The Golden Generation, It's Coming To An End Now, Big Time.

[*_ash_*]

6 minutes ago, Organgrinder said:

Speak for yourself.  I never want to buy cheap things but these days,  that's all there is.     I'm sure I'm not on my own. 

There was much more to it than your second line suggests.  

 

2. We didn't invest and we didn't lead in new industries and technologies.   We did nothing to replace what we lost.

 

3. Unfortunately,  we are still carrying on the same today despite the new green industries offering a path which we ignore.

 

 

What phone and computer do you use?

 

2. Who didn't invest? The Tories or Labour? Or you mean private companies? They did invest, in other countries where labour costs were cheaper. The same happens now, no different at all. 

 

3. The only reason people ignore green industries is because it's more expensive. 

People don't want nuclear power, when clearly we could solve all our power problems with it. 

People don't want electric cars because you can't charge them, and it's becoming more expensice when you do.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, *_ash_* said:

What phone and computer do you use?

 

2. Who didn't invest? The Tories or Labour? Or you mean private companies? They did invest, in other countries where labour costs were cheaper. The same happens now, no different at all. 

 

3. The only reason people ignore green industries is because it's more expensive. 

People don't want nuclear power, when clearly we could solve all our power problems with it. 

People don't want electric cars because you can't charge them, and it's becoming more expensice when you do.

 

I don't really use a phone.  I carry one for emergency use when I'm alone but never use it. I just send a text to my partner around twice a year to keep the account going.

I've been trying to buy a new top spec All in One with 27" touch screen, for more than 2 years but you cant get them  any more.

 

Neither Tories,  nor Labour,   nor most companies invested,  in the good years when they could and should have.

Not everyone is afraid of expensive things or they wouldn't be walking around with top i phones or driving their Range Rovers.

I'm quite willing to pay to go green.

Nuclear power would only be my last choice because we still need it at the moment.

I don't think electric cars are the answer for everybody anyway and certainly not sustainable for everyone on the planet.

They should have been working on alternatives 30 years ago.  Not enough investment you see.

 

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by Organgrinder

[Anna B]

4 hours ago, *_ash_* said:

It's not worth arguing with you as you are too set in your ways, but in reality there is little difference between the governments. 

People wanted more things and got them in these 'golden days of Labour' more money, less hours, more tea breaks, but ultimately there is always someone poorer wanting to do a job somewhere in the world. 

Where all the day to day stuff we buy in the shops is made, just moves from one place to another place depending who will make it for the cheapest price. It's a simple as that. 

There is as much blame on us for wanting cheap things, as there is to blame this or that, or any government here.

 

 

Maybe there isn't much difference now between the Parties, but that didn't use to be the case.

 

Back before the 1970s 80s there was a great deal of difference, and Labour (and the unions) were most definitely on the side of the working man. But the Conservatives were very good at getting their message across, promising much yet delivering little under Thatcher, never mind that the message wasn't true. 

 

'Winter of discontent' springs to mind, although we've had more strikes under the Conservatives than Labour ever had, and people now look back on the 70s with affection compared to now.

Followed by 'who's in charge of the country' which gave the Tories their excuse to castrate the unions to make them as good as powerless and prepare the population for the next step, and to save save the Tories'  hides because they knew what was coming... - A move to close down manufacturing at the cost of multi-millions in unemployment, and devastating whole industries. 

It created poverty and an underclass from which the North has never really recovered.

 

In its place, the Tories / Thatcher made a move to take the country into the world of 'Financial management' by selling off the countries assets, and bribing the population with the chance to 'buy shares;' even lending them the money to do it which of course had to be paid back, but raised the value of the shares creating the rampant inflation of the 1980s. Small investors sold their shares for a small profit, but 'free market economics' benefitted the big multinational buyers enormously and lost this country the right to control it's own infrastructure as we now owned very little.

 

Our move into the financial sphere went well didn't it? A few Yuppies in the South East made it big time, but from then on for most it was all downhill in a race to the bottom.

Manipulation, and Corruption led to the financial crash of 2008 which finished off a lot of small and medium sized businesses. Quantatitive Easing made up the deficits and  never stopped, and now we're paying the price with rampant inflation again, which has just about finished us all off. Kids can't afford their own homes, the working poor abound, homelessness and hunger has increased, and people have (rightly) lost all faith in work being a way out of poverty.

 

The country has divided us into the poorer 99% and the wealthy 1%, and the gap has never been wider.  I agree that there are no signs of sense prevailing, as with the annihalation of last hope Corbyn, both parties are now wedded to Neoliberalism.  And we haven't yet reached the bottom. But without significant change, rest assured, we will.

Edited November 19, 2023 by Anna B

[hackey lad]

3 hours ago, Organgrinder said:

Speak for yourself.  I never want to buy cheap things but these days,  that's all there is.     I'm sure I'm not on my own. 

There was much more to it than your second line suggests.   We didn't invest and we didn't lead in new industries and technologies.   We did nothing to replace what we lost.

Unfortunately,  we are still carrying on the same today despite the new green industries offering a path which we ignore.

 

 

Second sentence . That's very nearly one of the silliest things I've ever read on here .

5 hours ago, Anna B said:

Indeed. But societies are supposed to move forward and get better, not go backwards. The things these baby boomers benefitted from were fought for and won after the second world war, a time of austerity, when we were heavily in debt, and almost bankrupt.

 

If we could afford it then, we can afford it now.

 

It's all a question of priorities and what the government decides to spend our taxes on. These were Labour governments fighting for a better life for the people of this country and they succeeded in making the lives of the average Joe much, much better. 

 

People have short memories and subsequently allowed the Conservative party to get the upper hand by voting for them, largely based on broken promises and lie after lie. The Tories are ultra crafty and ruthless power grabbers by any means. If we've learnt nothing we've surely learnt this.

 

They might lie shamelessly about it, but the Tories' priorities are very different, and it's certainly not for the benefit of the ordinary people, folks! Your taxes have gone up the the highest level in history but they have simultaneously dismantled all that was good post war, and starved the ordinary people of necessary resources via none stop cuts to funding in every area. The money has been redirected the into the pockets of rich cronies, friends and already wealthy. Their latest gambit is to cut inheritance tax. Now who do you think benefits most from that?

(Forget that it now costs £4,000 a month for a care home or care provider at home, which will take the entire cost of a baby boomer's house, so nothing left to leave.)

 

Thus the oft heard truism of 'the rich get richer, while  the poor get poorer.'

 

So let's not blame the 'golden generation' but put it squarely where it belongs. With the   successive  Conservative governments.

   

 

Good old Labour eh  A mention of neoliberalism would've fitted well in that .

34 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Maybe there isn't much difference now between the Parties, but that didn't use to be the case.

 

Back before the 1970s 80s there was a great deal of difference, and Labour (and the unions) were most definitely on the side of the working man. But the Conservatives were very good at getting their message across, promising much yet delivering little under Thatcher, never mind that the message wasn't true. 

 

'Winter of discontent' springs to mind, although we've had more strikes under the Conservatives than Labour ever had, and people now look back on the 70s with affection compared to now.

Followed by 'who's in charge of the country' which gave the Tories their excuse to castrate the unions to make them as good as powerless and prepare the population for the next step, and to save save the Tories'  hides because they knew what was coming... - A move to close down manufacturing at the cost of multi-millions in unemployment, and devastating whole industries. 

It created poverty and an underclass from which the North has never really recovered.

 

In its place, the Tories / Thatcher made a move to take the country into the world of 'Financial management' by selling off the countries assets, and bribing the population with the chance to 'buy shares;' even lending them the money to do it which of course had to be paid back, but raised the value of the shares creating the rampant inflation of the 1980s. Small investors sold their shares for a small profit, but 'free market economics' benefitted the big multinational buyers enormously and lost this country the right to control it's own infrastructure as we now owned very little.

 

Our move into the financial sphere went well didn't it? A few Yuppies in the South East made it big time, but from then on for most it was all downhill in a race to the bottom.

Manipulation, and Corruption led to the financial crash of 2008 which finished off a lot of small and medium sized businesses. Quantatitive Easing made up the deficits and  never stopped, and now we're paying the price with rampant inflation again, which has just about finished us all off. Kids can't afford their own homes, the working poor abound, homelessness and hunger has increased, and people have (rightly) lost all faith in work being a way out of poverty.

 

The country has divided us into the poorer 99% and the wealthy 1%, and the gap has never been wider.  I agree that there are no signs of sense prevailing, as with the annihalation of last hope Corbyn, both parties are now wedded to Neoliberalism.  And we haven't yet reached the bottom. But without significant change, rest assured, we will.

Oh , there it is .

[Mister Gee]

4 minutes ago, hackey lad said:

Second sentence . That's very nearly one of the silliest things I've ever read on here .

Good old Labour eh  A mention of neoliberalism would've fitted well in that .

Seeing as you’ve mentioned it, could you give us a succinct definition of Neoliberalism?

[hackey lad]

Just now, Mister Gee said:

Seeing as you’ve mentioned it, could you give us a succinct definition of Neoliberalism?

Ask Anna B . Its her favourite word .

[Mister Gee]

8 minutes ago, hackey lad said:

Ask Anna B . Its her favourite word .

You mentioned it so I’m asking you.

[hackey lad]

3 minutes ago, Mister Gee said:

You mentioned it so I’m asking you.

Anna B mentioned it first (again)  . Ask her .

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Maybe there isn't much difference now between the Parties, but that didn't use to be the case.

 

Back before the 1970s 80s there was a great deal of difference, and Labour (and the unions) were most definitely on the side of the working man. But the Conservatives were very good at getting their message across, promising much yet delivering little under Thatcher, never mind that the message wasn't true. 

 

'Winter of discontent' springs to mind, although we've had more strikes under the Conservatives than Labour ever had, and people now look back on the 70s with affection compared to now.

Followed by 'who's in charge of the country' which gave the Tories their excuse to castrate the unions to make them as good as powerless and prepare the population for the next step, and to save save the Tories'  hides because they knew what was coming... - A move to close down manufacturing at the cost of multi-millions in unemployment, and devastating whole industries. 

It created poverty and an underclass from which the North has never really recovered.

 

In its place, the Tories / Thatcher made a move to take the country into the world of 'Financial management' by selling off the countries assets, and bribing the population with the chance to 'buy shares;' even lending them the money to do it which of course had to be paid back, but raised the value of the shares creating the rampant inflation of the 1980s. Small investors sold their shares for a small profit, but 'free market economics' benefitted the big multinational buyers enormously and lost this country the right to control it's own infrastructure as we now owned very little.

 

Our move into the financial sphere went well didn't it? A few Yuppies in the South East made it big time, but from then on for most it was all downhill in a race to the bottom.

Manipulation, and Corruption led to the financial crash of 2008 which finished off a lot of small and medium sized businesses. Quantatitive Easing made up the deficits and  never stopped, and now we're paying the price with rampant inflation again, which has just about finished us all off. Kids can't afford their own homes, the working poor abound, homelessness and hunger has increased, and people have (rightly) lost all faith in work being a way out of poverty.

 

The country has divided us into the poorer 99% and the wealthy 1%, and the gap has never been wider.  I agree that there are no signs of sense prevailing, as with the annihalation of last hope Corbyn, both parties are now wedded to Neoliberalism.  And we haven't yet reached the bottom. But without significant change, rest assured, we will.

Well said again Anna.

[Anna B]

2 hours ago, hackey lad said:

Ask Anna B . Its her favourite word .

 

2 hours ago, hackey lad said:

Anna B mentioned it first (again)  . Ask her .

As you keep bringing it up (glad you're taking note,) I'd have thought if you really cared you would have looked it up by now.

 

I've explained it before. I'm not about to copy out Wikipedia for you. Look it up yourself.

Edited November 19, 2023 by Anna B