Explainer. I don’t do anything special with my work at a food bank. Many people do far more than I do, without writing and talking about it. I write about my experiences because that’s what I do.
I honestly don’t want to be getting Christmas messages from the likes of Rishi Sunak or King Charles III for that matter. I don’t think I’m traumatised by yesterday’s experience at the food bank, but I was, and remain, affected it by it. Yesterday evening, intermittently through the night and now in the damp and dank light of day, I can’t get it out of my head that we, as a supposedly proud country, allow this to happen.
I mention Sunak and Charles because, inevitably, we will soon get their Christmas messages and we know what they will say. “All in it together, challenging times, pull together, brighter tomorrow”, as per usual and doubtless Charles will dedicate his message to his late mum. For both men, it’s part of the job, to read out platitudes at The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. My problem is going to be what happens next. I’ve written enough about Sunak’s obscene wealth and let’s face it Charles won’t be picking up last minute items at Poundland, but here’s a thing: I saw scores of people yesterday who love to be sweeping up the Christmas shop at Poundland or anywhere else but instead will be relying on essentials donated by wonderfully generous people.
I honestly don’t know how the rest of the population feels about the gross levels of inequality that stain our country. I know for sure that my family, friends and social media friends are appalled at the way things are going. The social media friends probably wouldn’t stick around if they profoundly disagreed, as they didn’t last year when I put the boot in to God (hard to do that given he doesn’t exist, but you get my drift, I hope) and phoney psychics and mediums. And while this country appears to be a cesspool of hate – and you’d certainly think so if you saw GB News, read the Mail and The Sun or read the tweets by Kelvin MacKenzie – I don’t believe it is. Just because we ‘little people’ don’t have the platform or profile of the hate-mongers doesn’t mean we approve of or agree with what they are saying.
If the wretched Sunak and Charles are going to inflict their Christmas messages on us, then maybe I should to. Charles maybe not so much because his public role involves little more than going round shaking hands with people and opening things, but Sunak can start to put together this broken country, if only he could be bothered.
The money is here – Sunak has three-quarters of a billion quid, for Chrissakes – and by making a few minor tweaks to the way we do things, poverty could be ended at a stroke. The necessity of food banks is a result of political choices. The fact is that the political choice is that poverty for millions is a price worth paying, as is the crumbling health service. Not the choice of the people, who have no choice at all, but the choices of our so-called leaders.
My message is SORT IT OUT. During Covid, the smooth-talking chancellor Sunak repeatedly said he would “do whatever it takes” to deal with any problem that came along. Now, he should do whatever it takes to stop people starving and freezing and generally living miserable lives. It is not easier said than done. He’s the fucking prime minister. He can do whatever he likes. SORT IT OUT, Sunak. Plain and simple. Start negotiating with frontline workers and stop the strikes, too, and end the disruption. Sunak can sort this out too because 12 years of his party’s government has driven people to despair. If he carries on like he is doing, what’s the point of Rishi Sunak?
