Confessions of a shopaholic

Every so often Man in a Shed gets outnumbered by the females in his life, and is unable to watch science fiction movies under the excuse that they actually are just Pride and Prejudice, set in space.

Christmas has been one of those occasions.

So I was completed to watch "Confessions of a shopaholic". But to my great surprise its a highly moral movie. The urge to spend to make yourself happy is explored along with the lies and hurt that those who are captured by any form of compulsion hand out to their nearest and dearest.

The analogy I was think about was the great British electorate - that keeps authorising Labour to run up the nations debts ( though the most recent and far reaching transactions have never been presented to a vote ). People get the short term high of more "public spending" on "vital services".

But the public hasn't admitted to its addiction on something for free. That's why the bash a banker scheme by Labour impressed the voters so much in the PBR - everyone thinks someone else should pay and the hits of more spending should come for free. Until that adiction and self deception is named and admitted to no progress can be made.

But just like the film ( plot spoiler alert ) the debt collector is closing in. This debt collector is not just going to ruin the party but humiliate the nation and destroy its future. All because voters have insisted we spend over our means, and the evil credit card companies/Labour have enticed them on.

Let no one fool you - the return to financial honesty and integrity is going to hurt and destroy reputations.

But in the end TINA's back (There is no alternative - for those under 35 ), and how strict she is going to be will depend on how long the denial and credit card debt keeps rolling.

David Cameron and George Osborne need to get the public to accept its part in the current crisis. The public has been a spendingfornothingholic and needs to own up to itself, the denial has to stop. Gordon Brown may be the evil supplier of credit and factilitator of debt, but we won't make progress until the public addiction to something for nothing is named and renounced.

PS Read this to sober up for the new year. Also the Heff on the lies that saw in a decade of debt.

PPS I really am going to try to take things easy over the next few days.

Update:

See also

And Insane spendaholics are mortgaging our future by Camilla Cavendish in the Times in March 2009. I think spendaholics has it about right.