#Personal Debt in the UK

[georgeshutcheson]

Personal Debt in the UK: A Comprehensive Overview

New Post has been published on https://www.fastaccountant.co.uk/personal-debt-in-the-uk/

Personal Debt in the UK: A Comprehensive Overview

In this comprehensive overview, you will explore the current landscape of personal debt in the UK. As of June 2023, the average personal debt for adults stands at £34,597, while households carry an even greater burden of £65,529. The United Kingdom’s collective interest payments on individual debts are projected to reach a staggering £67,313 million over the span of 12 months, averaging £184 million each day. Unsecured debt, amounting to £4,087 on average, contributes significantly to this national predicament. The article also sheds light on the primary factors leading to such high levels of debt, including unemployment, reduced income or benefits, and a lack of financial control. Delving further, it is evident that over 51% of UK adults have relied on consumer credit within the past year, underscoring the dependence on borrowed funds. Among specific demographics, young adults aged 18 to 34 face the greatest non-mortgage debt, averaging around £10,400. Additionally, men carry higher levels of personal financial debt compared to women, with an average of £2,800 and £1,800, respectively. Amidst these concerning figures, it becomes apparent that the average savings rate in the UK remains low, leaving many households with less than £1,500 in savings. Through this exploration, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the personal debt landscape in the UK.

  Definition of Personal Debt in the UK

Personal debt in the UK refers to the amount of money owed by individuals, encompassing various forms of debt such as credit card debt, mortgage debt, financing debt, and unsecured debt. It is a financial obligation that individuals incur, often as a result of borrowing money from lenders or financial institutions. These debts can accrue interest over time and can have significant implications for individuals’ financial well-being.

Types of personal debt

Credit card debt: Credit card debt is one of the most common forms of personal debt in the UK. It refers to the outstanding balances individuals have on their credit cards, which they are required to repay either in full or through monthly instalments. Credit card debt often incurs high interest rates, making it challenging for individuals to repay their debts efficiently.

Mortgage debt: Mortgage debt is another prevalent type of personal debt in the UK. It primarily pertains to the outstanding balance individuals owe on their mortgages. Mortgages are long-term loans taken out to finance the purchase of a property. The debt is repaid through monthly mortgage payments, which typically consist of both principal and interest.

Financing debt: Financing debt refers to debts that individuals incur when purchasing big-ticket items, such as vehicles, furniture, or appliances, through financing options such as hire purchase or personal loans. Financing debt allows individuals to spread the cost of their purchases over a specified period but often incurs interest charges.

Unsecured debt: Unsecured debt encompasses various forms of debt that are not secured against any specific asset, such as personal loans, payday loans, or overdrafts. Unlike secured debt, unsecured debt does not require collateral. However, unsecured debt often carries higher interest rates due to the increased risk associated with lending money without collateral.

Statistics on Personal Debt in the UK

Average personal debt in the UK (as of June 2023)

As of June 2023, the average personal debt in the UK stood at £34,597 for adults. This figure represents the average debt burden faced by individuals across different age groups, income levels, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, the average personal debt for UK households was £65,529 during the same period. These statistics indicate the significant financial obligations individuals and households face in the UK.

Average personal debt for adults

The average personal debt for adults in the UK is an essential indicator of the financial landscape and the debt burden individuals carry. With an average debt of £34,597, individuals may encounter challenges in meeting their financial obligations, repaying their debts, and achieving financial stability.

Average personal debt for households

The average personal debt for households provides a comprehensive picture of the overall debt burden families face in the UK. With an average debt of £65,529, households may face difficulties in managing their debts and balancing their budgets effectively. High levels of personal debt within households can lead to financial stress, strained relationships, and limited economic mobility.

Increase in personal debt since 2022

Personal debt in the UK has seen an increase of £1,187 since 2022. This rise in debt suggests that individuals and households are taking on additional financial obligations or struggling to repay their existing debts. The increase in personal debt highlights the need for effective financial management and debt repayment strategies to avoid further financial hardships.

Aggregate interest payments on individual debts

The United Kingdom’s aggregate interest payments on individual debts were projected to reach £67,313 million over a 12-month period. This staggering figure represents the accrued interest paid by individuals on their various debts, further adding to their overall financial burden. The substantial sums directed towards interest payments highlight the importance of understanding the terms and conditions of borrowing and the potential long-term implications.

Daily average interest payments on individual debts

On a daily basis, the United Kingdom sees an average interest payment of £184 million on individual debts. This figure illustrates the significant amount of money directed solely towards interest payments. The daily interest payments underscore the ongoing financial strain faced by individuals in managing their debts effectively and highlight the need for improved financial literacy and debt management practices.

Causes of Personal Debt in the UK

Personal debt in the UK can arise from various circumstances and factors. Understanding the causes of personal debt is crucial in addressing and mitigating these issues effectively.

Unemployment or redundancy

One of the primary causes of personal debt in the UK is unemployment or redundancy. When individuals lose their jobs or experience a reduction in income due to redundancy, they may struggle to meet their financial obligations, leading to increased reliance on credit cards or loans to cover essential expenses.

Diminished income or benefits

Diminished income or benefits can significantly impact individuals’ ability to manage their finances and repay their debts. Factors such as job loss, reduced working hours, or changes in government welfare policies can all contribute to a decrease in income or benefits. When individuals face a significant reduction in their financial resources, they may resort to borrowing to maintain their standard of living.

Lack of financial control

A lack of financial control is another significant factor contributing to personal debt in the UK. Poor budgeting skills, overspending, and a lack of financial discipline can result in individuals accumulating debt beyond their means. This lack of control can lead to a cycle of borrowing and indebtedness.

Unforeseen circumstances

Unforeseen circumstances, such as medical emergencies, accidents, or unexpected expenses, can also contribute to personal debt. When faced with unexpected financial burdens, individuals may turn to credit cards or loans to cover the costs. These unforeseen expenses can disrupt individuals’ financial stability and lead to long-term debt.

Consumer Credit Usage in the UK

Percentage of UK adults using consumer credit

Over 51% of UK adults have used consumer credit in the past year. This indicates a significant reliance on borrowed money to finance various purchases and expenses. The high percentage of adults utilizing consumer credit signifies the importance of accessible credit options in the UK.

Reliance on borrowed money

The reliance on borrowed money among UK adults highlights the challenges many individuals face in maintaining their desired standard of living. With rising living costs and stagnant wages, individuals may turn to credit cards, personal loans, or other forms of consumer credit to bridge the gap between income and expenses.

Types of consumer credit

Consumer credit encompasses various types of borrowing, including credit cards, personal loans, payday loans, store cards, and hire purchase agreements. These forms of credit allow individuals to finance purchases, manage cash flow, and cover immediate expenses. Understanding the different types of consumer credit is vital in making informed borrowing decisions and avoiding excessive debt.

    Non-mortgage Debt among Young Adults

High levels of non-mortgage debt among young adults (18-34 years old)

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 face the highest levels of non-mortgage debt in the UK. Factors such as student loans, credit card debt, and financing debt contribute to the financial burden faced by young adults. The high levels of non-mortgage debt among this age group highlight the challenges they encounter in establishing financial stability and planning for the future.

Average non-mortgage debt among young adults

The average non-mortgage debt among young adults in the UK is approximately £10,400. This significant amount of debt can impose long-term financial constraints, hinder savings growth, and limit young adults’ ability to achieve their financial goals. Addressing the issue of non-mortgage debt among young adults is essential for promoting financial well-being and economic mobility.

Gender Differences in Personal Debt

Men with personal financial debt

On average, men in the UK carry higher levels of personal financial debt compared to women. The average personal financial debt for men is £2,800, reflecting the additional financial obligations men often bear. Factors such as higher average incomes, different spending patterns, and financial decision-making contribute to the higher levels of personal financial debt among men.

Women with personal financial debt

Women in the UK also face personal financial debt, albeit at slightly lower levels compared to men. The average personal financial debt for women is £1,800. Gender-specific factors, including lower average incomes, unequal pay, and societal norms, contribute to the disparities in personal financial debt between men and women.

Average financial debt for men

The average financial debt for men in the UK is £2,800. This debt burden can have significant implications for men’s financial well-being, economic mobility, and overall financial stability. Understanding the average financial debt for men is crucial in addressing the unique challenges and opportunities they face in managing their debts and achieving financial security.

Average financial debt for women

Women in the UK face an average financial debt of £1,800. This lower average debt highlights the different financial circumstances women encounter and the challenges they face in managing their debts effectively. Addressing the average financial debt for women is vital in promoting financial equality, empowerment, and economic well-being.

    Low Savings Rate in the UK

Average savings rate in the UK

The average savings rate in the UK is low, with many households failing to maintain an adequate level of savings. On average, individuals save a small percentage of their income, leading to a lack of financial security and a limited cushion for unexpected expenses or emergencies. The low savings rate indicates the need for improved financial planning, budgeting, and savings habits.

Low savings rate among households

UK households, on average, have minimal savings, with many struggling to accumulate sufficient funds for future needs. This low savings rate can contribute to financial vulnerability and limited opportunities for households. Addressing the low savings rate among households is essential in promoting financial resilience, stability, and long-term financial well-being.

Amount of savings in UK households

Many UK households have less than £1,500 in savings, highlighting the limited financial resources available to confront unforeseen expenses, retire comfortably, or make significant investments. The low amount of savings further emphasizes the need for improved financial literacy, savings habits, and long-term financial planning.

Impact of Personal Debt on Mental Health

Link between personal debt and mental health

There is a significant link between personal debt and mental health. High levels of personal debt can contribute to increased stress, anxiety, and depression, impacting individuals’ overall mental well-being. Financial worries and the strain of managing debt can impose a heavy psychological toll on individuals, affecting their mental health and overall quality of life.

Effects of personal debt on mental well-being

Personal debt can have wide-ranging effects on an individual’s mental well-being. It can lead to feelings of hopelessness, a sense of being trapped, and constant worry about finances. These effects can disrupt personal relationships, work productivity, and overall life satisfaction. Managing the psychological impact of personal debt is crucial in promoting mental health and overall well-being.

Strategies for managing personal debt and mental health

Managing personal debt and promoting positive mental health requires individuals to adopt strategies that address both financial and psychological aspects. Seeking professional financial advice, creating realistic budgets, engaging in self-care activities, and accessing mental health support services can be beneficial in reducing the impact of personal debt on mental well-being. Implementing these strategies can help individuals regain a sense of control over their finances and improve their overall mental health.

Government Initiatives and Regulations

Efforts by the UK government to address personal debt

The UK government has implemented various initiatives to address personal debt and support individuals facing financial difficulties. These efforts include the provision of debt advice services, financial education programs, and debt management plans. The government aims to enhance individuals’ financial literacy, promote responsible borrowing, and provide support structures for those struggling with personal debt.

Regulations on lenders and credit providers

The UK government has also established regulations on lenders and credit providers to ensure responsible lending practices and protect individuals from predatory lending. These regulations include caps on interest rates, restrictions on advertising and marketing practices, and requirements for lenders to assess borrowers’ affordability. The aim is to create a fair and transparent lending environment that minimizes the risks associated with personal debt.

Debt counselling and support services

Debt counselling and support services play a vital role in helping individuals manage their personal debt and improve their financial well-being. These services provide professional guidance, debt management strategies, and emotional support to individuals struggling with debt. Debt counselling services aim to empower individuals, develop effective debt repayment plans, and restore financial stability.

Conclusion

Personal debt in the UK encompasses various forms of financial obligations that individuals incur, including credit card debt, mortgage debt, financing debt, and unsecured debt. The average personal debt for adults and households in the UK is significant, with an increase observed since 2022. Factors such as unemployment, diminished income, lack of financial control, and unforeseen circumstances contribute to personal debt. The reliance on consumer credit, especially among young adults, highlights the need for effective debt management practices and financial literacy. The gender differences in personal debt, low savings rate, and the impact of personal debt on mental health call for government initiatives, regulations, and the provision of debt counselling and support services. By addressing these issues and promoting responsible borrowing and financial management, individuals can strive towards achieving financial stability, reducing personal debt, and improving overall well-being.

[fvckwithmefamo]

Personal Debt in the UK: A Comprehensive Overview

In this comprehensive overview, you will explore the current landscape of personal debt in the UK. As of June 2023, the average personal debt for adults stands at £34,597, while households carry an even greater burden of £65,529. The United Kingdom’s collective interest payments on individual debts are projected to reach a staggering £67,313 million over the span of 12 months, averaging £184…

[chronicallyuniconic]

📢🗣️ In case anyone doesn't know, in the UK, warm home discount has changed & you have to ring 0800 107 8004 to apply for the £150 discount, instead of going via your supplier 📢🗣️

You will need your electricity account information available & you only have until the 28th February 2023.

Lines open 8am to 6pm.

✨Share to your low income friends & family so they can stay warm for the rest of the winter without having to worry about debt. We can do this together✨

[nando161mando]

Half of Americans say student loans aren't worth it

[vampiric-prometheus]

“I don't think they'll acquire the grail, but 'the real grail was the enemies to lovers arc we had along the way', am I right?”

Sometimes, I love looking back over my notes for my original stories just to laugh at my 1am shenanigans.

[vivwritesfics]

No Need To Ask

Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Hardest Thing Is Letting Go

The Norris' were a notorious crime family in the UK. One of many. With Norris, the head of the family, running operations with his son, Lando, they work to keep Y/N Norris, Norris' daughter protected. Life in a crime family wasn't something they wanted for her.

But with tension with one of the Spanish crime families rise, Norris and his now deceased wife come up with only one plan, offer their daughter to the Sainz's or risk an all out war.

1.9K words

Warnings: Funeral

guy's im still so sorry for this one, it's incredibly angsty - I promise I'll make things fluffier soon

Series Masterlist

"There was a time when I was afraid of the world. I was afraid of what was happening in my life and what it was becoming. I was afraid of the world we find ourselves being apart of."

Y/N had never addressed a room like this. Each and every mafia boss stared at her. Her own husband stared at her, with admiration in his eyes, Lando too. He was so proud of his little sister for doing something like this.

She shouldn't have to do it. The fact that she was standing in front of everybody to honour her best friend was astounding.

Tears were ready to fall, but Y/N wouldn't let them. She was going to be strong. For Oscar.

"There was one person who I could count on when I was this scared. He watched over me, kept me company and made me feel normal. There were times when I was breaking down and he'd play some music and get me to dance, taking my mind off of everything.

"That man was Oscar Jack Piastri."

She'd started writing this letter the moment that Carlos had gotten her back to Spain. It had started out as a letter to Oscar, with a lot more in it than she was willing to say in his funeral.

"Oscar wasn't a part of the Norris family," she continued. "In theory, we were never destined to meet. Every day since he first came into my life, I thank my lucky stars that we had him on loan from Webber."

Her hands shook as she turned the page.

"Without Oscar, I wouldn't be here today. He saved my life in so many ways. There was a time in my life, without him by my side, I would have ended it all."

The tears were free flowing now. Carlos stood from his seat and came to stand beside his wife, trying to gently coax her to sit down, but she wouldn't. She had a a speech to make.

She skipped over the next little section. That bit was for her and her only. "Oscar was the bravest of us all. He endured so much. He didn't have to be harsh or domineering to show just what power he had.

"But he was also kind and sweet." He was my soulmate, in the most platonic sense of the word.

Platonic, Y/N thought. But a small part of her was so sure, had circumstances been different, it would be Oscar she was in love with, Oscar who was holding her through the night. Even if they were still in with world of crime and mafia families, if Y/N didn't have to marry Carlos, she was sure she and Oscar would have been together.

She knew this before she got married, but she couldn't say anything. In another universe she would have loved Oscar.

"He saved my life more than once, and I will never be able to repay that debt," she said, wiping away the tears rolling down her cheeks. "He was the very best of us and our world will never be the same without him. Oscar-" But she stopped, just a second to compose himself. "Oscar..."

This time, when Carlos wrapped his arms around her, Y/N fell into him, crying against his chest. He held her for a moment, stroked her back and ran his fingers through her hair.

He moved Y/N behind him and addressed his fellow heads of family. "Oscar became a very dear friend of mine. Without him, I wouldn't have my beautiful wife standing by my side. To that, I say we raise our glasses-" Nobody had a glass in hand "-to a man we will sorely miss."

It was different to the funeral of Norris. The grief Y/N felt was different, harder to deal with.

After the funeral, Carlos took his wife home. They sat in the very back of the car as they were driven to the Webber plane hangar. Lando had organised food for everybody for after the funeral, but Y/N just couldn't be here. And Carlos knew it, too.

They sat beside each other on the jet, her head on Carlos's shoulder as she cried herself to sleep. Oscar was gone. The words still felt foreign to her.

It was incredibly long flight, with the couple stopping over in Malaysia. They had been the ones to take Oscar's body back to Australia, back to his family, to be buried. It meant a long trip for them, but they didn't care. After all that Oscar had done for them, this was the least they could do for him.

It was near a day later that they touched down in Spain. Their stay in Madrid had been short lived, just long enough to refuel the Spain. They should have stayed in Australia, the couple thought. But that was too painful.

Carlos drove them back to the house. He kept his hand on her leg as the radio played quietly, filling the space between them. They didn't have to speak; it wouldn't help anything for the time being.

"I wish he could have met baby Oscar," she whispered as they approached the gate in front of the house. She cradled her bump with one hand, the other on top of Carlos's.

Before the funeral, Carlos had insisted that they go to the hospital, for Y/N's first prenatal check up. They found out just how far along she was and the sex of the baby.

As soon as they found out they were having a boy, she knew they had to call him Oscar. Oscar Sainz, after the man that had saved his life. His middle name was chosen by his father. Pau, a Spanish name. OP Sainz. Their baby was OP Sainz.

Carlos drove through the gates when they opened and pulled into the garage. He opened the car door for Y/N and held her hand as they walked through the house. The house was different now, it felt colder somehow.

"I'm going to get us guard dogs," he said as they climbed the stairs.

Y/N nodded her head as she walked through the hall, heading towards the room that Carlos and Oscar had decorated for the baby. She hadn't seen it yet, just listened as Carlos told her about it to try and calm her down.

Her breath caught in her throat as she walked into the nursery. "You two did all of this?" She asked as she looked around the room, They had done everything, put up shelves and built the drawers and wardrobe. They'd painted the walls and set up the crib, including a little tee-pee tent full of cushions and blankets.

There was a blanket in the crib, one decorated with giraffes. Y/N picked it up and held it close to her chest as she looked around the room. Her husband and her best friend had done all of this for her baby. It was a living memory to Oscar, just like the baby would be.

"I'm thinking of painting his name on the door," said Carlos as Y/N turned towards him.

Y/N put the blanket back and fell against her husband, pressing her lips to his. "My wonderful husband," she whispered, her eyes closed as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly.

He took her hand and walked her out to the window. "Take a look," he said and she looked to where the golf course used to be.

Carlos had set up an entire play area for their child. If Y/N had the strength to cry, she would have. But she couldn't anymore, her body too exhausted.

"What would you like for dinner, mi corazon?" He asked, his finger trailing up her arm.

"I just want to sleep, Carlos," she croaked, exhausted.

That was fine, he'd let her sleep. Carlos followed her out of the nursery. He watched as Y/N turned left, heading back to her old room. That was right, he hadn't told her yet. "Querida, wait!" He called as he grabbed a hold of her arm. "This way."

Carlos led her into his bedroom, the bedroom they now shared. He'd moved all of her things in during those twelve weeks that he had been alone. He sat her on the bed and got her changed into her loosest and comfiest pyjamas. "Sleep, mi corazon. I'll have dinner for you ready when you take up," he said and pulled the sheets back.

Y/N climbed under it. She closed her eyes as Carlos kissed her forehead and left the room.

He spent the next few hours making his way through work. It was comforting, having things back to normal. Or, as normal as they could be. Most of the work he went through was sorting through his fathers affairs.

After three hours of working, there was a knock at the office door. He glanced up briefly and returned to his work. "Not now, madre," he muttered under his breath as he strode into the room.

"¿Y? ¿Ya no hablamos nuestra lengua materna?" She asked as she sat in the seat opposite him. (And? Don't we speak our native language anymore?)

Letting out a sigh, Carlos looked up from his work and placed his pen down. "Podemos hablar nuestra lengua materna, madre. ¿Qué te gustaría hablar?" (we can speak our mother tongue, mother. What would you like to talk about?)

"No hemos tenido una cena familiar desde que murió tu padre," she said, correcting her posture and sitting up straighter. (We haven't had a family dinner since your father died.)

Carlos shut his eyes for a moment. It was their first night back in the house since Y/N's kidnapping. "Por favor madre. No es una cena familiar a menos que mi esposa esté allí. Después de todo lo que él ha pasado, ella necesita tiempo." (please mother It's not a family dinner unless my wife is there. After everything he's been through, she needs time.)

He stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me," he began as he switched back to English. "I'm going to make my wife some dinner."

Carlos strode out of his office, leaving his mother where she was.

And he really did make Y/N dinner. He didn't ask the cooks to do it, he got stuck in and made her something to eat. It was surprising, just how good of a cook Carlos was. It was also surprising how much he enjoyed it.

He made her dinner, along with a side of buttered toast, just in case she didn't want what he made her. He walked it up to the bedroom and placed it on the dresser as he gently woke her up. He whispered her name and shook her shoulder gently. "Wake my, mi amor. I made you dinner."

Y/N opened her eyes. It was clear from the way she stared at him, eyes wide, that her sleep hadn't been peaceful. Carlos placed the plates in front of her as she sat her. "Here, querida," he said and pulled the cutlery from his pocket.

She dug into her dinner, eating it all (including the toast). "My wonderful husband," she said as he placed the plates back onto the dresser.

Carlos climbed onto the bed and sat himself beside her. He grabbed a hold of her and pulled her onto his lap. "I love you," he whispered, his forehead pressed against hers. "My beautiful wife. I'm never going to let you go."

She grabbed his cheeks and lifted his mouth to hers.

Taglist (CLOSED): @multi-universe21 @formulas-bitch @gills-lounge @weasleyswizarding-wheezes @carlossainzwho @f1lov3r @samaib11 @charli123456789 @queenofmanydreams @ironmaiden1313 @vellicora @glitterf1 @80sloverry @lightdragonrayne @moonayu @bellsalabanccini @topguncultleader @handsupforamiracle @cmleitora @jenniferrvsesi @barcelonaloverf1life @sbella13 @nicolettecallednikki @darleneslane @thehufflepuffavenger1 @champagneproblems17 @aespie @yukheizcigarettes @rewmuslupin @hollie911 @ashy-kit @ririgy @stqrgir1 @zaynzierulez @minkyungseokie @rafaaoli @carolinesainz @ashies-ln4op81aa22 @measimp @mizelophsun11 @eviethetheatrefreak @andydrysdalerogers @formulaal @graciewrote @biancathecool @evans-dejong @sparklyperfectionstranger @venusesworld @goldenharrysworld @cassie0sstuff @gracielukey @watermelonworries @celesteblack08 @shobaes @chonkybonky

[sgiandubh]

'Business talk'

This gem...

... triggered this reaction:

That was exactly The Fascist's point, but it would seem The Fascist has never ran a lemonade stand in her entire life, either.

How about this easy to comprehend explanation?

S is the investor - he put his own money in that project. He could have went for the easy white label solution, but he clearly wanted to make it a personal journey of discovery, too. Then he helps with promotion (it is a personal journey of discovery, after all), something he went a bit overboard with on his socials, IMHO. On which planet would BTS work be up to him, too?

Ever since Ashley stepped in, I definitely feel there is less amateurish improv and way more balance, in that department. Plus she works hard and brought all her professional network onboard - just look at the SS Spirits Instagram account, lately and the difference is plain to see. Alex looks like a wannabe, compared with the steel butterfly blonde - she definitely knows what she is doing, there. All the right things, at the right time. Witty puns on top - you go, girl, I am rooting hard for you and I am not the only one:

And then, you have this particular type of twat, with this particular type of comment:

'Go into debt'? For a bottle of booze (even as a repeat buy)?

Oh come on, do they really think we are all imbeciles, or what?

The genius who wrote that has no idea about what a really expensive whisky retail price is, nowadays. And I am talking retail price, not auction results:

[Source: Masters of Malt website - https://www.masterofmalt.com/guides/whisky-guides/a-guide-to-expensive-whisky/]

Taking Waitrose as reference for a (posh) weekly shopping experience, The Sassenach whisky is priced on par with their most expensive available brands online - that is true:

However, all of the above are single malt bottles. For blends, such as The Sassenach, their best fetch halved prices:

But going into debt? Wow. That is a stretch, for a product that is not even that easy to source, outside of the US and the UK.

That woman clearly has a very low opinion of the fandom she claims to be a part of.

It would seem they are also stupid on Fridays, for some reason. I am impressed by the consistency.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Hi everyone,

I got an inbox asking to share some tips for financing when you’re autistic. I found a helpful guid from the National Autistic Society:

Budgeting

The first step to managing your money is to work out a budget and stick to it. Budgeting will help you:

* keep track of what you are spending

* help you to avoid going overdrawn on your bank account by spending money that you don't have

* decide whether you can afford to buy something that you would like

* deal with debt by planning repayments that you can manage

* work out how much money you may have to save. 

Bank, building society or post office accounts

Most people now have one of these types of account. The benefits of these are: 

* it will keep your money safe

* you can pay bills more simply by direct debits or standing orders

* internet banking is now widely available. This reduces the need to visit banks and other services that autistic people may find difficult

* benefit payments can only be paid into an account

* you can have a debit card, making it easier to pay for purchases and you can shop online 

* you may be able to earn interest on the money you have

* you can pay bills by direct debit or standing order, which are sometimes rewarded by a reduction in what you pay for services

* you can use your cashpoint card to access money easily from cash machines in the UK and sometimes abroad

* your bank or building society may be able to give you an overdraft or loan.

Debit, credit and store cards

There are a number of different cards that you can use to make a payment. These include:

* cashpoint and debit cards

* credit cards

* store cards.

Borrowing money, making payments and debt

It's easy to think of a loan or overdraft as free money, but it’s actually expensive as you have to pay back the original amount plus interest. Try to only borrow money when you need to and repay it as soon as you can. There are many ways of borrowing money, including:

* borrowing money from family or friends

* having an overdraft

* taking out a personal loan or secured loan

* applying for a credit card.

The full article will be below, as it goes into more detail. I hope this helps many of you.

National Autistic Society

[thequeefdealer]

Please share this to help a queer disabled person pay their bills

Hi, I'm Alura. I'm disabled. transmasc/nonbinary, and I really need your help. I am struggling with multiple bills that I'm now in debt for after just finishing uni, moving house, only being on part time hours, and being in limbo between a job that would actually allow me to pay for my utilities.

Sadly, I have no financial support from my family because they are all in the same position financially and paying for two funerals because 2 of my nans died within three days of each other. I will also be using a small chunk of the money raised to make it to their funerals, which are both very large trips across the country.

I just need this money to get me they'd the next 2 months, living in the very center of the second most expensive city in the UK is a challenge but if I can make it until my new job ill be safe

Please if you can, either donate, or reblog this and tag other blogs who may help.

The money will be split over rent and bills for 2 months. It won't cover them entirely, but it'll be enough with my pay time job to get by.

I would never do this if it wasn't extremely nessasary. Thank you so so much

https://gofund.me/59e1c398

[16-pennies]

a personal update

I don't usually share much about myself on this blog, but it seems that writing Silver has changed the trajectory of my life in a way I never foresaw and it feels appropriate to mark that here somehow.

read more because this ended up longer than I intended but

tl;dr I got a visa to move across an ocean and live with one of my readers

In November of last year, while in the throes of finishing my longest story ever, I got a kind ask from @starsoforionwrites. Without going into it too much, I did not have much going for me at the time. I'd just quit my master's degree after only a semester, had to move back in with my parents, couldn't get a job, etc. I wasn't doing well.

But then I got this friendly message! And as I was sitting there at my local cafe, trying to escape my chaotic family and wracking up more credit card debt paying for a chai I couldn't afford, I decided to reach out.

So we started chatting. At first it was about fandom and our stories, but fragments of real life began to slip in. And starsoforion is just so much fun to talk to. I started looking forward to the time of day when they would finish work and we could talk, staying up until ridiculous hours because we just didn't want to stop. Learning morsels of information about who they are, piecing together all the bits and pieces into this person I liked so much.

By mid-December, we'd gone from joking about meeting to buying airfares. I finally got to hug them for the first time at the international arrivals door at the airport at the end of January.

We spent a wonderful 10 days together and by the end of it, we decided we were going to try to be together.

Which, as far as immigration goes, is (thankfully and surprisingly!) not terribly difficult for us, given our particular combination of citizenships and residencies.

So I doubled down and got a job to start saving as we made plans for our future. After six months apart working hard, we saw each other again, this time with me visiting them just to make sure I could see myself living in the UK before I dropped money on the visa application.

And then... everything's worked out. I got the visa. I'm in the midst of packing up my things and leaving my job to move overseas before the end of the year.

I can't believe how writing fanfiction has brought this special person into my life and given me this incredible opportunity, or how different my future looks from just one year ago. I'm doing so well, I'm so proud of myself, and so happy.

so there you go, kids. follow your dreams. comment on your fav fics. date the authors! who knows what could happen 💕

p.s

if you're interested in the logistical/immigration side of this story, I have been blogging about it at @bels-adventures

[galadriel1010]

Another day, another debt help advert on Tumblr. Don't do it.

If you're in the UK, you can go to StepChange or Money Advice Trust for free debt advice online or over the phone, Citizens Advice Bureau if you have other challenges piling on top of your debt, or Christians Against Poverty if you are comfortable going to them.

Some debt relief options have a fee, many do not. What you need to do is go through your finances and work out your income and expenditure. Track it over the last few months if you can and then do a debt advice session online, over the phone or in-person, depending on your needs. Set yourself aside as much time to do it as you can so you aren't rushed as well as stressed. Do not be afraid to pick up the phone or use the text chat if you need support, the staff are there to help.

Don't leave it to the last minute. Do it now, even if you don't think you need it. People often don't reach out for support until they are in crisis, by which point they have fewer options. The earlier you ask for help, the more you can be helped.

Do a benefits check on Policy on Practice or Turn2Us to make sure you're claiming all benefits you're entitled to, too.

[qqueenofhades]

Do you have any idea where all the money in education IS going? People talk about administrators, but their percentage of the overall budget seems lowish? Facilities are expensive, but often paid for with bequests, no? Where the hell is all the money going?

The same place it's going in every other capitalistic American enterprise: to senior executives, endowments, and other places that decidedly do not "trickle down" (because you know, it never does). See my many previous posts about how college costs skyrocketed starting in the 1980s and post-secondary higher education was transformed from something in which most of the costs were governmentally subsidized to something expected to be paid (at higher and higher levels) either privately out of the consumer's pocket or from thousands of dollars in student loans. Because you guessed it, Reaganomics.

I can tell you one place it absolutely is NOT going, i.e. salaries of faculty and staff, at least in the less capitalistically sexy fields of study. The university where I work never hurts for money in the business and law schools, but because I am in the humanities/education/history, yeah, our department's budget is not in great shape. Of course, yes, COVID hit the higher-education sector like crazy (as it did everywhere else) and universities haven't figured how to recover from that, but just as with the rest of America, it's a model that is designed to funnel the vast majority of profits, i.e. from skyrocketing student tuition rates and other increased fees, to the highly compensated senior leadership and very little to the academics who do the work that makes the place, you know, RUN.

This is a bugaboo for both me and every other academic I know, because (again, just as with the rest of capitalism) it doesn't HAVE to be this way. I shouldn't be trying to manage a department that has to rely heavily on adjunct faculty every quarter and doesn't have a sustainable long-term scheduling or research model, because we're so badly understaffed with core tenure-track faculty and they won't let us hire any more, while constantly cutting our budget and giving us laughable raises (mine, after getting sterling performance reviews across the board, was a whole... 72 extra cents an hour. I wish I was joking). There is money tied up in the institution and the establishment (and as noted, I work at a well-regarded and highly-ranked private university, so it's not a matter of not having enough), but the system distributes it in a way that is inequitable and results in enforced scarcity, especially in the humanities. It's not that there isn't money to pay us fairly, it's just that they have chosen not to, because they exist in the same capitalist system as the rest of the west.

This is why there have been strikes by graduate and early-career academics in both the UK and US (I have worked/studied/taught in both places, and they're both BAD for paying lower-level academics and even established-career academics), because they simply do not pay us enough to live on or build a career on (by a long shot, ESPECIALLY if you're the only person in your household and don't have shared expenses with a partner/roommate/several roommates). This is after most of us have several advanced degrees and the debt resulting from such. We get burned out, we can't make a living in this field, we leave, and it's hollowed out even further. So. Yeah.

[hyperpotamianarch]

Well, I can hardly believe I chose this to be my fourth original post, but meh, who cares. Anyway, random note about Howell Jenkins!

Firstly, I'm talking about book Howl, which is why I spelled it Howell - this is his original name, he changed it in Ingary to sound more impressive. He's actually from Wales, which honestly means little to me as someone who never set foot in Britain, but I think I get the general gist of it.

Many things can be said of Howl. He's not really a noble and gentle, if slightly narcissistic, person as you might think after watching the movie. He's mostly a selfish coward, likes to woo ladies but seemingly afraid of commitment, is very bad with money, and... Umm... Yeah, there are other posts that do a better job than I am in characterizing Howl. That's not what I'm here to talk about. Suffice it to say that he's somehow likable in spite of all these flaws.

What I am here to talk about, however, is two common misconceptions about Howl that are somewhat related to the flaws listed above: one is that Howl is running away from student debt and didn't finish his doctorate, and the other is that he invented the titular Moving Castle to evade taxes. While those actions are indeed in character for Howl, they are both contradicted by the book itself (to a degree).

To start with the first one: Howell only talks about his thesis once in the book - when explaining to miss Angorian, an English teacher, why he has a magic spell. Book readers likely know who I'm talking about, and for non book readers, I'm afraid I'll leave the rest of the context to your imagination. Either way, Howell tells miss Angorian that she may have heard that he wrote his doctoral thesis on charms and spells. Notice, "wrote". As in past tense.

To be fair, that doesn't necessarily mean he finished his doctorate. As a matter of fact, it could be a rumor he started in order to explain away why he had spell books. It certainly won't be the first rumor Howl started for his own convenience. But if it tells us anything about him having a doctorate, it tells us he finished it. I don't know much about student loans in UK during the 80's, so that isn't a point I can say anything about, but I am given to understand it was less of a problem.

So, did Howl run away from his doctorate to the magical land if Ingary? No, he didn't. He actually kind of fulfilled every nerd's dream of both doing what he likes most and using it to write his doctoral thesis, killing two birds with one stone. To be honest, what I still don't get is why he kept contact with his old world. I mean, Suliman seems to have cut ties - we never hear of him going back. But Howl, even if we didn't see him use the black door as much at first, seems to keep some contact with his sister and her family, keep a car etc. He might only visit rarely, but he still does.

Anyway, for the second misconception I decided to bring in the big guns: a direct book quote about why the moving castle. Not all quotes on the topic, though, because I'm lazy. Anyway, look here:

This is in chapter four of HMC. It's revealed later in the book that the "someone very powerful" is actually the Witch of the Waste. So, the Moving Castle is there to show everyone what a Horrible and Powerful Wizard Howl is. Also, to avoid attention from the Witch of the Waste.

Sophie herself, in the next paragraph, questions the usefulness of such a tactic. I think it might actually be an explanation of why Howl decided the Castle had to be moving - maybe it's harder to magically detect that way, I don't know. Either way, it's not to avoid taxes - especially considering the fact Howl has an address in Kingsbury, the capital of Ingary, and that this address is known to the local authorities.

I would also like to prematurely dispell an almost plausible headcanon: Sophie's hat-sewing causes so much of the plot, after all. So you might be tempted, when reading that she told a hat that someone should set Howl and the Witch up together, to think that she's responsible for that as well. However, considering the quote presented above, it appears that Howl and the Witch dated before Howl created the Moving Castle, which was the inciting incident for Sophie hearing about him. Thus, Sophie is not guilty whatsoever of getting Howl and the Witch together - just of being oddly on point.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

[justforbooks]

Edna O’Brien

Novelist who scandalised her native Ireland with The Country Girls, and explored the lives of women who love and suffer

Before Edna O’Brien, Irish female writers tended to come from the preserve of the “big house” or enjoyed the kind of privilege that made a life of writing possible. And by and large, their books dealt with genteel themes and conformed to recognisable genres and narrative forms.

When O’Brien’s first novel, The Country Girls, was published in 1960, all that changed. As her friend and peer Philip Roth remarked: “While Joyce, in Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist, was the first Irish Catholic to make his experience and surroundings recognisable, ‘the world of Nora Barnacle’ had to wait for the fiction of Edna O’Brien.”

Written in exile in London, The Country Girls brought O’Brien, who has died aged 93, to international attention.

The reception in Ireland was largely hostile due to the book’s frank portrayal of female sexuality and desire. It was denounced as a “slur on Irish womanhood” and banned, as were several subsequent books. The notoriety established an enduring public persona – the glamorous and worldly, convent-educated libertine – which sometimes worked to the detriment of O’Brien’s reputation as a serious and committed writer. For decades, her name operated as a byword for transgression and subversion, particularly for women.

In addition to more than two dozen novels and short story collections, O’Brien produced numerous plays, a couple of memoirs, children’s books and a collection of poems. The largely first person, linear narratives of her early novels evolved into a consciously experimental style in the 1970s and 80s. A Pagan Place (1970) is written in the second person singular: Night (1972) is a single sustained monologue.

The debt to Joyce, whom O’Brien revered and was able to quote at length from memory, was obvious. Like Joyce, she understood how the cadences, rhythms and syntax of English as it is spoken in Ireland could be used to liberate narrative from its empirical impulse and, among other things, give voice to female subjectivity. But her themes were entirely her own.

In 1983, the writer and journalist Nuala O’Faolain wrote: “Edna O’Brien is not a writer within a conscious literature. She owes nothing to any predecessor or to any tradition. She is a writer with one theme, women who love and suffer.”

From the 90s onwards, O’Brien consciously expanded her range in a quartet of books that dealt with the massive social, political and economic changes that were sweeping through Ireland, themes largely ignored by other Irish writers.

The first of these, House of Splendid Isolation (1994), dealt with the Troubles via the relationship between a fugitive Republican, McGreevy (based on the Republican paramilitary Dominic McGlinchey, whom she interviewed at Portlaoise prison), and an elderly woman, Josie, whom he takes hostage. In the same year, she interviewed Gerry Adams for the New York Times and in 1995 published an open letter in the Independent calling on the then leader of the Labour party, Tony Blair, to open up a dialogue with Republicans.

In Ireland and England, O’Brien’s involvement in political activity and her perceived sympathy for the Republican movement led to widespread criticism – in the Guardian she was described by Edward Pearce as “the Barbara Cartland of long-distance republicanism”. By insisting that dialogue is the necessary first step of any conflict resolution, O’Brien did no more than anticipate the zeitgeist.

In subsequent books, O’Brien fictionalised divisive events that an increasingly prosperous Ireland would sooner have ignored. The real story of a 14-year-old rape victim who had been stopped, by law, from leaving Ireland for an abortion became Down By the River (1996). Generally speaking, these books were poorly reviewed in the UK and Ireland. Many of O’Brien’s severest critics were the same people who found her intervention in politics offensive and she was routinely accused of being out of touch with modern Ireland.

Her 2002 book, In the Forest, was based on a notorious triple murder in County Clare. O’Brien’s fictional killer, O’Kane, descends into madness and violence via a life of exclusion and abuse. Writing about the novel in the Irish Times, Fintan O’Toole painted the actual events as beyond human comprehension while at the same time excoriating O’Brien: “...(the events) did not and do not have a public meaning... there is simply no artistic need for so close an intrusion into other people’s grief.”

There is an irony here: the Ireland that had been scandalised by the antics of Baba and Kate in The Country Girls was still unable to confront the ugly underbelly of a society in which poverty, the degradation of women, violence and routine abuse had been endemic for decades.

There is an urgent, heightened quality to these books – their narratives strain as they shuttle back and forth across space and time. Chapters are routinely no more than two pages long, staccato dialogue sits cheek by jowl with descriptive passages of extraordinary vividness and terseness. Reviewing O’Brien’s The Little Red Chairs (2016) in the New Yorker, James Wood described her late style as one that “mixes and reinvents inherited forms, blithely shifts from third-person to first-person narration, reproduces dreams and dramatic monologues”.

O’Brien put this style to great use in her biography of James Joyce (1999). It is still by far the best short introduction to the writer, his works and life. Such was O’Brien’s ability to weave her own words in and around those of Joyce that when the manuscript was submitted to the prickly Joyce estate for approval no changes or deletions were requested.

The daughter of Lena (nee Cleary) and Michael O’Brien, Edna was born in the village of Tuamgraney, County Clare, into a newly independent Ireland where church and state conspired to control all aspects of women’s lives and bodies. Her family had the trappings of wealth – they lived in a large house with a gate lodge, kept horses and employed farm workers – but money was scarce.

Her father’s unsuccessful horse breeding, gambling and alcoholism maintained a constant level of tension in the house, which often erupted into violence. Her mother’s love for her bordered on the obsessional – Edna was the youngest by five years of four children. Decades later, Lena’s frequent letters to her exiled daughter in London, many of which admonished Edna for her writing and lifestyle, ended with the hope that they would be buried together.

O’Brien claimed that the only books in her childhood home were bloodstock manuals and the Bible, and she often made reference to her mother’s visceral fear of writing. Her turbulent childhood remained a constant touchstone in her fiction, as did the landscape of County Clare. She was educated at the Convent of Mercy in Loughrea, where she excelled at the sciences – her English teacher found her assignments “too exuberant” – and she enrolled in a pharmaceutical college in Dublin, working part-time in a chemist shop.

She met the Irish-Czech writer Ernest Gébler, eloped with him and subsequently married him, against her parents’ wishes, in the summer of 1954. In 1960, the couple and their two sons, Carlo and Sasha, moved to London, where O’Brien was engaged by the publishers Hutchinson to undertake manuscript reports. Iain Hamilton, who ran Hutchinson, was sufficiently impressed with her efforts that he and Blanche Knopf advanced £25 each to get her to write a novel. The Country Girls was written in three weeks.

O’Brien’s success led to strain on her marriage with Gébler and it broke down in 1966. As with her childhood, it provided a rich seam for her writing. She engaged in a successful three-year custody battle for her sons – she had walked out in the middle of cooking dinner one evening – and this included making an undertaking before a court that she would never let her sons see her 1965 novel, August Is a Wicked Month. The acrimony with Gébler continued – he claimed that he had largely written her early books.

Not since Oscar Wilde had an Irish émigré in London lived such a flamboyant life. O’Brien moved in an international celebrity set and spent extended periods in the US, where she enjoyed a large following. Her friends included Jane Fonda, Jackie Kennedy, Samuel Beckett, Mick Jagger, Francis Bacon, Ted Hughes, Princess Margaret, Ian McKellen and Harold Pinter. In 1972, she was described in the Longford report on pornography as a “purveyor of insidiously pornographic and perverted views on sex”. She took LSD with RD Laing, a disastrous experiment that unhinged her mind for a year. She was a regular at the White House St Patrick’s Day party, and posed for Bill Brandt and David Hockney.

Although O’Brien’s professional career coincided with feminism, she had an awkward relationship with the movement. Her independence provided an early example for those seeking greater equality with men, but many were uncomfortable with the concentration on love in her early books and the fact that many of her female characters could be characterised as victims.

O’Brien was routinely referred to as “the Irish Colette”. It was difficult to square a statement such as “I am obsessed by love, by the need of it and the near impossibility of it …” with the impulse in early feminism for independence and activism. But, while O’Brien’s female protagonists might not provide ready standard-bearers, that was never really her project.

The fine short story The Love Object (1968) perhaps offers a deeper insight into her real motivation. An impassioned affair between a television announcer, Martha, and a “famous”, happily married, lawyer ends badly and Martha reaches suicidal depths. As she slowly, gradually recovers from the affair she finds herself falling in love with the memory of the lover more deeply than ever she had been while he was available to her. The story ends with these lines: “I suppose you wonder why I torment myself like this with details of his presence but I need it, I cannot let go of him now, because if I did, all our happiness and my subsequent pain – I cannot vouch for his – will all have been nothing, and nothing is a dreadful thing to hang on to.” More Proust than Colette.

Casual sexism is commonplace in writing about female writers and O’Brien suffered more than most in this regard. Profiles and reviews of her books concentrated on her looks, her poetic manner of speaking, her accent, speculation about lovers, often at the expense of her writing.

It is hard to imagine Seamus Heaney, John Banville or Colm Tóibín being written about in this way. As she wryly commented: “It’s assumed that in order to be a serious writer, you have to look like the back of a bus.” Because she was regarded as a scandalous woman, it was assumed that all of her female characters were thinly disguised autobiography.

This charge simultaneously relegates autobiographical writing to a secondary category and implies that women’s experience is unworthy of “serious” literature. O’Brien is on record as saying: “Whether a novel is autobiographical or not does not matter. What is important is the truth in it and the way that truth is expressed.”

Although the final decade of O’Brien’s life was marred with ill-health, she continued to write. At the same time, the critical response to her work (and appreciation of her career) underwent a significant shift. It is perhaps ironic that the wholly positive reception of writers such as Eimear McBride, Anne Enright and Anna Burns, all of whom owe a significant debt to O’Brien, created an atmosphere in which the older writer could be reassessed. In Ireland, she was given the title Saoi, the highest honour of the Aosdána, in 2015. In 2018 she was made an honorary dame and in 2021 a commander of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Her late novels continued to explore familiar territory – the control of women and their bodies, the treacherous and all pervasive workings of patriarchy, the impossibility of love, the violation of innocence, exile and abandonment – but with a renewed vigour and urgency.

She was drawn to ever more horrific material, and the writing style became sparer and sharper. Reviewing Girl (2019), O’Brien’s reimagining of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram jihadists in 2014, in the Guardian, Alex Clark wrote, “There is the blend of economy and lyricism, vignettes tumbling over one another to disorient and energise the reader. There is the intense focus on the emotional lives of women on the sharp end of mental and physical incarceration or constraint, broadening out to sketch in the patriarchal and theocratic structures that hold them there.”

The theme of exile is as old as writing itself. For many Irish writers, it seems to be a prerequisite but for O’Brien it had a particularity that transcended her physical separation from Ireland. From an early age, she perceived her own femininity as a form of exile. She fervently believed that true art could only be produced out of pain, rupture and displacement.

In 1976, in her semi-autobiographical Mother Ireland, she wrote: “I live out of Ireland because something in me warns me that I might stop if I lived there, that I might cease to feel what it has meant to have such a heritage, might grow placid when in fact I want yet again and for indefinable reasons to trace that same route, that trenchant childhood route, in the hope of finding some clue that will, or would, or could, make possible the leap that would restore one to one’s original place and state of consciousness, to the radical innocence of the moment just before birth.”

O’Brien is survived by her sons.

🔔 Josephine Edna O’Brien, writer, born 15 December 1930; died 27 July 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

Hi

Not OFMD specific but might be of interest

(copied without permission given to reproduce)

Found in Private Eye 16-29th Feb

Warner Gloss:

Labour's business charm offensive continued last week, as Keir Starmer proudly posted that he had met with David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, aiming to "work in partnership with the creative industries to drive growth".

Named by the New York Times as the man who "blew up Hollywood", Zaslav in fact seems to be doing everything he can to prevent growth in the industry. Having merged hi cable TV company, Discovery with entertainment conglomerate Warner Bros in 2022, Zaslav took on $56bn in debt and enacted cost cuts of £3bn.

To achieve this he set about binning TV shows and films that had already been completed in order to claim large tax write-offs - most notoriously superhero caper Batgirl - and removing shows from streaming services to avoid paying residuals fees.

In a move that might have had more appeal for St

armer, Zaslov also hired Chris Licht as CEO of CNN in 2022 to make the news service more appealing to conservative viewers - but then fired him within a year after ratings hit rock bottom. Under Zaslav's watch, the stock price of Warner Bros Discovery Inc has fallen by nearly 60% - probably not quite the growth Starmer would hope to discover!

END

Firstly thank you for your round-ups, much appreciated!

"make the new service more appealing to conservative viewers" Why am I not surprised.....

Secondly I am disturbed that the possible future leader of the UK or his advisors didn't do more investigating before agreeing to or asking for this meeting, very disappointing.

Thirdly "removing shows from streaming services to avoid paying residuals fees" Should we be concerned by this for series 1 and 2?

best wishes

Susannah

Hey omg I'm like 3 days behind on messages/replies/asks I'm sorry! This weekend was crazy! Hi Susannah!

Oh interesting! I've never read Private Eye, I'll go check them out now! Oh darn- looks like a paywall, thank you for pasting the text! (And no problem about the recaps! Thanks so much for reading them!)

To address your second point: I wish I knew more about Keir Starmer! I'm in the US so I only know tangentially about him. You would think someone would have vetted the situation a bit more though (although you know Zaslav has been a bit of a sneaky little fucker about everything until he was outed more recently). Sorry I don't have much to say on that point!

To address your third point:

Yeahhhhhh, my hope is that it won't affect OFMD too much because it's a bit more of it's own thing (and not a WB proprety like the Coyote movie). I think they could actually make money selling S1 and S2 as opposed to loss since there's such a demand for it, so personally I don't think it's going to be much of an issue, but I have no real authority or reason to believe that except common sense (which we all know hollywood doesn't always have).

@fuckyeahisawthat had a good take though, it's kind of anything goes unfortunately.

I have faith though... because like a lot of my tumblr colleagues have said, David Jenkins would have probably told us by now if in fact, there was literally no hope. He's been pretty good about putting out hints and letting us know where to focus our efforts, and as of yet he hasn't flat out said "Thanks anyway guys, but its not going to happen.

That in itself gives me hope for s1, s2 and s3.

Anyway, thanks for the write in Susannah! I'm really sorry again it took me so long to answer, and then I doubt I gave you anything of real substance @_@. I hope you're having a lovely day, and would love to chat more!

Take care, sending love!

Abby

[ptseti]

WHY BLACK AMERICANS SHOULD REJECT U.S. IDENTITY

Many people ask us what our solution is if we support neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump. The answer is simple: we believe that Pan-Africanism, Africa’s total liberation and unification, will free all African people everywhere. In this video, Pan-African organiser Onyesonwu Chatoyer of @aaprpinternational and @hoodcommunist breaks down why she, as an African living in America, rejects US identity and directs all her energies towards liberation on the African continent.

Rather than placing our fate and our destiny in the hands of the US empire, which has done nothing but oppress us for the past 500 years, we encourage our viewers to align themselves with the future of the African continent. As the great Pan-Africanist Kwame Ture once explained, “Until Africa is free, no African anywhere in the world will ever be free or respected.” This is also to say that once the African continent is free and unified, Africans across the world, whether in the United States, the UK, Brazil, or elsewhere, will have a safe and prosperous continent to return to. And perhaps not everyone will choose to return home. Either way, Africans living anywhere in the world will be ensured their basic safety and security because a liberated Africa will have the international power necessary to guarantee the protection of Africans everywhere. If a person of African heritage is gunned down and killed on the streets of New York or Rio de Janeiro, a unified Pan-African state can intervene and demand answers, and if answers are not sufficient, recall ambassadors or even refuse to trade with countries where Africans are mistreated.

That’s why we should think very carefully about potentially supporting Democrat or Republican politicians whose policies go towards the destruction of Africa: the drone bombing of African countries, the expansion of the US military across Africa, the sanctioning of African countries, shady business deals, the entrapment of Africa via World Bank debt.

Have a listen to our sister and let us know your views on what she says in the comments.

Video credit: @Black Liberation Media