Reflections on the UK

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Some reflections on the UK

I'll start with the food which is a BIG issue for me as result of my food allergies. There is so much more variety of things that I can eat over here. Take for example goats cheese. You can get hard cheese, Camembert style, cheese mixed with exotic things things such as nettles. It makes your throat itch when you eat it (just joking!). The other wonderful product is spiced hummus. It is really is brilliant.

I've really enjoyed having breakfast, particularity in Northern Ireland because both the bacon and the eggs are delicious. Much tastier than those we have in Australia. Barbara and David eat potato bread which is also very tasty (especially fried)! I think it would be possible to make it with rice flour so I'm going to give it a go when I return home.

The weather has been extraordinarily sunny for most of the time. For example, despite being freezing in Scotland, it was extremely sunny. I haven't had the opportunity to wear my 1 pound suede coat for several days now. I did contemplate breaking out a pair of shorts but I didn't want to show I had whiter legs than most Brits!

The main visible sign of the credit crunch are high streets with empty shops. The government is trying to get community groups into them so things look a bit more prosperous. I understand that that strategy is failing miserably. Another indicator is the drop in people traveling overseas and also flying into the UK. The result has been dramatically discounted airfares to Europe. For example you can now fly from the UK to Milan for under ten quid. It's insane! Like Australia, people are very fearful of losing their jobs. The situation is even grimmer in Ireland.

The UK government has just brought down a budget that has increased the top tax rate for the wealthy and incorporates fantastically high project growth rates that probably make the situation sound better than really is. New Labour has had a big email scandal while we've been here which is adding to their problems. My summation is that New labour is really on the nose and Gordon Brown should get his people s ready for a long period in opposition.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Boris Johnson is going great guns as the mayor of London. He comes across as an upper class eccentric who hasn't discovered that combing your hair is a good thing! However, apparently he's been a breath of fresh air and seems to begetting things done.

The London Metropolitan Police also have a reputation of getting things done but it's with batons rather than persuasion. The policing of the G20 meeting a couple of weeks ago has been highly criticized as heavy handed. Some of the officers removed there badges presumably so that they couldn't be identified beating people up. One guy, who wasn't involved in the G20 protests died (he was walking through the area on his way home from work) at police hands! Some of the folks we've spoken to have expressed concern about the police state that England has become. I can understand why they say that.

We've had a wonderful time in the UK and a lot of that has been due to our dear friends who have housed, feed and washed for us and taken us to see some great sights. Thank you and we really look forward to looking after you when you come to Australia.

Cheers

Sandy

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