Russian woman in London described the suffering of the British: “They don’t drown for Ukraine anymore”

Russian Tatyana has been living in London for over 14 years. She has a happy family – a husband and two children. Own house, stable job. Not life, but a fairy tale. But things have changed recently…

We started the conversation with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, which, according to average estimates, cost the state 6 billion pounds, which outraged the British.

– When the experts announced the amount that they spent on the funeral, the British grabbed their heads, – says Tatyana. —- It is inappropriate to spend such money when there are a lot of problems in the country. One of the main ones is healthcare. I have gallstones. The operation is six months away. To my complaints that I feel discomfort, sometimes it grabs me so much that I walk like a crooked grandmother. Doctors answer: “When it gets really bad, come to the hospital, we will urgently operate on you.”

Medical workers complain that little money is allocated from the budget for healthcare, there are not enough workers, ambulances. The patient will be taken to the ambulance only if he is unable to move on his own, he has breathing problems and open bleeding. Otherwise, take a taxi and get to the hospital yourself. But at parting with the queen, ambulances stood every 20 meters.

The second serious problem is a sharp jump in prices. We are a family of four – myself, my husband and two children. My husband and I work full time. By local standards, we are considered a strong middle class. We can afford to travel 2-3 times a year. Or rather, could…

Four months ago we paid 96 pounds (6,700 rubles) for gas and electricity. Then the cost was doubled – up to 180 pounds (12,500 rubles). Another month passes, gas and electricity have risen in price to 300 pounds (21,000 rubles). It all ended with the last time they sent me a bill for 460 pounds (32,000 rubles).

We have a four-room house of medium size, no frills. We do not use electricity and gas uncontrollably – we are not at home all day long, we do not use heating in summer.

They say that in winter the price of gas and electricity will soar to 500-600 pounds (35,000-42,000 rubles).

Now my salary is only enough to pay for gas, electricity, water and a mortgage – 1,800 pounds (124,000 rubles). And there’s nothing to buy a ticket for.

Energy companies are already sending us letters: if you are unable to pay the bill at the moment, contact us, we will figure out how to break it. That is, they allow you to pay in installments.

The state, of course, helps. Our family received a one-time assistance of 400 pounds (27,500 rubles) to cover the cost of gas and electricity. Who lives in a small apartment, this money is enough for a couple of months. We didn’t even have to pay for a month. But it’s still better than nothing.

We hope for a new prime minister, perhaps she will figure out how to keep prices down.

Recently I spoke with our neighbors, a family of pensioners, they live in the same four-room house. The English grandmother clutched her head: “Oh, I got such a bill, what will happen in the winter.” I don’t know how old people will survive.

– What are the pensions in England?

– It all depends on the experience. The minimum pension is 1,000 pounds (69,000 rubles) – this money is received by people who have worked in the country for 10 years. For those who worked in a private company and paid taxes, a certain amount is added to the state pension. The maximum pension in the country is 3-4 thousand pounds (207,000-275,000 rubles) – former civil servants receive such money. The military and doctors – even higher.

“I think these are decent pensions.

Not so much for England. After all, you have to pay 500 pounds for gas and electricity, 50 pounds for water at an economical expense, 30 pounds for the Internet, and even little things come up. As a result, the total bill for the communal apartment is 800 pounds (55,000 rubles). If the pension is 1,000 pounds, then 200 pounds (14,000 rubles) remain for life. You can’t live on this money. For example, in our family, going to the store for a week’s supply of food costs just 200 pounds. If you want to survive, you can, pensioners do not need much. But why should they survive?

If people born in the post-Soviet countries are accustomed to difficulties, then for the British this is savagery. They never knew deprivation, they never lived like in Russia. With the most gloomy forecasts, the Russians here will be able to adapt to the current conditions, the British are unlikely. Therefore, they are now freaking out, they don’t understand why they need it?

In addition to pensioners, there are enough vulnerable people in London. For example, single moms are now emptying food banks (free food distribution points) that are in supermarkets. It is accepted here that buyers constantly reported some products to containers for the poor. I always left a pack of pasta, rice, sunflower oil. It won’t hurt me, but for someone it will replace dinner.

The food banks used to be full of groceries. There were always baby cereal, cans of beans. The containers are currently empty. You leave something there and after half an hour there is nothing. This is the first time in 14 years I have seen such a picture. Now, guards have been posted near the food banks, who ask those who take food for confirmation whether the person is really poor. People must prove that they really do not have enough money, show a document that they live on benefits. Only in this case are they allowed to pick up the products. Before that, there were no checks. If you want to take something, come and take it. But people themselves did not take it, because it was not necessary.

Recently, an acquaintance of the supermarket security guard said that he already knows all the poor by sight. Basically, these are old people and single mothers.

At this pace, the fight for food banks will begin in the near future. People need something to eat.

– In many countries, in order to save electricity, it was proposed to heat houses up to a maximum of 19 degrees. What about you?

– There are rumors. They say that in winter we will go to libraries and museums to warm ourselves. Only I don’t understand who will check what temperature is in my house? If I want to warm up normally, no one will forbid me.

But in the country they began to save electricity. Previously, street lighting was everywhere, but now motion sensors have been installed. A man walks down the street, a flashlight lights up. No people – darkness. I heard that they decided to illuminate the London Ferris wheel every other day.

My child is in the pool. We were warned that in winter the sports complex is planned to be closed earlier, and the temperature of the water in the pool will drop by two degrees due to the fact that it is quite expensive. During the day, the lighting in the pool is no longer turned on, they say that with stained-glass windows it is already so light. Meanwhile, the cost of the subscription increases every year.

Is it true that more than 70 percent of pubs in the UK could close due to skyrocketing energy prices?

— There is talk that the pubs will close at 9 pm, but so far everything is functioning normally.

But gasoline has risen in price – up to 2.05 pounds (140 rubles). If gasoline rises in price, food prices rise accordingly. Salaries do not increase. I felt it myself. I used to receive a salary and could immediately buy a monthly pass, pay for the Russian school where my children go, a Chinese tutor and a subscription to the pool. Now it’s not enough. She said to her husband: come on this month, I pay for the Chinese and Russian schools, and you do the rest.

Recently, my retired mother-in-law came running to me to borrow 500 pounds (34,500 rubles) to deposit into her gas company account. She has the following system of payment for gas and electricity: how much you pay, how much you spend. Previously, a pound (70 rubles) was enough for her for two days. Now 1.20 pounds (83 rubles) comes out a day. Her pension is not the worst – 1,700 pounds (118,000 rubles) a month. But even she says: if prices go up again, you’ll have to help me.

Returning to the royal family, I will tell you one more nuance. When buying a house over 300 thousand pounds (20.5 million rubles), you must unfasten 5 percent of the purchase to the royal treasury. You have to understand that you can’t buy a house here for 300 thousand, they are much more expensive. It turns out that every family in England pays the royal tax. It surprises me. Did the queen give me land or a job where I plowed for more than 10 years? I understand that there is order and the queen also needs to live on something, but to compare the incomes of the royal family and ours – heaven and earth. Unfair, but where to go.

Many English people now began to wonder why they suffer hardship. I noticed that they are not drowning for Ukraine as much as a couple of months ago. More silent, refrain from commenting.

I am offended that this year I did not get to Russia, did not visit my relatives. Although I used to fly once every three months. Now it’s getting tough…