That old guy stole my future (and other animals)

[Doobs]

I might designate Jon MW as my official point makerer as he's better at it than I am.

The baby boomers had decent education, free university tuition, stay at home mums (one breadwinner enough to pay for house/family - not in luxury but enough to get by), greater job security (through stronger unions) and a welfare state that was more than just a safety net (the dole could afford a better standard of living than it does today).

Of course there are plenty of individual cases where people worked very hard, but that work was proportionally rewarded more than it is today. My dad was able to buy a house and raise a family of 4 boys with a wife who didn't work and stayed at home to look after the kids. We weren't rich or anything but we didn't starve, had new clothes, and I was still able to find a bike or a Super Nintendo under the tree on Christmas morning. My dad was an uneducated manual worker - driving a lorry delivering concrete. And yet he was able to provide for all of us. A similar situation is just not going to happen today - that same family would be on the breadline on housing benefit. That's the difference.

I think you can blame the baby boomers for the National Debt/failing to save Nationally when times were good, squandering of national resources, and what we spend and vast pension promises they voted for themselves.  I know they didn't do this themselves, but they sure voted for the status quo.

What you can't really blame them for is the price the current generation is willing to pay for housing.

I speak as somone on the borders of the robbed/robbing generations. 

[doubleup]

I might designate Jon MW as my official point makerer as he's better at it than I am.

The baby boomers had decent education, free university tuition, stay at home mums (one breadwinner enough to pay for house/family - not in luxury but enough to get by), greater job security (through stronger unions) and a welfare state that was more than just a safety net (the dole could afford a better standard of living than it does today).

Of course there are plenty of individual cases where people worked very hard, but that work was proportionally rewarded more than it is today. My dad was able to buy a house and raise a family of 4 boys with a wife who didn't work and stayed at home to look after the kids. We weren't rich or anything but we didn't starve, had new clothes, and I was still able to find a bike or a Super Nintendo under the tree on Christmas morning. My dad was an uneducated manual worker - driving a lorry delivering concrete. And yet he was able to provide for all of us. A similar situation is just not going to happen today - that same family would be on the breadline on housing benefit. That's the difference.

Jon MW might be better but he is also wrong.  When I went to uni about 2% of the population went, so it didn't cost much.  For some reason various governments thought it was a good idea to put everyone into university - the cost of this has nothing to do with the older generation.

The "dole" was more or less just the same, I know as I was one of Thatcher's unemployed for a while, 3 million plus in the early 80s.

I will reiterate that the UK deficit really wasn't that high until the financial crisis, I have no idea what Jon is on about the 70s and 80s as they saw a reduction in debt despite Thatcher's butchery.  After the war debt was 250% of gdp - the very generation you are slating was burdened by this.

Again people can't get mortgages because they were lying to get them in the property boom and have been stopped doing this.  
  

[Jon MW]

I'm pretty much just repeating the arguments other economists have made and have been reported on - I'm not actually too fussed about cause and effect and blame and benefit.

[nirvana]

This was once a really uplifting thread about pride, Britishness and excellence.

[Alverton]

Sigh, Opening ceremony thread turns into pretty much the only thread I've ever been tilted by on Blonde.  Gotta love the individual cases.

Back on track;  Musical performances were all fantastic apart from McCartney.  Arctic Monkeys to sing all Beatles from now on please.

<3 Bond, Bean, Branagh, Boyle, Bedgrave, Beckham, Bradley, Britishness

[Doobs]

Sigh, Opening ceremony thread turns into pretty much the only thread I've ever been tilted by on Blonde. 

Got to agree.  Was thinking the same, and then still replied.  I need better self control.  Sorry

Can we move the posts on the economy and robbed generation, including mine. 

Cheers

[EvilPie]

Sigh, Opening ceremony thread turns into pretty much the only thread I've ever been tilted by on Blonde. 

Got to agree.  Was thinking the same, and then still replied.  I need better self control.  Sorry

Can we move the posts on the economy and robbed generation, including mine. 

Cheers

+1. I didn't want to post but couldn't control myself. I still want to post more after I was told off for commenting about one sample (my parents) when the problem apparently was to do with everybody of a similar age bracket.

I'm sorry but if I'm not allowed to pick out individuals then it can't be fair to generalise either.

More than happy for my posts to be deleted completely as long as AndrewT's original comment is gone as well.

[AndrewT]

Split this out into its own thread so we can argue here.

[EvilPie]

Split this out into its own thread so we can argue here.

Tosser!!

[nirvana]

Split this out into its own thread so we can argue here.

Tosser!!

lol, anyway, you are obviously both right so not much to argue about

[prettygreen]

The lighting of the flame may just be the best thing ever. At a time when, economically, the youth have been robbed of their futures by the old, it was symbolic to have the old Olympians pass their chance to lit the flame on to the young.

Sorry to be dim, but I don't understand the bold bit Andrew. Would you mind explaining?

The old bought their houses cheap, pocketed the huge rise in the value of their homes, and yet now the young are having to pay higher taxes to pay for the pensions of the old, when the young themselves will get a pension of zero.

Hmm. I don't see it quite like that. Most of the old people I know worked every hour God sent to provide a better life for the next generation.

If you want to describe working hard and investing your money wisely as robbing that's your choice.

This pretty much confirms everything i thought about you. You have no respect for the younger generation. Yes we may not dress up in a tie to visit the shops on a saturday anymore, but the majority of us have huge respect for those that fought in tge war; and the younger generation currently risking their lives in the war. Financially we don't have it as good as the older generation. We can't get mortgages because the banks are screwed, very few people under 30 have £30k knocking around in a time when jobs are difficult to come by. There are millions of graduates having to work in supermarkets because of disgraceful final salary civil service pensions that the older generation were given.

Brush the cobwebs off the cupboard you have been living in the last 25 years and show respect for the current young hardworking generation rather than chasing them down on your penny farthing so you can assault them.

[MANTIS01]

I have a lot of time for young people, especially girls in the 18-21 age bracket. However not so sure about the guys. I had two speculative job enquiries today. First young dude walks in wearing skateboard shorts and a vest swigging from a can of red bull and said 'got any jobs going mate?'. Then the next guy walks in behind his mother who asked me if I had any jobs going on behalf of her son who was looking down at the floor and sort of kicking the carpet.

[Tal]

"We do have  job actually."
"Excellent"
"Yes, not five minutes ago, a large investment bank in the City telephoned me, saying that they were looking to expand their mergers and acquisitions department to this area and needed someone with no initiative, low self-confidence and an inability to make eye contact to start on Monday."
"Really?"
"NO! Get out!"

[taximan007]

The lighting of the flame may just be the best thing ever. At a time when, economically, the youth have been robbed of their futures by the old, it was symbolic to have the old Olympians pass their chance to lit the flame on to the young.

Sorry to be dim, but I don't understand the bold bit Andrew. Would you mind explaining?

The old bought their houses cheap, pocketed the huge rise in the value of their homes, and yet now the young are having to pay higher taxes to pay for the pensions of the old, when the young themselves will get a pension of zero.

Hmm. I don't see it quite like that. Most of the old people I know worked every hour God sent to provide a better life for the next generation.

If you want to describe working hard and investing your money wisely as robbing that's your choice.

This pretty much confirms everything i thought about you. You have no respect for the younger generation. Yes we may not dress up in a tie to visit the shops on a saturday anymore, but the majority of us have huge respect for those that fought in tge war; and the younger generation currently risking their lives in the war. Financially we don't have it as good as the older generation. We can't get mortgages because the banks are screwed, very few people under 30 have £30k knocking around in a time when jobs are difficult to come by. There are millions of graduates having to work in supermarkets because of disgraceful final salary civil service pensions that the older generation were given.

Brush the cobwebs off the cupboard you have been living in the last 25 years and show respect for the current young hardworking generation rather than chasing them down on your penny farthing so you can assault them.

I Lolled

[redsimon]

Is it such a bad thing that people might not be able to buy a house/flat and have to rent instead?

Seems to work out ok in other countries.

As long as rents aren't at silly levels and more was put into / social housing I'm not sure what the fuss is?