On air at 17&18GMT: Is there anything we can do about the cost of living?
|
Monday, 5 May 2011
|18:00 - 19:00 GMT
Thousand of protesters have been camped in Madrid for the past week demonstrating about the government's failure to solve Spain's ongoing economic problems.
Carlos in Madrid, told the 大象传媒
We are not just asking for jobs. We are asking for a change in the political system. We have no option but to vote for the two biggest parties in Spain, who are more or less the same. They are unable to solve any problem, it is just a nest of corruption. We are tired. In short, we want a working democracy. We want a change.
In Uganda, there are plans today asking for people to honk their car horns in protest at the rising cost of living there. This follows the walk to work movement which has been going on since April.
Last week saw more protests in Greece over the ongoing austerity measures.
The uprisings across the Arab world has the cost of food and high unemployment at their heart. This article considers how important a factor they were.
It is entirely possible that the Arab Spring might have happened this year in spite of rather than because of the spike in food prices. But, the context in which the Arab Spring did take place is not inconsequential and should not be lost on policy makers. It certainly needs to be part of the narrative, if not high on the agenda of the G20.
This article by Lester R. Brown talks about the implications of rising living costs, particularly the price of food.
The food crisis of 2011 is for real, and...it may bring with it yet more bread riots cum political revolutions. What if the upheavals that greeted dictators Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, and Muammar al-Qaddafi in Libya (a country that imports 90 percent of its grain) are not the end of the story, but the beginning of it? Get ready, farmers and foreign ministers alike, for a new era in which world food scarcity increasingly shapes global politics.
We know that the cost of living is something which affects all of you so we're really interested to hear your stories on what differences you have noticed. And we'll be talking to people in different parts of the world to hear what they would like to change.
Is there anything we can do about the cost of living or is it an inevitability that prices will rise?
Your comments
Comment sent via Facebook
18:58
113631290
<p>
Attah in Nigeria: I withdrew 5thousand naira for the week, 1k went on fuel for my gen,2k on fuel for my car, 2k on foodstuffs and puff the money is all gone. it wasn't this bad a year ago. But who do we blame?</p>
Comment sent via SMS
18:56
117673751
Thank u for this program..this made my mind harder to cut unnecessary expenses I was making throughout ths days
Burhan
kuwait
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:56
117870532
@大象传媒_WHYS as of today, I have to spend over 40% of my paycheck for food and 55% on gas.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:56
117929338
@大象传媒_WHYS I can live! But it's not for long.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:56
117929337
@大象传媒_WHYS about 10% only
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:56
113631290
<p>
Smart One in Antigua posted on Caribarena.com: we are the laughing stock of the region. We use to have the highest per capita income. We use to have highest human development index. We use to be best and have the strongest economy. We use to have the best cricketers. We need to bring back those glorious days and don't take comfort with the fact that others are worst off.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23129
18:55
113631290
<p>
Freddy posted on Foreign Policy.com: It's a bleak situation when things are so bad in your own country. Just how awful it must be in these under-developed countries goodness only knows.</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
18:53
113631290
<p>
Riko posts: Sure, your guest talks about improvements over 200 years. That's 10 generations. What about over the course of one or two generations, the only numbers that matter to people now alive?</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:53
117929289
@大象传媒_WHYS the world's prosperity and population blip in the past 100 years came with fossil fuel and will end with it's end in 30-50 yrs
Comment sent via Facebook
18:51
113631290
<p>
James in Arkansas says: Why do prices for such things as gas and food commodities go up based on market prices today for a product that will not be paid for or delivered for three or more months in future.? Can't we stop distributors from raising prices until they actually receive and pay for it?</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
18:48
113631290
<p>
Lazaros in the UK posts: Saying that it is just the governments fault for the current crisis is hugely simplistic. The crisis is global. Not only in Greece, Spain, Portugal etc. Are ALL the governments at fault here? Not the system?</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
18:46
113631290
<p>
Anthony posts: As a college student, I have felt the rise in prices, especially in the "cheap food" industry. In example, When I was a freshman, I could get a pizza for 5 dollars, now it is closer to 10.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:45
117063444
@大象传媒_whys When you say "people are getting richer" is that in aggregate? If the very poor cannot afford to live who cares about the average?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:44
113631290
<p>
Tim in Uganda: Absolutely there is something we can do. In some cases it might be inevitable. However, other political factors facilitate the increasing prices. For the case of my mother country Uganda, it's more of political than inevitable factors. Museveni's rule changed the ec枚nomy of the country. Uganda was the "food basket" of East and Central Africa due to her fertile soils. Currently the regime is favouring a handful of people, corruption and misuse of funds allocated to agriculural program is so high. The government is the most prodigal compared to former governments. Lack of transparency and accountability in government funds fuels the costs of living too.</p>
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:43
113631290
<p>
Houstonian posted on Foreign Policy.com: Everything is increasing while wages and earnings stay roughly the same; definitely not close to the rate prices are increasing. Purchasing power is decreasing - and everyone is feeling the pinch of a simple grocery shopping. Lately, I have seen people using credit cards to buy groceries. Talk about a bomb waiting to go off.</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
18:41
113631290
<p>
Gunta in Latvia: I am a single woman, living in 1 room of a communal apartment in Riga, Latvia. i spend about 40-50% of my earnings on food, the rest goes on rent. i don't drive a car. i cycle or walk where ever i need to go.</p>
Comment sent via SMS
18:40
117929166
My name is Alexis. I live in Cyrus Europe. At the moment diesel is 1.29 Euro. 2 years ago it wat 0.89 Euro. I know that we are still relatively cheaper than other European countries but is possible for it to go back to the price 2 years ago or is it bound to increase?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:41
113631290
<p>
Jerome in Uganda: What measures can a state put in place to stabilize commodity prices? Here in Uganda ,the government is not doing anything to improve food security. Maize and other food stuffs are continuously sold to neighbouring Sudan and Congo by farmers who get more profit yet this creates more food scarcity at home.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23129
18:41
113631290
<p>
Precious in Ghana: In Ghana,lots of young people are living wild lifestyles that demand more and more disposable income,and decent paying jobs are non-existent.</p>
Comment sent via SMS
18:23
112433899
the solution to food is local production, when every garden grows some veg the speculators @ corporations will not be able to manipulate prices so much - wild g
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:21
117871006
@大象传媒_WHYS A little under 10% of my monthly income #WHYS
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:34
113631290
<p>
Rosetta in Jamaica: Cost of living in my country has risen to crisis proportion and this is mainly due to increase in oil on the international market and increase in inflation. We are not necessarily happy with the way things are, but I think we are all inclined to believe that such is beyond the government's control; although we believe they could do more.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:33
117929096
@大象传媒_WHYS About 11% of my monthly income is spent on food, including groceries and dining out - Houston, TX #WHYS
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:28
113631290
<p>
Miranda in Barbados: I had already started to cut back at the supermarket by just buying the necessities. When my light bill comes in this month I will determine what more cutting back I'll have to do.</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
18:19
113631290
<p>
Ohisa in Sudan: Here in Southern Sudan, the prices are just skyrocketing and the government is not doing anything about it. If they don't see from the other countries and change we shall be on their necks soon and very soon.</p>
Comment sent via Feed
18:14
113631290
<p>
Natalie in Oregon emailed: I am frantically looking for a new apartment in Portland Oregon. I have been told by every leasing office I call that there is nothing available, and what is available has now gone up 10% in price because demand is so high. The problem: I am not making 10% more than I was six, nine or twelve months ago. I can hardly afford anything in this city, and gas is so expensive here, that it's causing me to decide: Pay more in rent, or gas?</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
18:12
113631290
<p>
Chidozie in Nigeria: The law of gravity does not apply here in Nigeria. Prices go up but never ever come down. I don't expect things to change anytime soon.</p>
Comment sent via SMS
18:12
117928881
Whether we like it r not food prices will continue 2 rise as long as oil price is high,speculators r there,food been turn into oil n the wanton misuse of non renewable resources.and as time goes on it wil only get worse.in the not distant future we wil have riots in our western societies.fabian jamaica
Comment sent via host
18:06
113631290
We''re on air now looking at the rising cost of living and asking whether it''s inevitable. Let us know what you think by posting your comments here.
On air at 17&18GMT: Is there anything we can do about the cost of living?
| Monday, 5 May 2011 | 18:00 - 19:00 GMT
Thousand of protesters have been camped in Madrid for the past week demonstrating about the government's failure to solve Spain's ongoing economic problems.
Carlos in Madrid, told the 大象传媒
We are not just asking for jobs. We are asking for a change in the political system. We have no option but to vote for the two biggest parties in Spain, who are more or less the same. They are unable to solve any problem, it is just a nest of corruption. We are tired. In short, we want a working democracy. We want a change.
In Uganda, there are plans today asking for people to honk their car horns in protest at the rising cost of living there. This follows the walk to work movement which has been going on since April.
Last week saw more protests in Greece over the ongoing austerity measures.
The uprisings across the Arab world has the cost of food and high unemployment at their heart. This article considers how important a factor they were.
It is entirely possible that the Arab Spring might have happened this year in spite of rather than because of the spike in food prices. But, the context in which the Arab Spring did take place is not inconsequential and should not be lost on policy makers. It certainly needs to be part of the narrative, if not high on the agenda of the G20.
This article by Lester R. Brown talks about the implications of rising living costs, particularly the price of food.
The food crisis of 2011 is for real, and...it may bring with it yet more bread riots cum political revolutions. What if the upheavals that greeted dictators Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, and Muammar al-Qaddafi in Libya (a country that imports 90 percent of its grain) are not the end of the story, but the beginning of it? Get ready, farmers and foreign ministers alike, for a new era in which world food scarcity increasingly shapes global politics.
We know that the cost of living is something which affects all of you so we're really interested to hear your stories on what differences you have noticed. And we'll be talking to people in different parts of the world to hear what they would like to change.
Is there anything we can do about the cost of living or is it an inevitability that prices will rise?
Your comments
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Attah in Nigeria: I withdrew 5thousand naira for the week, 1k went on fuel for my gen,2k on fuel for my car, 2k on foodstuffs and puff the money is all gone. it wasn't this bad a year ago. But who do we blame?</p>
Comment sent via SMS
Thank u for this program..this made my mind harder to cut unnecessary expenses I was making throughout ths days Burhan kuwait
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS as of today, I have to spend over 40% of my paycheck for food and 55% on gas.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS I can live! But it's not for long.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS about 10% only
Comment sent via YOURSAY
<p> Smart One in Antigua posted on Caribarena.com: we are the laughing stock of the region. We use to have the highest per capita income. We use to have highest human development index. We use to be best and have the strongest economy. We use to have the best cricketers. We need to bring back those glorious days and don't take comfort with the fact that others are worst off.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23129
<p> Freddy posted on Foreign Policy.com: It's a bleak situation when things are so bad in your own country. Just how awful it must be in these under-developed countries goodness only knows.</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Riko posts: Sure, your guest talks about improvements over 200 years. That's 10 generations. What about over the course of one or two generations, the only numbers that matter to people now alive?</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS the world's prosperity and population blip in the past 100 years came with fossil fuel and will end with it's end in 30-50 yrs
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> James in Arkansas says: Why do prices for such things as gas and food commodities go up based on market prices today for a product that will not be paid for or delivered for three or more months in future.? Can't we stop distributors from raising prices until they actually receive and pay for it?</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Lazaros in the UK posts: Saying that it is just the governments fault for the current crisis is hugely simplistic. The crisis is global. Not only in Greece, Spain, Portugal etc. Are ALL the governments at fault here? Not the system?</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Anthony posts: As a college student, I have felt the rise in prices, especially in the "cheap food" industry. In example, When I was a freshman, I could get a pizza for 5 dollars, now it is closer to 10.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_whys When you say "people are getting richer" is that in aggregate? If the very poor cannot afford to live who cares about the average?
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Tim in Uganda: Absolutely there is something we can do. In some cases it might be inevitable. However, other political factors facilitate the increasing prices. For the case of my mother country Uganda, it's more of political than inevitable factors. Museveni's rule changed the ec枚nomy of the country. Uganda was the "food basket" of East and Central Africa due to her fertile soils. Currently the regime is favouring a handful of people, corruption and misuse of funds allocated to agriculural program is so high. The government is the most prodigal compared to former governments. Lack of transparency and accountability in government funds fuels the costs of living too.</p>
Comment sent via YOURSAY
<p> Houstonian posted on Foreign Policy.com: Everything is increasing while wages and earnings stay roughly the same; definitely not close to the rate prices are increasing. Purchasing power is decreasing - and everyone is feeling the pinch of a simple grocery shopping. Lately, I have seen people using credit cards to buy groceries. Talk about a bomb waiting to go off.</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Gunta in Latvia: I am a single woman, living in 1 room of a communal apartment in Riga, Latvia. i spend about 40-50% of my earnings on food, the rest goes on rent. i don't drive a car. i cycle or walk where ever i need to go.</p>
Comment sent via SMS
My name is Alexis. I live in Cyrus Europe. At the moment diesel is 1.29 Euro. 2 years ago it wat 0.89 Euro. I know that we are still relatively cheaper than other European countries but is possible for it to go back to the price 2 years ago or is it bound to increase?
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Jerome in Uganda: What measures can a state put in place to stabilize commodity prices? Here in Uganda ,the government is not doing anything to improve food security. Maize and other food stuffs are continuously sold to neighbouring Sudan and Congo by farmers who get more profit yet this creates more food scarcity at home.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23129
<p> Precious in Ghana: In Ghana,lots of young people are living wild lifestyles that demand more and more disposable income,and decent paying jobs are non-existent.</p>
Comment sent via SMS
the solution to food is local production, when every garden grows some veg the speculators @ corporations will not be able to manipulate prices so much - wild g
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS A little under 10% of my monthly income #WHYS
Comment sent via YOURSAY
<p> Rosetta in Jamaica: Cost of living in my country has risen to crisis proportion and this is mainly due to increase in oil on the international market and increase in inflation. We are not necessarily happy with the way things are, but I think we are all inclined to believe that such is beyond the government's control; although we believe they could do more.</p>
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS About 11% of my monthly income is spent on food, including groceries and dining out - Houston, TX #WHYS
Comment sent via YOURSAY
<p> Miranda in Barbados: I had already started to cut back at the supermarket by just buying the necessities. When my light bill comes in this month I will determine what more cutting back I'll have to do.</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Ohisa in Sudan: Here in Southern Sudan, the prices are just skyrocketing and the government is not doing anything about it. If they don't see from the other countries and change we shall be on their necks soon and very soon.</p>
Comment sent via Feed
<p> Natalie in Oregon emailed: I am frantically looking for a new apartment in Portland Oregon. I have been told by every leasing office I call that there is nothing available, and what is available has now gone up 10% in price because demand is so high. The problem: I am not making 10% more than I was six, nine or twelve months ago. I can hardly afford anything in this city, and gas is so expensive here, that it's causing me to decide: Pay more in rent, or gas?</p>
Comment sent via Facebook
<p> Chidozie in Nigeria: The law of gravity does not apply here in Nigeria. Prices go up but never ever come down. I don't expect things to change anytime soon.</p>
Comment sent via SMS
Whether we like it r not food prices will continue 2 rise as long as oil price is high,speculators r there,food been turn into oil n the wanton misuse of non renewable resources.and as time goes on it wil only get worse.in the not distant future we wil have riots in our western societies.fabian jamaica
Comment sent via host
We''re on air now looking at the rising cost of living and asking whether it''s inevitable. Let us know what you think by posting your comments here.