The Ageing Population Timebomb - Myth or Fact?

The reason older people are blamed for everything is that we have raised a generation of children, Thatcher's children, that expect to get everything they want and give nothing, and blame everybody else for their self-inflicted problems.

Fortunately, not all children are like that, Flickety.
Mine are more socialist than I am, if that's possible.

it suits the politicians of all political hues to have a 'scapegoat' to quell the rumblings of the 'discontented' (lots of youngish people in that group but i recall from the radical 60s that young people do most of the discontented rumblings)
this could be 'immigrants'
or more likely it is the 'baby boomers' who are stealing from the young and the cause of all their ills. So instead of trying to change their lot and make the politicians listen they blame the old for getting old, for living too long, for using the nhs (as if we choose to get sick), for being supported by their taxes (as if we did not also pay tax), and for living in houses we have paid for that cost us tuppence ha'penny to buy.
I do feel for the young but the divide is between the 'rich' and the 'struggling' not as simple as an entire generation being to blame.
hollydaze - thank you for your exhaustive research - confirms what I have always felt to be the case.

I don't believe we are a ticking time bomb for so many reasons but the politicians have to make someone the scapegoats...makes me mad!

I am a ticking timebomb. I was told so by my GP after having an aortic dissection nearly a year ago!

Well, they're not going to blame the bankers are they?

That's why we need lots of lovely immigrants HollyDaze to look after us in our old age and to earn and pay lots of taxes to UK gov. to pay for our health care.

Well said, Jess, but I expect they'll find a way to make us pay for it all over again.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets miffed by it all!

The problem with a lot of the immigrant workers is that they are on minimum or low wage and will pay very little tax so I'm not sure that will help all that much

It does often feel like governments adopt an attitude of divide and conquer - I'm also suspicious, as molly said, to divert attention or dissatisfaction away from themselves.

So next time you hear someone blaming the older generation, put them right!

Hollydaze you haven't been listening to the guff given out by UKIP have you?

There is no 'problem' with immigrant workers per se and in fact many of them are better qualified and pay more taxes that average.

read on

Aka - you may want to read the link I've just put on the relevant thread about UKIP that addresses the bit you've just put. You'll find it does not agree with you regarding your 'fact' that immigrants work harder and are better qualified and pay more taxes than British worker

'There is little doubt that many immigrants are extremely diligent and highly motivated. However, Dr Bridget Anderson pointed out that notions of good attitude and work ethic are "highly subjective and potentially simplistic.'

Her comments are in full on the link given (Dr Anderson is a senior research fellow at the Centre on Migration, Policy & Society at the University of Oxford)

Yup immigrants not only pay their own taxes (the vast majority of them) but they contribute to the commercial life of the country and its economic growth. My DH was not born in the UK, nor does he have a UK passport. Paid a fair bit of tax over the years personally and kept a business going through hard times so that employees continued to pay tax as well as the business.
Strikes me that immigrants (and their kids) are far more likely to start businesses than those who come from traditional white backgrounds. Just been to Manchester and in certain areas there are many rows of small businesses, all started by immigrants. Curry mile for a start. I was in the Science and Industry museum there as well reading about a very successful entrepreneur in the clothing industry who started several well known brands including jeans made in the UK. Born in India.
Pity none of the politicians are on this agenda rather than trying to divide young from old. (while Jeremy Hunt then lectures us about looking after older relatives...)

This is a complete myth about immigrants working harder than British workers. The fact that we are all human means that we similar. Some workers regardless of their nationally will have a good work ethic. They will work hard, do the job to the best of their ability and pay their taxes.
Others will find every dodge they can to not do a days work.
I have had first hand of this experience over the last. 15 years or so.
The reason immigrants seem to work harder is because employers favour them above British employees, the reason being they are more likely to work for lower wages and put up with unreasonable working conditions.
As for them paying taxes to help the economy is of very little help as this is off set by the amount of money set back to their country to support their families. British workers would spend that money here, which would help to stimulate growth and perhaps create more jobs.
Also a lot of emigrants are hood winked into coming into this country illegally, promised a huge amount of money to work for cowardly faceless individuals and are then left to live in squalid accommodation and paid a fraction of what they are promised.

Yes Jess my experiences of friends from different cultures and children if immigrant families that i habe taught back that up.

Sorry Holly This was not MY report but one from a reputable source and backed up by statistics, not 'notions'. What a strange term to use. Guff is the word I used about UKIP's philosophy but I could have used much stronger terminology.

whatsgoingon we were talking about qualifucations and paying tax. These are hard statistical facts which owe nothing to urban myths or 'notions'.

'Children of immigrant families that I have taught' (fat morning fingers)

However, we are straying from the OP.

We are told to eat five fruit and veg, give up smoking, take regular exercise,etc. The upshot of all this does not appear to be a huge saving on the NHS; we still cannot afford it. Our life expectancy has increased which apparently also increases our drain on society. Not to worry, I suspect I shall be one to 'buck the trend'.

When I gave up smoking, one of the promises I made myself was that I would take it up again were I to reach the age of 70! In five and a half years I can have a cigarette.

did attempt to read the report aka but lots of very dodgy stats there and also the fact that CReAM uses FLS data which is based on 'A sample of households is selected at random from the Royal Mail's Postcode Address File.' - as always there are 'lies, d--n lies and statistics'

All these reports are always one sided, they look at what we cost, but they do not look at what we contribute. People over 60 now account for 17% of the population.

Putting aside our contributions, still, in income tax, and in kind, in the provision of free childcare, there is the money we spend on a day to day basis on food, fuel, clothes, and everything else we spend our income from acupuncture to visiting zoos (with or without GCs). This amounts to billions of £s. How many shops, service suppliers, transport services and leisure providers, not to mention carers and health workers, manufacturers of almost every kind of item would close down, putting as many as a million people out of work were it not for our spending power, no matter how small our income.

Almost every product and service includes 20% VAT, then there is the domino affect of the loss of taxes from those made unemployed if we were not busy spending our money.

To have an ageing population, wouldn't babies have to be born slightly older than new?

jinglebells Very true. I think that about the expression "Rapidly ageing population"!
Well! I for one am not ageing any faster than my little grandson. 24hrs a day is the going rate!
It's being picky but that particular sound bite really annoys me.

A recognised methodology Mollie

Yes, it was interesting to read a report which looked at contribution rather that cost Flickety for a change.

I think there was a report somewhere about how much over 60s contribute to the economy. I'll see if I can find it.

there is this

and this though from 2007