In the UK, the mood is black: even the famous holiday commercials are subdued. And behind the crisis the ghost of Brexit reappears
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
LONDON – Who stole the British Christmas? Something must have happened: because if it is true that the lights twinkle in London from Oxford Street to Regent Street, the general tone of the mood rather dull. The proof lies in the Christmas adverts on TV: every year there is an event here, companies invest large budgets, the commercials are reviewed in the newspapers and debated. But this time all a sad and tearful chorus.
To seize it Zeitgeist it was once again the John Lewis department store. In their commercial we see a middle-aged guy trying awkwardly to learn to ride a skateboard: he falls, gets hurt, runs over passers-by, but doesn’t give up. In the end we discover why so much tenacity: when the social worker who accompanies arrives at the front door a scared little girl – also with a skateboard under her arm – who will be given into foster care in time for the holidays. Lump in the throat guaranteed.
Not least the Tesco supermarket, launching a fake political commercial in which it is announced that this Christmas joy is scarce: but do not worry, because they are there with a program of discounts and offers. Instead, the Argos chain shows a couple preparing to celebrate with just a packet of crisps: but then a horde of neighbors arrives to cheer them up with sweets and gifts, for a supportive Christmas.
But the reality is that there is very little to be happy about. There is also an epidemic of avian flu, which is decimating British turkeys: and what Christmas will it be without the coveted bird on the table?
The greatest concern for how to make ends meet: so much so that a pope from Nottingham is having great success after launching a group on social media aimed at finding the best discounts in supermarkets. And also in the newspapers a whole succession of advice on how to keep the heating down and set up a lean Christmas all the same.
The reason for so much austerity is that the British economy is the only one in the G7 not to have returned to pre-pandemic levels, while the OECD has just certified that growth over the next two years will be the worst of the entire G20 (Russia apart from , but those are at war). The causes? Covid, of course, then the energy crisis, but there is an unmentionable ghost that no one dares to conjure up: Brexit, which weighs like a ballast on investment, productivity and trade. People are getting suspicious, given that according to a survey now only 32% think it was a good idea to leave the EU, compared to 57% who are convinced of the opposite.
The result is not only widespread black humor, but also a level of social unrest not seen since the 1970s.and the leader of their syndicate has been compared to the Grinch, the elf who steals Christmas. He officially denied: I’m not the Grinch, he assured. But then, who stole Christmas?
November 23, 2022 (change November 24, 2022 | 21:24)
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