I’m too worried about money to care about politics – and it’s my job

This is the first time I am experiencing inflation as an adult and I am struck by the sense of sheer powerlessness that comes with it, writes Marie Le Conte

It is currently hard to pay attention to the Westminster merry-go-round (PA)

I never thought living through a period of sharp inflation would feel so physical. I have been back in Britain for just over two weeks and, each time I check my account, a little cartoon appears in my head.

I am standing there, like a Disney character, minding my own business, but someone wicked has dipped all the coins I own in oil and they keep falling out of my pocket. I try to go through life, tend to my cartoon business, but the coins keep falling on to the pavement, no matter what I do.

It is a scene I picture every other day because that is how often I am now checking my account. I didn’t use to do this, even a few months ago. I make a very decent living, and am usually lucky enough to get away with an occasional glance at my banking app, just to make sure I am not overspending wildly. It wasn’t always the case: my first five or so years in London were spent being thoroughly skint, and I am no stranger to crossing my fingers while trying to withdraw a tenner from an ATM.

Still, this feels different. This is the first time I am experiencing inflation as an adult, and I am struck by the sense of sheer powerlessness that comes with it. At the risk of sounding like a toddler having a tantrum, it just doesn’t feel fair. I am working as much as I used to, and yet I can afford fewer things; I have always been good with money, and yet I am struggling. It isn’t fair, and there is nothing I can do about it. It isn’t even possible to think ahead: will things get better soon? Will they get worse? I have no idea. It is out of my hands entirely.

As a result, it is currently hard to pay attention to the Westminster merry-go-round. Jeremy Hunt may or may not run to replace Boris Johnson; Wes Streeting may or may not run to replace Keir Starmer; Michael Gove may or may not make the House of Lords move up north while their building is being renovated. Who cares?

I should, of course, but I struggle to. Even the Northern Ireland protocol leaves me cold, though what happens in the next few weeks may shape the long-term future of Britain after Brexit. My brain shuts down every time I hear or read anything about Lord Frost.

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Of course, none of this is about me. For every drink I want to have but decide to go without, there are people going through the same thought process about their dinner. For every charity-shop trip I decide would be too frivolous, there are people walking for miles instead of taking the bus. The cost of living crisis is annoying and frustrating for people like me, but life-ruining for millions of others.

If I am too distracted by my own finances to truly care about what goes on in parliament – despite it being my job – will regular voters pay attention to any of it? We know that people tend not to follow politics closely at the best of times, but I struggle to see how anything will cut through over the next few months.

There may be shiny new policies and confected culture wars to come, but I doubt any of them will catch the eye of the electorate. If the government does not plan to do anything to deal with the cost of living crisis, it may as well shout into the wind. This is an issue affecting everyone, every day. Until it is fixed, nothing else will matter.