U.K. Now Has A Minister For Loneliness

[WingNot]

Phone lines are open.  1 crown per minute.   Or Visit in person. They next to the Ministry of Funny Walks

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The U.K. has appointed a minister of loneliness to tackle what Prime Minister Theresa May calls a "sad reality of modern life" for many U.K. citizens.

May announced the position Wednesday, appointing current Minister for Sport and Civil Society Tracey Crouch.

"I want to confront this challenge for our society and for all of us to take action to address the loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, by those who have lost loved ones — people who have no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with," said May.

According to government figures, more than 9 million people in the U.K. "always or often feel lonely" and "around 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month."

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/17/578645954/u-k-now-has-a-minister-for-loneliness

[The_Reader_David]

Social isolation is a serious problem in modern society -- it is surely part of what is fueling the American opioid crisis -- but a cabinet office?

Maybe there really is room at the cabinet table in No. 10 for a Minister of Silly Walks.

[DB]

Social isolation is a serious problem in modern society -- it is surely part of what is fueling the American opioid crisis -- but a cabinet office?

Maybe there really is room at the cabinet table in No. 10 for a Minister of Silly Walks.

I suspect Obamacare has made opioids both more available and more profitable.

[edpc]

They’re way overdue for a Minister or Shitty Cuisine.

[The_Reader_David]

They’re way overdue for a Minister or Shitty Cuisine.

You obviously still have the impression of British cuisine formed by American GIs stationed there during and after WWII during rationing.  British food is now actually generally better than American food (I have family in the UK so I'm there about six weeks a year lately, and spent a whole spring term there on sabbatical two years back), including convenience foods like pre-made soups and pre-made sandwiches (yes, amazingly they are genuinely good).  It's also the only thing that's cheaper there than in the US -- supermarket food is cheaper in the UK than supermarket food in the US, and eating out is cheaper in the UK than eating out in the US.

[DB]

You obviously still have the impression of British cuisine formed by American GIs stationed there during and after WWII during rationing.  British food is now actually generally better than American food (I have family in the UK so I'm there about six weeks a year lately, and spent a whole spring term there on sabbatical two years back), including convenience foods like pre-made soups and pre-made sandwiches (yes, amazingly they are genuinely good).  It's also the only thing that's cheaper there than in the US -- supermarket food is cheaper in the UK than supermarket food in the US, and eating out is cheaper in the UK than eating out in the US.

I was there for around a month in the early 90's in the mad-cow era and it was some of the worst food I've ever had... Still not sure I'm in the clear from the mad-cow thing. It was also much more expensive when I was there, from fast food to top end steak. Has it really changed that much?

[Fishrrman]

Next up for appointment in the UK:
The Minister of Lost Greatness.

That's gonna be a busy post!

[The_Reader_David]

I was there for around a month in the early 90's in the mad-cow era and it was some of the worst food I've ever had... Still not sure I'm in the clear from the mad-cow thing. It was also much more expensive when I was there, from fast food to top end steak. Has it really changed that much?

Yes it has changed that much.