'Times were so tough, but not as tough as they are now' (Thick as thieves - The Jam).
Dark in the heart of the Thatcher years when the dole was being cut, jobs were hard to come by and the quaint notion of ' Forced Austerity' hadn't been so daintily articulated, times were tough too. £35 to last 2 weeks just wasn't going to happen. Of course cash in hand jobs were taken, deals were done and various nefarious took place!
The only problem then was cashflow. The banks were too rigid and the family was too disappointed to send forth aid (other than the use of the washing machine). So, apart from splitting dole cheques to help budget, the largesse of the local corner shop was the sole means by which people could keep their head above water. The steady supply of Sunblest, anchor butter, newspapers and Marlboro lights was only sustained by the corner shop. Goodness only knows how much money they lost but without them so much more could have been lost....
No comments:
Post a Comment