Corbyn to do Glastonbury - 'the hero of the hour'!

[Eric Cartman]

Bob

Just my opinion but I reckon the younger generation are far more idealised - I know I certainly was - than the older generation.

As you get older you become more of a realist about the world around you. I would say the older generation want more stability and certainty rather than radical change. That is perfectly understandable given the lack of career options as you age, which comes with a lack of earning potential. I don't find that looking after yourself and thinking how you are going manage when you are passed working age as selfish at all. Not everyone has a bullet proof public sector pension that they can rely on - a pension that can provide a certain level of certainty and consistency that you enjoy.

The baby boomers you refer to have an inordinate amount of the nation's wealth held in property and investments such as final salary pensions. By voting the way they do they are voting to maintain their own wealth and living standards and given they don't have much in the way of enhanced earning potential I alluded to earlier it shouldn't seem that surprising that they vote in the way they do.

I think this is exactly the point Bob was trying to make (I might be wrong). The older generations appear to, in their 'wisdom', on average vote for whatever helps them in the short term - they have the something to protect.

Younger generations have less possessions and money in play so they are able to base their vote on what they believe in. Almost everything I based my vote on won't benefit me directly, I have absolutely feck all to lose. We have had many consecutive governments now who have driven wealth inequality, the pendulum has swung too far and now public services are simply not receiving the money they need.

It is kinda the definition of 'selfishness' but the problem is the word selfish inspires wholely negative thoughts. The reality is everyone is selfish and we have to be selfish to some degree else we wouldn't survive.

[Sgt. Pepper]

Indeed.
When we are young, we tend to want to make a better world. Sometimes idealistically, and look for avenues that seem to support that.
When we get older, many of us (not all) tend to want to protect what we have, or batten down the hatches and look for solutions that seem to support that.

I recall that the stats indicated that a high proportion of those who voted for Brexit were older.
Perhaps many Brexiteers will not be around to see very much of it, nor how the choice they made actually pans out for the generations that will live through it.

[Eric Cartman]

Indeed.
When we are young, we tend to want to make a better world. Sometimes idealistically, and look for avenues that seem to support that.
When we get older, many of us (not all) tend to want to protect what we have, or batten down the hatches and look for solutions that seem to support that.

I recall that the stats indicated that a high proportion of those who voted for Brexit were older.
Perhaps many Brexiteers will not be around to see very much of it, nor how the choice they made actually pans out for the generations that will live through it.

Not allowed to say that, despite it being true, we have to pretend that they will live to infinity otherwise you are accused of wishing they would die?!

The reality is, in the short term (20 years) Brexit could be a complete catastrophe for this country, trade deals take a long time. Almost everyone you speak to who has any speck of inside knowledge of Whitehall says that the government do not have a clue what they are doing with Brexit.

[Feedback]

Thanks for explaining that, I certainly don't see you as a bigot for a start, you come across as a nice person to me.
I guess holding the same political views all of your life is good thing if you firmly believe and understand those views from the start, I clearly didn't as my views have changed a lot over the last ten years, I've grown up a bit and gathered much more information so I see things differently now, I don't think that's a bad thing either.

I think I'm at the age where I'm stuck between the two, on one hand I have my dad who is a bit of a racist (which I obviously don't like) but he talks a lot of sense about other things, on the other hand I have my daughter who is 24 who has a completely unrealistic view on life, she has no idea of what she is voting for or what the consequences or her vote might be, she thinks she has forever to change the world and worry about her future but we all know that comes around much quicker than you imagine, I can't knock her for that though as I was her at one time.

It's just an endless cycle that I doubt will ever change.

ain't that the truth