Following on from my post earlier about an article at Anna Racoons place, I followed a link in the referenced post to a BBC news article on the cost of living in the UK and I really cant believe the utter shite written there.

As an example :

A single person in Britain needs to earn at least £13,400 a year before tax for a minimum standard of living, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) says.

A couple with two children need to spend £370 a week and a pensioner couple need £201 excluding housing and childcare costs, the charity says.

Film tickets, a bottle of wine and a bird feeder were on the list of goods people need to participate in society.

…

According to the report, which took two years to put together, the spending power needed to pay for a basic but socially acceptable standard of living was higher than the official government calculated poverty line.

Film ticket, a bottle of wine and a bird feeder? What the fucking blue fuck are these people smoking?

The study in the BBC article apparently “excluded “aspirational” items, and the JRF said it was aimed at starting a discussion about what was an acceptable standard of living.”

Well, I guess that just about sums up this miserable fucked up little island.

Now, if you will excuse me, I must go out and buy a bird feeder.