News that a BBC commissioned piece of research states that the North East will be the least resilient to economic shocks and will possibly suffer the worst in the forthcoming spending review, is hardly surprising.
Between school bus shifts, I had a lunch break in the local town. There is a bench, brilliantly situated just outside the shop which acts like a magnet and people seem to appear out of nowhere, sit and start talking. You hear everything.
"It's very bad," said one elderly man. "It cost me £1-80."
"What cost you £1-80?" asked a lady who was hurrying to her parked car with her fully laden shopping bags. Her acute hearing had made her stop abruptly.
"Me loaf of bread.It's disgusting."
"Aye, it's disgusting."
"And what's more it was yesterday's bread and it was half price," wailed the man.
"Never!" replied the lady who had dropped her shopping bags in shock. "It cannot be true."
"Aye".
"Aye"
"Aye," said another passer had stopped and joined in.
It was the time to leave and I left the increasing crowd shaking their heads and 'aye-ing'.
This is the sometimes little world of the North. Perhaps of the South, East and West too. The Government's going to have a tough time when the cuts start appearing in this little town.
"The thing is," said another lady, "I can buy me bread for 70p from this shop and it tastes just the same."
As I walked back to my bus, I heard a chorus of "Ayes."
Aye they right there. :-P
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