Talking with Phil Dave from the BBC and talkRADIO

British broadcaster Phil Dave joined us on WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning to give us a perspective on current events from London.

"The price of petrol is through the roof here.  Before the pandemic started...we were looking at ...dip in (the price of) fuel."  They have seen a 50% increase in the price of petrol in just two years.

An increase in energy prices is causing families to struggle as well, as they are in the United States.

Wages, he says, are not going up and there are not as many hours of work.  "We have a lot of freelancers..." who are suffering because they do not have a guaranteed work week.  "People's hours are going down and subsequently their wages are going down.  This is happening in the United Kingdom, as it is in the United States, as the cost of living is going up.

"It would appear that a lot of people are not rushing back to work" after the pandemic.  He says that the pandemic, coupled with Britain's exodus from the European Union, has resulted in a "work shy collective," a group of people who just do not want to go back into the office.

They are also feeling supply chain shortages.  "We are actually seeing the value of second hand vehicles....actually exceed the value of new vehicles."

There is so much going awry, he explains, in the whole world.  "It feels like we're living in some sort of parallel universe."

He talked about the political situation in Britain as well.  "What we have seen a surge of enthusiasm" for lots of different parties, he says, versus one particular party during their local elections - the equivalent of midterms in the United States.  The country is reporting low voter turnout as well - 30% in some areas.