Live data from Hacker News

UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

bbc.co.uk

171–180 of 364 posts

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#171
post #123
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Proposed Scottish independence is 12 months away. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_second_Scottish_indep... > In July 2022, the Scottish Greens announced that, if a referendum were blocked, they would fight the next general election as a referendum instead General elections are 25 months away. Labour is up 30 points in the polls or something like that. Brexit probably didn't help the UK economy but the economic…

As much as I think Brexit was (and is) a disaster that was really just a reactionary vote against immigration (particularly POlish immigration), I think "Scexit" is a mistake and fail for the same reasons that there will be Ireland reunification. Land borders. In Northern Ireland this creates a problem because you eitehr have to have a customs border between NI and the Republic of Ireland or between NI and Great Brit…

I'm not really sure I follow - the NI and Ireland example seems like a poor one because of the political history.

Why is a hard border unworkable in the Scottish case? I could definitely imagine this is true, e.g. if Scotland has to import much food or other goods. Or because Scotland depends on the pound. And maybe, in that way, it shares some parallels?

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#172

It might not seem like the biggest issue at the moment but the departure from fact based economics seems to me to underly lots of UK’s current issues. One example. They have to find Brexit benefits so we have pointless plans to depart from eu rules. Result is higher costs for businesses and uncertainty for anyone trying to plan. This allowed someone like Truss to get into power with a fantasy economic plan. You can w…

Brexit is annoying for consumers (try buying stuff from Germany as easily now) and actively lethal for some businesses. I'm feeling the sovereignty already

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#173
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How full are supermarket shelves in the US? Whole product lines are missing in supermarkets in the UK.

There are effectively zero shortages of critical goods, and food price inflation in the parts of the US I live and spend significant time in (TX, CA, NY) is certainly not at the levels seen in the UK (where I am from), though there is some which is undoubtedly painful for those on fixed or low incomes even at the levels seen here. The idea that this is a "global problem" is convenient for the UK government and Brexit…

> but not based in reality.

I don't know about reality, but what you've done is delivered anecdotes when we know that prices in the US have gone up about 10% and prices in the UK have gone up 15%. There's no need for anecdotes, especially for another round of calling Brexiteers deluded.

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#174
The UK is declining, and people are starting to notice it. People are blaming the government, and clamouring for more support and money, but unfortunately I suspect it’s not that simple. The elephant in the room, in my opinion, is that we simply don’t have the money to maintain the standard of living we once enjoyed. Almost all political conversations here are contingent on this fact, but this underlying problem is rarely discussed.

It’s not clear to me _why_ this has happened, I’m not an economist, but it’s clear to me that this is the case. We’ve seen what happens when the government tries to go on a spending spree. Even Labour agree that we need to go into a period of (effective) austerity at this point.

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A broken clock is right twice a day and all that. But the key point is 'if a referendum were blocked, they would fight the next general election as a referendum instead'. If an actual referendum was allowed and held today it would perhaps be a toss up. But two harsh winters from now if the economy is still spiraling it will be a foregone conclusion. Point being why would anyone invest in Scotland or the rest of the U…

> A broken clock is right twice a day and all that. But the key point is 'if a referendum were blocked, they would fight the next general election as a referendum instead'. to what end? with no agreement from the UK government nothing will happen > Point being why would anyone invest in Scotland or the rest of the UK during such tumultuous times? there's no doubt it hurts investment in Scotland however its economic i…

> to what end? with no agreement from the UK government nothing will happen

Obviously to exploit anti-union sentiments for political gain.

> however its economic impact on leaving the UK would be more or less a non-event for the rest of the UK

It would be followed by Ireland and the end of the union. England will find itself with a smaller population than Italy and similarly mired in political instability and infighting.

The difference between vying for the #1 economy in Europe and #4 is quite profound.

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fear that this time it’s terminal. I’ve been advising my friends to leave the UK for over ten years. To paraphrase Peter Hitchens, “I’ve never seen a more doomed society and I lived in Russia during the fall of USSR”

and go where exactly....

To paraphrase Peter Hitchens again; “If you can’t figure that out by yourself then you are too wet behind the ears to make it”

It’s a big world out there with a lot of variety and the appropriate destination depends on a lot of individual factors.

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#177

It might not seem like the biggest issue at the moment but the departure from fact based economics seems to me to underly lots of UK’s current issues. One example. They have to find Brexit benefits so we have pointless plans to depart from eu rules. Result is higher costs for businesses and uncertainty for anyone trying to plan. This allowed someone like Truss to get into power with a fantasy economic plan. You can w…

This generic explanation for everything always gets posted to HN whenever the UK comes up in any capacity, but it isn't "fact based economics". Inflation is surging throughout Europe and the world. Trading Economics has a useful map that visualizes it: https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/inflation-rate Inflation is high because governments printed enormous sums of money to fund lockdowns and furloughs. Helicopt…

Is the OBR's own analysis of Brexit evidence enough for you?

Even Jeremy Hunt has conceded Brexit is causing problems!

https://www.politico.eu/article/brexit-had-significant-adver...

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#178

It might not seem like the biggest issue at the moment but the departure from fact based economics seems to me to underly lots of UK’s current issues. One example. They have to find Brexit benefits so we have pointless plans to depart from eu rules. Result is higher costs for businesses and uncertainty for anyone trying to plan. This allowed someone like Truss to get into power with a fantasy economic plan. You can w…

This generic explanation for everything always gets posted to HN whenever the UK comes up in any capacity, but it isn't "fact based economics". Inflation is surging throughout Europe and the world. Trading Economics has a useful map that visualizes it: https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/inflation-rate Inflation is high because governments printed enormous sums of money to fund lockdowns and furloughs. Helicopt…

If you read my comment you will find no link between Brexit and inflation.

Rather that Brexit had undermined the discourse about how to manage the economy. I gave two specific examples of how this is happening. This is clearly relevant to any discussion of the U.K. economy.

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#179

I genuinely fear for the UK. It's going to be a very different country in ten years, and I fear it will be a weaker, poorer and more divided one. I don't know for sure what the main cause of our current problems is, but I know that it's not a single issue. Brexit, Covid-19 and the war with Russia – not one of these issues alone is the cause of our problems. My hope for the country rests in the fact that it still has…

Well there are many reasons, but one of the major ones is that the last time the ruling party in the UK won a majority of the popular vote was, drumroll... 1931. The FPTP system essentially means that elections are decided by a small number of people living in marginal seats, that usually straddle poor urban and wealthy rural areas and so that is who (successful) politician's messages and policies are targeted at. It…

'83 was shockingly unproportional even by our lofty standards (compare lib/sdp and lab)

Re: UK food price inflation hit 16.2% in October – cost of food basics surging

#180

I genuinely fear for the UK. It's going to be a very different country in ten years, and I fear it will be a weaker, poorer and more divided one. I don't know for sure what the main cause of our current problems is, but I know that it's not a single issue. Brexit, Covid-19 and the war with Russia – not one of these issues alone is the cause of our problems. My hope for the country rests in the fact that it still has…

I spent the last year living in London. I'm from California originally so a regular old American. I do think it's a nation on the decline in many ways. However, I met so many ambitious immigrants who came to the UK to work hard and make a good life for themselves. I believe these people will continue to keep the UK humming along. It might not be a mighty outsized county economically but they'll be fine.

No post body was provided.
Post reply on HN