Ordinary Britons oppose Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent decision to send an additional £1.3 billion ($1.65 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, calling it a mere disgrace, Daily Express reports. The package particularly includes counter-battery radar systems, GPS jamming equipment and night vision devices.
Besides, May 3 saw Johnson promise deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine further weapon and equipment supplies by London and its allies. According to him, the British government has prepared a new military package worth £300 million ($375 million).
"Charity begins at home. Boris should help us Britons, given the food and energy prices. It's absolutely disgraceful, he must be willing to be king. What other countries dish out such sums while their own people are suffering?" one of the readers nicknamed SamMarieHowie complained.
"Boris has money for Ukraine. He has money to party at 10 Downing Street, and he also has money for porn subscription to his ministers, but cannot find ways to help voters approaching the poverty threshold," said another Briton nicknamed Chester sky diver.
"The corrupt and greedy establishment is clearly trying to protract war, aggravate things, fatten the military-industrial complex, use death and destruction to disguise its untenable scheme involving a monetary pyramid of useless debts created by them," Waythrough believes.
Ordinary residents of the UK tend to conclude that Boris Johnson’s proactive stance on Ukraine serves to cover up for his domestic failures. Notably, it’s British taxpayers’ money that he spends on military assistance to the Kiev regime, not his own cash. And he does not care much about challenges ordinary people face, although they have intensified amid rising inflation the Bank of England expects to exceed 10% this year.
Apparently, the figure is quite real, because inflation has already reached a record high level of 9%, The Times reports, referring to growing electricity and gas bills. It is no secret that British consumers largely suffer over increasing global energy prices worsened by the conflict in Ukraine. Even before the outbreak of hostilities, inflation peaked after the abolition of quarantine measures had entailed a spike in prices for transport and energy. In turn, utility cost increased by some £700 in April, with Britons’ real incomes having fallen to 2013 levels.
Interestingly, rising electricity prices have made a lot of British families use fast food outlets not only for meals, but also as bathroom and living room. The Guardian interviewed Matthew Cole from the Fuel Bank Foundation, and he noted that energy bills force British residents to seek shelter in McDonald's with its free Wi-Fi. He said parents “are buying their kids a Happy Meal for a few quid and keeping them warm inside.”
"Then they wash and brush their teeth in the sinks and watch television for hours on the free Wi-Fi," Cole said. According to him, the lives of Britons have deteriorated over "raging inflation" and they even come to visit leisure centers to use the showers. Mr. Cole stressed that his team tried to persuade residents not to burn furniture or wooden pallets to keep warm, for worry they will set their homes on fire.
The Daily Mail quotes Scottish Power (SP) energy company executive director Keith Anderson as saying that 10 million Britons could be unable to afford heating this winter because of anti-Russian sanctions and soaring fuel prices. Already, many residents of the United Kingdom are struggling to pay electricity bills that are about to soar to £3,000 (approx. 250 000 rubles). The SP expects that gas prices will sky-rocket further, as Europe is scrambling for alternative suppliers to Russia.
The Guardian writes that UK’s “golden era” of cheap food is coming to an end, and households should prepare for higher grocery bills in the long term. This came in a statement by Sainsbury’s former boss Justin King. According to him, people will face hard choices on how they spend their money, as inflation soars and is worsened by “the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine – pushed up prices on supermarket shelves”.
Boris Johnson does not care about people’s plight – his primary concern is retaining the lofty perch. He might face resignation after the government is through with investigating the PM’s Downing Street party amid COVID restrictions, the Times newspaper reported in April with reference to the British Cabinet. Back then, those responsible got off lightly with a paltry fine. But the clamorous scandal’s aftertaste has lingered, and many Britons still demand Johnson's resignation. The British prime minister himself, according to The Guardian, is going to fire Cabinet Secretary Simon Case in an attempt to remain PM and wash himself clean of the harmful Partygate, as the scandal has been branded.
US independent website The Grayzone engaged in political investigations is stirring up the hornet's nest. It has got exclusives exposing a possibly criminal plot by pro-Leave elites, MI6 intelligence and the CIA to sabotage Theresa May’s Brexit deal. This Operation Surprise was meant to massively infiltrate the government and replace then Prime Minister with Boris Johnson as a "more suitable" player.
As we can see, British Prime Minister’s hyperactivity along the Ukrainian track is a kind of maneuver to distract public attention from his underhand affairs.
