LONDON, Oct 24 (Docklands Wire) – Chancellor Alistair Darling said on Friday he was confident the economy would get through a “difficult period”, after data showed the British economy has shrunk for the first time in 16 years.
Docklands Wire asked people in Poplar if they were concerned:
Chris Knight, 65, Professor of Anthropology
“I’m splitting my sides laughing because it’s the total and utter collapse of the very evil system of capitalism.”
He said he expects “much more than a recession”: “a revolution”.
“I think maybe governments will not give back the banks even when they make a profit. They’ll say ‘why should we give them back to these stupid swindlers?’ They’ll say ‘why can’t we keep hold of them even when they’re making a profit and use the money to finance schools and hospitals?’”
Shifon Mizah, 24, Graphic Designer
“Things like this should not have happened. Government making banks public is not right because … they’re just helping them cause more problems in the future.”
Monica Judge, 22, Student
“There’s no money, there’s hardly any jobs, the price of food is too high.”
Ben Fern, 29, Systems Analyst
“I think the credit crunch is a bit of a joke because I’ve got colleagues who are going out and getting accepted for credit cards who have got terrible credit histories at the moment. We’ve just got a mortgage on a three-bed house as well as another mortgage on a flat and I don’t earn a lot. So I think it’s all been blown out of proportion.”
Samira Mohammed, 20, Student
“Knowing that I’m in uni and I’m studying business and finance is really worrying because that’s the sector that I really want to get into. Seeing that 60,000 people have lost their jobs in the city right now is really disturbing. So it’s even making me think ‘oh my gosh, I want to change my course now’.”
