Depressed

Posted too soon - it remains a fact also that in my day
(1970's) those who now take degrees would have been unlikely to have taken or passed any qualifications and their destination would have been Asda ( or some shop) check out , and indeed many of my peers did do that. Asda may require a modicum of practical .life and common sense, but A levels were not, back then a matter of common sense, life skills or practical in any way. That is another fact that has to be faced. Being speechless does not change that.

I agree with others that uni educatation, though helped by a grant, was not available to many. I hit 18 in the late 60s and though I was a high achiever at school with 4 A grades at A level, my parents made it quite clear that they expected me to go out and get a job - after all I'd soon be getting married and having children, wouldn't I? There was no question of them subsidising me while I got a degree and even my brother had to go out to work for 3 yrs before paying his own way through uni( he's now a respected academic, a professor (yes I'm proud of him)). The attitude was that we were a working class family and uni was only for the wealthy. I still regret my missed opportunity, but it seems like a university education is again becoming the preserve of the wealthy.

It wasn't like that in my family*Casawan*. Both my parents came from Welsh mining families and education was God. All of my generation in the family went to grammar school and most of us to uni. This was around 1960 -65. I did have a grant , and worked every holiday but my parents did all they could to help.
Both my children went to university and I expect my grandchildren will go also. As a' working class family' expectations were high and mostly fulfilled

A group DH belongs to (men, mainly over about 65) is due to have a talk given by a young man on Intergenerational Relations

I would like to be a fly on the wall.

BBbevan: Sorry, I wasn't trying to say that all families, or all working class families were like mine. It was just a comment on my own circumstances. I am glad your family was a little more open minded and forward looking than mine. My parents' parents, born 1890s, all started life as servants, so were raised 'to know their place'. Even now my mother, late 80s, is very conscious of where she thinks she fits. It seems ridiculous to me now, but seems deeply ingrained in her. Thank goodness for progress.

Casawan my grandma was like that. Brought over from Ireland at 17 to look after her cousin's 4 children. His wife had died. She got pregnant by him, married and had 4 children of her own. Then he died in a pit accident. She brought all 8 children up on her own. She was a formidable woman and I loved her a lot

Bbevan - your grandmother certainly deserves respect, must have been a truly hard life with none of our modern appliances to ease the load. My g'parents, both sets, married quite late in life and were well into their 30s before having children, so no big families, though my maternal g'father was one of 13, only four of whom survived childhood in a poor mining community. It seems that going into service was considered a step up. Those generations lived through two horrific wars too, something we should always be glad we have, thus far, avoided.

Well here is something to cheer all the remainders up.
The IMF have reported today that they think the EU and the Euro zone are very unstable and could collapse.

They are very concerned about the EU not tackling its money issues, that its banking system is collapsing, that unemployment is running at very high levels,that they are doing nothing to deal with immigration across its borders and that there is civil unrest.

They have downgraded forecasts for economic growth in the EU and warn of civil unrest and possible economic failure within the zone .

Maybe we Brexisters were not so wrong after all?

Meanwhile in Britian:

The FTSE is up on all measures. Highest since 2010
Exports are booming.
Countries are lining up for trade deals outside of the EU zone

Tata are suggesting it might be possible to keep the Welsh Steel plant open.( saving jobs) now an exit from the EU is likely.

A new deal is being brokered for banking with countries outside the EU and they want the centre in London.
Our economy is stable ( important when compared to the EU).

German banks and business have told Merkel to watch it where talking of sanctions and tariffs against Britain are concerned as they do more exporting to us than we do to them and its likely to hit their economy hardest.

This accords fairly well with my own experience . I as I previously said, the company I work for has been doing well since Brexit and we now have safe jobs for the first time in eight years.

So, I suggest that since things are so good in the EU , those who want to remain part of it, should get their tickets now (one way please) and get aboard for whatever country over there takes their fancy and have your demonstration tea party in someone elses park.

Oh, and it seems, there will not be another referendum. Cameron has said so today.

I am happy here in a post Brexit UK. Certainly things are looking brighter here than "over there".

I voted Remain but tend to be optimistic for the future

No one said it will be easy, all we can do is wait and keep calm, (like the Queen said!) and hopefully in a couple of years, if Russia hasn't turned Europe into another Syria for daring to send tanks to protect the border, the remainers will be thanking the Brexits - or not.

This whole blame thing is very difficult. We took the rap for Brexit even though many of us voted remain but if a larger proportion of the younger generation had actually voted then the result would likely have been different. So they can't accuse us of anything if they didn't bother to use their own votes for their own future. Yes we benefited from being able to get on the housing ladder but we went without so much to do so - things that are deemed 'essential' by my own children 9who I love dearly) and grandchildren.