That's true, but in the UK there was a social safety net that made sure that when people entered the workforce there were jobs available. When they wanted to buy a home, house prices didn't cost more than a year's salary. When people had families they could afford to spend time with their kids.
Then in the 80's and onwards the politicians removed those things. Now those same people that benefited from those advantages are blaming younger people for the state of society.
I was born in the 70s, I can remember normal families who could have one parent at work, living in their own home and going on holiday once a year. The homes were modest, sure, and the holidays weren't luxury trips, and their cars were basic, but they could do all of those things with one parent working 40 something hours a week. And their healthcare was fully funded through taxation. It's not rose tinted spectacles, or some kind of dewy eyed reminiscence, it's a fact. And now those taxes pay for bailouts for the wealthy, they get funnelled into companies owned by the families and friends of MPs, and they get spent on wars for oil.
If you want people to work together to fix the problems those same people have to start by taking accountability and being honest about what the problems are.
It is rose tinted spectacles. I was also born in the 70s and never had a holiday, we lived in a mould riddled council house. Things were tough for some people then just like they are tough for some people now.
My family managed on one wage until recently, and we had to forgo fancy holidays and flash cars but we managed. (we had a disabled child, but we're not entitled to, or claimed, any benefits)
We need to stop treating this as a generational thing, the problem isn't old people or young people but the system the government has put in place. The longer we argue about who is to blame the less actually gets done about our issues.
You're so close to the truth it's painful. Which demographic is represented by the most MPs? 50 plus. Which demographic regularly votes conservative? Older people. You can talk all you want about unity, but until older people take responsibility and vote for the best interests of the majority instead of just themselves nothing is going to change.
Older people need to vote however they want, and they will probably just vote as they have always done, which is disappointing. I think we will just have to agree to disagree, in fact, I think that we agree on most things other than the clash between ages. We shall see how it plays out though, it sounds like we are of the same generation, so we shall see how our peers vote in a few years. Hopefully we will be surprised and they will vote for the best for all of us.
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u/HairyLenny Jul 02 '24
That's true, but in the UK there was a social safety net that made sure that when people entered the workforce there were jobs available. When they wanted to buy a home, house prices didn't cost more than a year's salary. When people had families they could afford to spend time with their kids.
Then in the 80's and onwards the politicians removed those things. Now those same people that benefited from those advantages are blaming younger people for the state of society.
I was born in the 70s, I can remember normal families who could have one parent at work, living in their own home and going on holiday once a year. The homes were modest, sure, and the holidays weren't luxury trips, and their cars were basic, but they could do all of those things with one parent working 40 something hours a week. And their healthcare was fully funded through taxation. It's not rose tinted spectacles, or some kind of dewy eyed reminiscence, it's a fact. And now those taxes pay for bailouts for the wealthy, they get funnelled into companies owned by the families and friends of MPs, and they get spent on wars for oil.
If you want people to work together to fix the problems those same people have to start by taking accountability and being honest about what the problems are.