There seems to be an opinion that the generation born in the post-war years' population explosion has creamed off the riches through a philosophy of entitlement that has left their children and grandchildren bereft of future financial security and fighting against the impossibility of purchasing their own homes.
The thinking goes along the lines that an ever aging population, the result of significant improvements in medical care, need their pensions funded by today's taxpayer.
What seems to be forgotten is that the Boomers have made a significant contribution to the British economy, not least in National Insurance and Income Tax contributions for the past fifty years. Our parents and grandparents introduced the welfare state to ensure protection "from the cradle to the grave."
The generation that spawned the Boomers learned to be thrifty and resourceful from the experience of hardship during and immediately after the Second World War. Surely, these qualities were passed down to the post-war generation.
So who is to blame for the difficulties that today's youngsters face to lift themselves out of poverty?
It would be too easy and simplistic to take the view that Labour created the welfare state and the Tories, through years of Thatcher-inspired greed now manifesting itself in the current government, have sold Britain down the river with the losses of great national industries such as shipbuilding, motor manufacture and mining.
We could rant about the unfairness of tax payers' money being thrown away bailing out the "fat cat" bankers following the disastrous recession that practically bankrupted the country.
However things are rarely as simple as they appear. There are clearly more complex issues at stake, not least the global recession that plunged much of the Western world into financial disarray.
The reality is that the actions (or inactions) of successive governments, regardless of their political leanings, have brought us to where we are right now.
This blog, in upcoming posts, seeks to find out how we got in this mess. The author welcomes contributions from the readers through direct comments on this page or through the Social Media outlets that link to the blog.
Future topics will include, among others:
- Labour's alleged mishandling of the economy between 1997 and 2010.
- The global recession.
- The bailing out of the banks.
- The legacy of the Thatcher years.
- Industrial relations during the 1970's.
- The fear of Labour's perceived high taxation.
- The cost of providing excellent public services.
- The foundation of the Welfare State.
- The future of the National Health Service.
