The most stark reminder for me is that I’ve worked 15 years working my way up in an industry to make myself a viable prospect to move across to a more lucrative area of the SAME INDUSTRY, to find myself at 34 on the same wrung as recently graduated 26 year olds and younger, that have done that thanks to the education, home life, and opportunities afforded to them. I don’t begrudge them that, I’d love to do the same for my children (if I’m fortunate enough to have any at this rate), but the lack of insight and understanding from successive governments and even these people, and their inability to comprehend the vast disparities in our lives is going to perpetuate and worsen this situation. No matter how enthusiastic and ambitious you try to remain, having come from a poor background, it’s deeply depressing.
This is a major life-changing reset button for all of us. Capitalism works very well for very few people and they pass it down to their lucky children whilst other children suffer forever. Thanks Dr Eliza.
As an older millenial, already caring for a disabled parent, and i can tell you its dire. £320 a month is my wage and its just about enough to starve on without relying upon a parents pension
Move your children in with you and let them buy your home off you at 0% over however long your alive. That way they will only “inherit” the bit that’s left. And the state can only take for your elderly care, the bit that they haven’t bought…
I think she's misses something glaring in her gen X comments. People bought houses before 2008, but then the largest property crash and repossession event in history took place. There's also a massive difference between older x-ers who are essentially boomers and the X-ers born in the late late 70s who are essentially millennials.
Parents rarely die quickly. They die over a looooonnnnggg period, which costs a lot of money, which usually comes from your inheritance. Good luck, Mellenials! We’re all f’d.
I'd agree that those who have 'done the right thing', gone to university, perhaps gotten a post-graduate qualification, working a professional role that probably requires them to work well beyond the contracted hours but find them selves unable to buy a reasonable home, let alone start a family, are likely to be among the most 'disillusioned' to be put it lightly. There are a few things that more 'left leaning' takes on this seem to gloss over, ignore, or even deny, that strike me. Firstly, this demographic is a) key to the success of the country b) generally able to leave the country and work elsewhere if they wish. Secondly, the 'hard work' people like this put in seems to be underplayed, often in favour of highlighting just how hard less educated/skilled people have it. Yeah (some of) their lives may be 'harder' in a financial sense, but the fact is that they do not tend to work as many hours. Their jobs are not as mentally demanding (and the extent to which these people work in physically demanding jobs is wildly overstated). They didn't, at their own expense (meaning, effectively, taking on an additional tax rate), study for 3+ years, often whilst working, before starting a professional 'career' all too often on pay that's about what you'd expect stacking shelves. For all the talk in the media of unrest among the 'lower classes', the historic reality is that real societal unrest, at times leading to revolutions, comes from the 'middle class', the people I'm talking about here, being screwed over. People with education, skills and greater 'means'. The situation which has, in some senses, seemingly deliberately, been created for this demographic isn't just 'unfair' - it's entirely against the interests of the country in the longer term. And yet it seems quite likely that this demographic will soon be deemed to have amongst the broadest of shoulders.
