The Intergenerational Foundation has once more hit the news. Previously, this front for a bunch of unreconstructed Marxists came up with the spiffing plan to manipulate older people out of their homes, believing (wrongly) that what people do with privately owned property was any of their business. Now we get a bleating about how hard done by the younger generation are and how it’s all the fault of those nasty oldies:
Younger people in the UK are losing out financially and politically to older generations, a report claims.
The Intergenerational Fairness Index suggests the prospects of younger people have “nose-dived” since the start of the financial crisis in 2008.
The index uses official statistics to compare different generations’ stakes in key areas from income and employment to housing, pensions and education.
Co-author Angus Hanton said the plight of younger generations was clear.
“The index shows that poorer young people are financing richer old people as our society grapples with demographic change and increasing longevity.”
Bollocks, frankly. Everyone has suffered as a consequence of the economic difficulties. As an older person who lost work as a direct consequence and am still dealing with the fallout, I can confirm – having spoken to plenty of others who have suffered likewise – that this has nothing to do with one’s generation and everything to do with personal circumstances.
What the IGF is cheerfully ignoring is the other side of the equation. Those “rich” pensioners nurtured the younger generation. Who else housed, clothed and fed them for twenty or more years? Who else helped finance them through university (something that many of that older generation had no hope of achieving themselves)? Who helped with buying that first car, house, the expensive wedding? Oh, yeah, that nasty older “rich” generation.
That’s the thing with this generation stuff. The older generation pays for the younger one and later, the younger one sees the older one alright during retirement.
Only in the world of the IGF and their Marxist backers do we get any unfairness being bandied about. There isn’t any – it is always difficult for young people starting out. Always was and always will be. That’s how it should be. You earn your way through life. But then, these people are perfectly happy to use tax to manipulate older people out of their houses. Houses that they have saved and paid for. Only a socialist could accuse someone of “hoarding” their own property.
Given this, I treat everything this evil little quango comes out with with absolute and utter contempt.
Bollocks. Agreed.
“”They now face the abolition of housing benefit.”
He called for benefits to be cut fairly across the generations: “Let’s talk about those benefits that go to everyone over 60 years of age, irrespective of wealth – winter fuel allowance, free bus passes and free prescriptions.””
I think there is a difference between an OAP who has paid into the system all thier life receiving a free buss pass and a person too young to have paid much of anything receiving a free house.
There seems to be a lot of jealousy in that report.
“poorer young people are financing richer old people”
How is that even possible when (real) richer old people can, and very often do, support themselves in paying for their own homes and eventually their care home fees and private healthcare ? I suspect the definition of “richer” is being perverted in the same way as the definition of “poverty” is here.
There’s certainly nothing to be jealous of in a (real) poor old person who must sell their hard-earned home to pay exhorbitant fees to a hovel of a care home or hospital and so financing their own lonely, painful death hastened by neglect and abuse.
Yet there is a LOT more of that going that every Quango and young person in the country should be thoroughly ashamed of.
How is anyone, young or old, financing (53yo) me? Everything that I have is bought and paid for with hard earned cash. As far as I am aware, the only thing that I have claimed in benefits is child benefit for my one sprog. Since about half of my family’s income goes in taxes I have a feeling that any financing that is going on is not to my advantage. I think that these people just invent their own reality.
I’m suprised none of the major ferreters hasn’t shown these aresholes up for what they are.
Their last attempt got them a lot of contempt.
With any luck, they’ll be stupid and arrogant (especially the latter) to do it again.
These people get more and more detached from reality.
As far as I’m aware nobody has proposed the abolition of housing benefit, only its withdrawal from those could live with Mum and Dad but fancy a free council flat.
“those could live with Mum and Dad but fancy a free council flat.”
In the end it will boil down to just how badly young people want a sex life that isn’t conducted mere feet away from their own parents conducting theirs. Just as it has always done 😆