A Guernsey Gardener in 2025

14 March 2025 (Friday)

14/3/2025

A grey and frosty start to the day. I was at my desk early getting on with various things, whilst Richard was trying out another recipe, this time for a mushroom stroganoff.

There's much in the news today about the UK economy having shrunk in January, and words like “unexpected” and “shock” are being used. To be quite honest I’ve no idea why anybody who is an economist would think that this is shock or unexpected news. All we're hearing is how costs are going up; how mobile phone bills, water bills, TV and streaming services, home energy, some food prices, insurance… all of these things are going up and the general public simply does not have the money to spend, so why this would be thought as being “unexpected” or a “shock” is completely beyond me.

The thing is, our current economic system is not working for people of the UK, it hasn't been fit for purpose for almost two decades now. In fact it's not only the people of the UK that it doesn't work for, it's not working for people of the world. It's working for the rich and the rich only, and when I say the rich I'm talking about the mega rich, not just the normal rich.

Weather: Cold, frosty start to the day. A bit blustery. 8° high.

Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, prunes and sliced banana
Lunch: Richard's Mushroom Stroganoff and wholemeal couscous
Supper: Softened red lentils and a Morrisons Vegetable Soup, bread, camembert and slices of cucumber

8 Comments

rec

16/3/2025 06:36:52

I have almost no idea how things are taxed in UK, but I think if all kinds of bills go up, government also gets their share from this rise. Its mostly the buyer/payer that loses out. So money is still (forcibly) circulating.

Some weeks ago I did watch a recent Sandy Toksvig talk on YT, partially also about how the super rich get even richer, especially in last few years. Boy, though she tried to use some humour, all this talk was so depressing!

Paul Savident

16/3/2025 06:42:39

Indeed, there VAT on all bills now other than food, even home energy has a 5% tax rate now where it used to be exempt. 🙄
I don't know that Sandi Toksvig programme, though will look it up. 👍👍👍

16/3/2025 07:02:47

I don't think knowing this will make you any happier, but we have a 22% tax here on almost everything, including food, energy etc. Taxes will rise even more next year.

I think the Toksvig talk was called "Eve's Byte of the Apple"

16/3/2025 08:30:00

Rec. Our VAT rate is 20% across the board, except on food unless it is considered a luxury processed food item or heated and consumed on a retail premises when VAT is then added - so a cold sausage roll to take away has no VAT though one eaten warm in-store HAS VAT on it... 🙄 On fuel we pay at the pump there is a fuel duty of about 53p per litre, plus VAT at the full rate is charged on this and on the non-taxed element, so a litre of petrol that costs around £1.40 per litre currently is almost 55% tax of one kind or another, as 76p is tax against a pump price of £1.40. 🙄

16/3/2025 09:18:45

Had to g.ogle petrol price here (as I don't drive), it's about 1,7 EUR per litre, so pretty much the same as over there! I'm sure quite a bit of it is also duty.

16/3/2025 12:44:15

Of course, the US pump prices are quite a bit lower. 🙄

16/3/2025 13:55:41

Just about almost only positive thing there!

(Sorry, as this conversation seems now to go on forever, I promised myself to shut up, but I just had to say it!)

16/3/2025 15:13:37

👍😁👍