil and a bad one when it comes to eating it with bread - I can definitely tell the difference but I could happily drink olive oil (maybe not literally) as I love it - bizarrely I absolutely detest olives though.