You're right to talk of a generational divide. My generation is the first to be worse off than the one which came before, and Gen Z are looking at something similar. Permanent full time work is harder to come by, house prices have risen up faster than inflation for decades, a university degree puts you into £30k+ of debt, and if you are in permanent full time work, your employer will be contributing much less to your pension.
3 years ago until she passed, my gran was the 85 year old widow you were describing, worked as a primary school teacher and married to an NHS doctor. I'd say they got the rewards their hard work deserved. The problem is, many in my generation will spend a lifetime working hard to probably not own a house, to have much less in their pension pot (if they have one), and having seen the value of their wages continue to drop.
You're right to be concerned about the impact the current cuts will have on today's pensioners. But this is a generation that was buying houses in the 60s for nearly as much as what my wife and I will pay for one month's mortgage instalment. If today's pensioners are going to struggle, the ones in the next few generations to come are royally screwed.
