The story is about Britain, but it probably applies equally in the US, or Holland or Germany or etc -- or does it?
What do you think? The things this MP says about today's Brits (let's say: Westerners) - are they evidence that he lives in a privileged bubble? Or is he simply right, however unwilling we might be to hear it?
Quote:MP hits out at 'bloody miserable' voters in affluent Britain
Jun 20 2008
A GOVERNMENT minister has blasted voters for being "bloody miserable".
Transport minister Tom Harris said that, despite the recent credit squeeze, people in Britain had never been so wealthy.
But, writing on his website, the Glasgow South MP complained that people seemed to be afflicted by "crippling levels of cynicism and pessimism".
Harris added: "High-def TVs fly off the shelves at Tesco quicker than they can be imported.
"Most people can treat themselves to the latest technological innovation.
"Eating out - a rare treat when I was a child in the 1970s - is as commonplace as going shopping.
"And when we do go shopping, we spend money in quantities that would have made our parents gasp.
"There are more two-car homes in Britain today than there are homes without a car at all.
"We live longer, eat healthier (if we choose) and have access to forms of entertainment never imagined a generation ago (satellite TV, DVD, computer games).
"The majority of us have fast access to the worldwide web, which we use for even more spending and entertainment."
Harris added: "So why is everyone being so bloody miserable?"
His comment brought swift attacks from Tories last night.
Tory treasury spokesman Philip Hammond said: "He clearly lives on a different planet from ordinary hardworking families who are struggling with soaring living costs, stagnant earnings and falling house prices." [..]
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