Opinion: Things should be better than this

It’s also an opportunity to step back and take a look at what has happened over the past twelve months.

We are on our third Prime Minister since the year began. That seems astonishing. If this happened in any other country, we would be shaking our heads in disbelief at how chaotic that must be.

We have lost a great deal of money in the chaos. Estimates range around £30 billion was lost due to Liz Truss’ disastrous economic “experiment” if it can be labelled as such. It appears that she and her Chancellor got carried away, dazzled by their own beliefs rather than guided by evidence. We will be paying for this for years to come.

Covid is still an issue; while the vaccines have helped enormously, we still should take great care with the vulnerable. We should be sensitive towards those who are elderly or have pre-existing conditions including asthma, so that they don’t get infected. Covid can still hit hard, if not as lethally as before.

The cost of living is spiralling out of control. As a business owner, I see my energy costs shooting into the stratosphere. It is all very well for people to advise to use less energy: however, there comes a point when this is absurd. What am I and others supposed to do, work in the dark? Not use a computer? Energy costs have spiked not just due to Putin; other European nations have managed to limit their costs far more effectively than we have.

We have had over a decade of Tory rule which failed to plan for the future, and unfortunately, the future arrived.

As the cost of living has risen, so have the number of strikes: there is a good reason for this. While no one expects to get rich by becoming a nurse, they certainly have a right to expect to earn enough to feed their families without resorting to a food bank. The same holds true for postal workers and other professions.

So far, the government appears to have failed to understand that the public empathises with the strikers, particularly the nurses. I can’t think of a single acquaintance who hasn’t been helped by a nurse at some point in their life.

During the height of the pandemic, we would stand outside and applaud them. Is that the limit of our appreciation?

There is a wider sense that things are spinning out of control. A government that cannot get a grip on itself is highly unlikely to be able to guide the nation’s future. As I talk to constituents, I get a broad sense of unease and dissatisfaction. Things should be better than this.

However, it is this sense that things should be better which gives me hope. A truly broken country wouldn’t have this underlying emotion. We look at our city and our country and think, it should be better than this. Yes, it should. Yes, it can be.

Let us hope that 2023 heralds the beginning of a real change. Until then, I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.