The baby boomers will go down as the worst, most selfish generation in history.

I see I miss being a baby boomer by 2 years. Off the hook then. Meanwhile, all you baby boomers born from 1946 - 'It's all your fault'. Or so they say.

Am reading something about how difficult it is to break down prejudice.

Well done daphnedil!
I believe dd that you said that you are a baby boomer, and I hope that you are able to break down the prejudices of your generation and help them to realise just how selfish some of them are perceived to be by those younger than them.

I have just realised, too Devorgilla, that DH and I are not baby boomers, DH is one of the original 'single parent families' deprived of much, including a father, by the war. I was lucky enough to have a father who came back from the war but I must say our upbringings were quite deprived although we didn't realise it at the time!
Off the hook, as you say!

I quite agree with your post Trisher.
My ex BIL was a Denplan dentist of the year.He was not able to treat NHS patients well,partly because of underfunding,but also the quota system which had to be met.The NHS would rather fund a quick extraction than pay for preventative care.
I well remember the nit nurse.
Not just young people on the street,I heard of a case where mum,dad and two children lived in their car locally for a few days after losing their home.
There is a massive divide in society,not just based on the NHS and social support,but those exceptionally comfortable and those with little.
It bothers me that someone can work a full week and be low enough paid that they need to ask for additional benefits.

fricking boomers complaining

you only needed 5 "O" levels to get into a teachers training college. Now 5 GCSE's is the basic and young people, have to work for degrees and 4 A levels is a norm. No, no, you still needed 2 'A' levels to get into teacher training college

Right and wrong. You really did only need 5 O levels or equivalent for both nursing and teaching. That remained the case right through the 1980's and until the act was changed to create the (so called) all graduate profession of teaching and that was followed by nursing in the curriculum 2000 changes.

The thing is, you would not necessarily secure a place in teacher training with 5 O levels or its equivalent. It required 2 A levels at most teaching colleges ( althought they could vary that and still can, and they do as well. Thats where the "unconditional offers are coming in these days).

Not quite what it appeared.

Anyway, teacher training did not involve a degree, it was a 2 year course awarding a Teaching Certificate

That was technically true until 1980 ( in sciences) although it was changed in the late 1970's for other subjects. Its complicated as the statutory instrument is weird on that. You need to find your qualifications and see what is qualified and what is not. Further , the waters are muddied now by teach first and other initiatives.

But lets not go there.

Education was not free either. It was like the NHS free at the point of delivery. It was paid for by the tax payer. Only a small number of people got to university ( between 5% and 15% depending on whether it was the 1950's or the 1970's) . The grants were means tested. Tuition was not always "free" either and all was subject to actually performing well on the university course.

At the end of the day that small number of privileged usually very bright people were paid for by all those ( including the young people who left school at 14/15 ) who went to work and paid tax.

Today things are different and have been since 2000 when curriculum 2000 offered education to anyone who could get a place and made university places available to 50% of young people leaving school at 18. Lets face it, we cannot support that level of entitlement by grants and free tuition.