No money, wise old folk and Kilroy

To anyone shell-shocked by a redundancy notice or struggling in mountains of debt, the idea that the recession may be good for them could cause them to rip this column into tiny shreds.
A senior Tory who said just that this week has had a severe rollicking in these sensitive times.
Apparently he wrote on his blog: “I’ve been reading up on the impact of previous economic downturns on our health. Interestingly, on many counts, recession can be good for us. People tend to smoke less, drink less alcohol, eat less rich food and spend more time at home with their families.”
The latter being inevitable if you’ve just been made redundant, meant his comments went down about as well as a wichetty grub.
Nevertheless, I’m not about to jump on the Tory-bashing bandwagon. That’s because a colossal shift in the way we think, act and pay is taking place – and some of it is definitely for the better.
You may be familiar with star silver surfer geriatric1927, otherwise known as Peter Oakley, a Derbyshire 80-year-old who gained worldwide popularity and fame when he started posting video clips on YouTube.
His first posting was such a huge hit he received 4,000 e-mails. Since then, his thoughts have been read by millions, he has fans all over the world and he is courted by the media.
It’s all a bit much sometimes for a quiet pensioner who, when asked what his goal was for 2008 said: “It would just be nice to stay alive.”
Not asking for too much is the norm for Peter, an attitude described as refreshing by his fans.
They love the fact that he couldn’t give a monkeys about being a celebrity – are you listening jungle embarrassment Robert Kilroy-Silk? – and the fact that he is an old-fashioned gentleman – are you listening smut-aholic Jonathan Ross?
For me, Peter epitomises an honourable, sensible state of mind that is, I am glad to say, beginning to take a firm hold again.
He has something in spades that the entire world needs badly, especially Kilroy, Ross and American mortgage lenders – common sense.
The following is one of Peter’s many gems of wisdom: “In my day, at 21 you were considered to be a man, your wage was fixed and you cut your cloth according to your purse. You didn’t say: ‘What do I want’, you considered: ‘What do I need?’ ”
Isn’t that the fundamental principal, long since tossed aside, that is costing us so dear now?
Banks loaned money wrecklessly to those who couldn’t afford it. People took out mortgages that were way beyond their means.
And, when it all goes wrong, instead of recognising our own stupidity, we blame the money men for “encouraging us” – anyone, in fact, except ourselves.
Considering what we need rather than rushing out to buy what we want has suddenly become de rigueur again. It’s all about make-do-and-mend, shopping around – cutting your cloth to fit our purse. Peter was talking about a bygone age – the 20s and 30s – but his comments are as relevant today as they have ever been.
No wonder he has so many fans. For a man ostensibly just stating the obvious, it seems incredible to Peter that people find his take on life so thought-provoking.
One net reponse he received said: “The world is rotten. Pollution, corruption, crime, drugs – the news is filled with more and more bad news. But again, this week, you pulled me up Peter. And you’ve done it many times before. Your wise words have shown me there’s still hope in this world.”
If we all take a leaf out of Peter’s book, especially world leaders and East Midlands Euro MPs who prefer to build up their celebrity status than serve their constituents, I guess there is.