It’s been almost non stop rain since the weekend till now (wed) with dark, tumulus clouds bringing the touch of a chill November to July. Already 1 month from the summer solstice and nights creep ever closer into the day. Now the descent to winter has begun I always think how did it happen so fast? There is no more time in summer; a day is still 24 hours regardless of the season. But still, we think we can achieve so much more in the natural longer days of summer. A life seems to expand in the light. It is the great joy of living close to the poles. How wonderful would it be to be able to switch hemispheres every 6 months at the equinoxes? What a dream so right now I’ll settle for the completion of the kitchen…it does never seem to get any closer.

All we talk of at work is the factory shutting next year (or sooner.) Its to be expected of course but a bit wearing after a while. The funniest thing is the differing reactions amongst everyone. For some employees its sadness or bitterness and for some other employees elation. The HR manager summed it up as disbelief, denial, anger and then acceptance. I guess we are all at different stages of the process. For me, I think I am termed an institutionalised employee having never having had another job nor been to an interview etc. so time to join the real world from next year. Bit scary really! I really have to touch the void out there after clinging on with my fingertips to my comfort zone for so long. But you know I think the current economic climate out there is pretty inhospitable.

Someone summed up the current economic woe rather like a game of cards (Old Maid) whereby the last one holding any cards loses everything. Here are my pointers to a recession

1.Home Prices Keep Falling. Only ‘buy to let’ landlords are making money on all the misery. But they are only succeeding in rising the rents which the impacts on welfare payments and probably worst of all destroying neighbourhoods by allowing in unsuitable or uncaring tenants.
2. Small Businesses Can't Get Credit. Homebuyers can’t get credit. Nobody else wants it.
3. Unemployment has and will get worse (despite the hype most of the jobs created are worthless to the nations GDP)
4. Consumers Are Losing Faith and not buying due to uncertainty as petrol, utility and food prices continue to rise.
5. More People are on a pyramid selling scheme, sorry I mean Welfare Benefit. Soon it wont be sustainable…we are probably nearly at that point now.

6. The black market is increasing selling goods that are too highly taxed by the government
7. Cash businesses now dominate among the small businesses. It is now the business model of choice.

The Bottom Line

Somebody pass me a guide to surviving in a third world economy please. 

Soon the opera lady will sing as bankers jump

We will descend into a moneyless anarchy

While the world will hold its breath and hope

That mans capitalist evolution may be halted

For after all the money within it is an illusion

Underpinned by exploitation of intangible desires