‘The Rat Race’ is a term used to define people caught up in a fiercely competitive struggle for wealth or power; in England this was promoted by Margaret Thatcher when she was Prime Minister from 1979-1990. Thatcher believed that individuals should be encouraged to accumulate as much wealth as possible. The 1980s was known as ‘the decade of greed.’

When Thatcher was Prime Minister, a new socio-economic group, the young urban professionals, ‘YUPPIE,’ emerged. Primarily, they worked in the financial sector, such as at The Stock Exchange in The City, London’s business district. YUPPIES worked long hours at The Stock Exchange because they wanted to accumulate wealth; they succeeded in doing this, however some of them experienced ill health such as stress. Eventually, some of them relinquished this rat race existence and moved to rural locations where they bought country homes and set up their own businesses.

People in other areas of work, such as the media industry, experienced the rat race too. Kate Hearsey left her job in the media industry owing to the long commute to London where her job was located. She immigrated to Mexico to work on a ranch. Although she has much less money, she has a far better quality of life.

Many accepted a rat race existence in order to be affluent but many failed at achieving this because of the high cost of living in London; money had to be used for the rent, mortgage and bills and there was no money to invest to regenerate wealth. Also, long working hours for the acquisition of money caused ill health as many experienced stress which precipitated other health problems. MIND, a mental health charity, has found that one in six people have experienced mental illness.

Research conducted by Public Health, England, has found that twelve million people in England are taking addictive, prescription pills for depression or insomnia. Unlike on the continent, there is a culture of ‘binge drinking’ in England. People use alcohol as escapism from the stress and problems of life which a rat race existence has caused. ‘Alcohol England’ revealed that in 2017-2018 there were 338,000 hospital admissions because of alcohol misuse. This figure is 15% higher than a decade ago.

The rat race instigates an unhealthy way of life. Health and happiness have to be perceived as more important than the need to acquire opulence.

People shouldn’t have to be slaves to work in order to obtain a materialistic lifestyle.

L'articolo The Detrimental Effects Of The Rat Race In England proviene da InsideOver.

In Britain, suicide is the most common form of death for men between the ages of twenty and forty-nine. In 2018, The Office For National Statistics recorded 6,507 suicides. Scotland has the highest rate of suicide in Britain: 16.1 deaths per 100,000 people. Wales has 12.8 deaths per 100,000 people and England has 10.3 deaths per 100,000 people.

Suicide is much more common for men than women because males are far less likely to seek help, such as going to a counselor. Many men feel it signifies weakness and failure to ask for help. Also, men are far less likely to talk about their emotions and this eventually leads to a crisis which is not resolved. Women are socialised to express their emotions. Also, they have flexible, coping strategies and can manage complex emotions more effectively than men.

When men experience unemployment, this causes them to develop a feeling of hopelessness and low self-esteem. Unemployment instigates poverty as there is little money to pay the rent/mortgage and bills. Life without a job, money and being unable to provide for the family make men feel they have no role in society and therefore no need to remain alive. This was exacerbated by the decimation of male dominated work, such as coal mining, when Thatcher was Prime Minister.

From the 1980s, there emerged many service industry jobs suited for women such as in customer services and hospitality; men felt undermined by this. Also, some women earned more than men so males felt that financially, they were defunct.

In child custody cases, children automatically reside with the mother unless she is incapable of raising them owing to physical or mental ill health. When this occurs, many fathers lose access to see their children; this instigates sorrow and a wish to commit suicide. Also, the disintegration of relationships, especially a long-term one which led to the birth of children, causes men to commit suicide because that strong bond with a partner no longer exists. Men can develop a feeling of loneliness when this occurs so this reinforces their wish to end their life.

Men need to be educated to ask for help and to not feel a failure for doing so. Also, boys need to be told by their parents that it is fine for them to show their emotions; when they become men, they will not let their feelings overwhelm them to the point that they want to commit suicide. Such changes will prevent men from feeling that the only solution to a dilemma is the termination of their life.

L'articolo The High Rate Of Male Suicide In Britain proviene da InsideOver.

London is the second richest city in the world after New York City. According to Business Insider, there are 2.7 trillion dollars of total private wealth in London. London, however, is a divided city.

Despite the apparent wealth, London has the highest rate of poverty in Great Britain. Traditionally, the East End, the area of London east of the city also known as the business district, has been impoverished. During the reigns of Queen Victoria and Edward VII, there were dreadful slums in this part of London. The worst slum was ‘Old Nichol’ in Shoreditch. From the early twentieth century, slums were demolished and council flats built to house former slum dwellers. Although this improved the lives of those who inhabited slums, there is still much deprivation.

When England hosted the summer Olympics in 2012, a large number of jobs were created, however, the majority of those jobs ceased to exist when the Olympic Games ended. There is still high unemployment in the East End. This is exacerbated by Canary Wharf, a business development adjacent to dilapidated council estates. Many of those who inhabit council flats are in low paid work while those who work at Canary Wharf earn high incomes. Near to the East End is the city where the Stock Exchange is located; many here are paid high salaries. This further distinguishes the economic division in London leading to poverty.

On a similar note, Westminster is one of London’s wealthiest boroughs because it is the area where all the tourist landmarks are situated such as The National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Also, Westminster incorporates many places of entertainment such as London’s West End theatres. Westminster, however, has the highest number of rough sleepers in England. In the autumn of 2018, 306 people spent a night on the streets in Westminster. This is more than double the number of those in Camden, the borough with the second-highest rate of rough sleeping. The main factors that have caused rough sleeping are unaffordable accommodation, relationship breakdown, eviction and release from institutions, such as prisons, where no support has been provided.

Another form of homelessness are those who live in temporary accommodation, such as bed and breakfast hotels. The number of households in temporary accommodation in London is ten times higher than the national average; high rents have been responsible for this. Also, the introduction of ‘The Bedroom Tax’ precipitated a high number of evictions. The regime penalized people who lived in a council property where there were more bedrooms than people living there. For example, if one person inhabited a three-bedroom, council flat, the tenant would have to pay rent for the other two bedrooms not being occupied. This led to many having a shortfall on their rent account and they were evicted because of this.

The introduction of ‘Universal Credit,’ which was a huge change to welfare in decades, caused misery and suffering to millions because claimants had to wait months before they received any money; this caused there to be arrears on rent accounts and tenants were evicted although they were not to blame. The majority of people evicted were then placed in temporary accommodation in outer London because Housing Benefit (this covers the payment of rent for those without work or in low paid jobs) costs are cheaper than in inner London. Inner London has become ‘gentrified’ (wealthy people have moved to once poor areas) and therefore rents are much higher there than in outer London. London has the highest rate of child poverty in England. 700,000 children in London are living in poverty. Tower Hamlets, a borough in the East End, has the highest rate of child poverty in London, at 56.7%.

The high cost of living and reduction in welfare have been responsible. Also, there has been a ‘benefits freeze’ which has prevented welfare benefits being increased to accommodate the rising cost of living. Two-thirds of child poverty exists in families where at least one adult is working. Although unemployment is at its lowest since the 1970s, a high number of people are in low paid jobs. A Joseph Rowntree Foundation Survey in 2016 revealed that 55% of Londoners living in abject poverty were in employment.

The ‘gig’ economy has been responsible for the rise in poverty in London and the rest of England. The ‘gig’ economy is a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contract or freelance work rather than permanent jobs. Also, there have been a high rise in the number of ‘zero hour’ contracts: an employee might have work one day but nothing for the rest of the week. Such jobs have no holiday or sick pay. Irregular and low paid work as well as the high cost of living in London have caused millions to be living in poverty.

Poverty is detrimental to people’s physical and mental health. Limited money forces people to eat cheap food which contains much sugar, fat and salt which can precipitate Diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The stress of poverty can cause people to become mentally ill or to use alcohol or drugs as coping mechanisms. A living wage needs to be introduced. A living wage is the minimum income necessary for workers to meet their basic needs of food, housing and other essential needs. Far more council homes and housing association properties need to be built; these cater for those in low paid work.

Also, the high cost of living needs to be reduced. For example, there should be a freeze on fares being increased. Such changes would greatly reduce poverty. Britain has the sixth richest economy in the world yet for many, there is no quality of life owing to poverty. There is a proverb: History repeats itself. Britain in the early twenty-first century has become the second Victorian age.

L'articolo London has the Highest Poverty Rate in Great Britain proviene da InsideOver.

Although London attracts millions of tourists every year, there is a hidden killer in this city: air pollution. Increased poor air quality has coincided with a rise in car ownership. The majority of drivers own diesel or petrol cars, which emit high levels of pollutants. Buses and lorries are also fuelled by diesel.

Owing to the high level of pollution, thousands of Londoners have respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis; many are absent from work because of this. Absenteeism has had an adverse affect on Britain’s Gross Domestic Product.

A report by King’s College, London, in 2018, has estimated that between 28,000 and 36,000 people die every year from air pollution in the United Kingdom.

Presently, there is a case at The High Court in London regarding a child who had thirty Asthma attacks; eventually she died. She lived in an area of London where pollution levels are excessively bad. Unfortunately, it is in the poorest areas of London, such as East London, where pollution is worst. Many children in these areas have respiratory problems; this has other detrimental effects, such as low educational attainment. If children are absent from school because of illness, this negatively impacts on their ability to achieve at school.

An ageing brain is one cause of the onset of dementia. It has recently been discovered that another cause of dementia is air pollution. When particles of pollution enter the brain, it instigates this malaise.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has tried to counteract London’s poor air quality by introducing various policies to deter people from driving heavily polluting vehicles in London. The Congestion Charge was introduced in central London from 7am-6pm Mondays-Fridays. Motorists who use heavy polluting vehicles will have to pay £11.50. The Low Emission Zone covers most of Greater London, and operates every day throughout the year.

On 8th April 2019, The Ultra Low Emission Zone was introduced. It covers the existing congestion charge zone of Central London, but is effective twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Motorists who drive vehicles that emit toxic levels of pollution in Central London will have to pay £12.50 each day. In addition, motorists who drive such vehicles in Central London between 7am and 6pm, Monday-Friday, will have to pay an £11.50 Congestion Charge too.

A fine of £160 will be imposed on those who refuse to pay. Lorry drivers have to pay £100 a day for driving into Central London, and there will be a £1000 fine for those failing to pay. Thousands of CCTV cameras have been erected to ensure that motorists do not violate the new laws. These cameras will read vehicle number plates and check if these modes of transport meet Ultra Low Emission Zone standards.

These policies will be punitive for pre-2015 diesel cars and pre-2006 petrol cars, because they are the most polluting vehicles. The 21,000 black taxis that are present in London are the dirtiest diesel vehicles yet, though due to mass protest, taxi drivers are exempt from paying the charge. Many police cars, ambulances and fire engines will have to be replaced because they emit high levels of pollutants.

Another policy to combat London’s poor air quality is the creation of more pedestrianized areas, such as Oxford Street, one of the most polluted streets in Europe. The increased number of pedestrian only areas has not come to fruition yet. The former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wasted millions of taxpayers’ money on the building of a pedestrian bridge in London. This project was not completed.

The British government wants to eradicate diesel and petrol cars from being manufactured. By the late 2020s, the government wants motorists to drive electric cars, though to date, an inadequate number of outlets have been built for such cars to be recharged.

The European Parliament had imposed exorbitant fines on Britain for the contravention of acceptable levels of pollution in London, but Britain has ignored European guidelines. Unless effective measures are instigated to drastically reduce London’s air pollution, thousands will continue to die each year.

L'articolo Yet Another Problem in London Resulting in Civilian Deaths proviene da InsideOver.