Do you want to discuss boring politics? (35 Viewers)

[Grendel]

Your evidence is anecdotal, the empirical evidence shows the millennial generation is worse off than the ones before. A joke about a stereotypical Japanese evidence is the same as comparing two players getting fouled a lot? Of course it is.

You clearly aren't interested in genuine discussion on here besides going on the contrarian wind up.

I think you are entitled because of your private education and your degree - I honestly think you come across as a pretty unpleasant individual- jealous of people rather than focusing on good things in your life. Nothing contrarian - it’s how you come across on here.

 

---

[MalcSB]

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.

Well, you know who to blame for the student debt situation. Tony Blair’s Labour Government. Gordon Brown fucked over pension schemes during Ro y. Lair’s government. Would house price inflation have been so significant if the population not been significantly increased by immigration?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Well, you know who to blame for the student debt situation. Tony Blair’s Labour Government. Gordon Brown fucked over pension schemes during Ro y. Lair’s government. Would house price inflation have been so significant if the population not been significantly increased by immigration?

Both governments share some blame for how things got to the way they did. But to my knowledge, you've only started being critical of government spending cuts once they've impacted the demographic you're in.

A decade and a half of real terms cuts to education, the jacking up of tuition fees, and it's silence from the same people.

 

[MalcSB]

If you’ve got millions in assets you’re a millionaire. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos don’t have their money in cash either.

I’m sorry but the state shouldn’t be paying you to stay in a home you can’t afford during a housing crisis.

The housing crisis isn’t down to my example 85 year old woman, and I’m not sure how her downsizing would actually help those at the bottom of the ladder, she will be able to outbid them. What you really want is for her to die to release a house in to the system.

 

[MalcSB]

Both governments share some blame for how things got to the way they did. But to my knowledge, you've only started being critical of government spending cuts once they've impacted the demographic you're in.

A decade and a half of real terms cuts to education, the jacking up of tuition fees, and it's silence from the same people.

I’ve only been on this thread for a few months, it was the upcoming election and the outcome that has prompted my comments in here, and the winter fuel cuts, given what the lying slimy bastard Starmer had said beforehand, we’re bound to be a subject of comment.

Universities have been allowed to grow and grow and become revenue generating machines, selling in some cases worthless courses and raking it in from loads of student accommodation. Completely wrong in my view. Blair encouraged a mindset of going to uni whether it was the best thing for an individual or not.

 

[shmmeee]

The housing crisis isn’t down to my example 85 year old woman, and I’m not sure how her downsizing would actually help those at the bottom of the ladder, she will be able to outbid them. What you really want is for her to die to release a house in to the system.

It would help her pay her bills though. Why should the government subsidise her to stay in a house most could only dream of owning?

 

[wingy]

I’ve only been on this thread for a few months. Universities have been allowed to grow and grow and become revenue generating machines, selling in some cases worthless courses and raking it in from loads of student accommodation. Completely wrong in my view.

For Australian ownership I think,or à large portion of it!

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I think you are entitled because of your private education and your degree - I honestly think you come across as a pretty unpleasant individual- jealous of people rather than focusing on good things in your life. Nothing contrarian - it’s how you come across on here.

I've made no secret of the major changes I've made to my life in the past year to try and better myself, and prior to that spent years helping people achieve success of their own. Still do that voluntarily each weekend in the city too.

I stayed in private education by contributing towards my own fees with part time work, in any case.

You come across as pretty unpleasant most of the time with sneering comments aimed at people's professions, income, personalities etc etc. The aim of the game for you on here is to go on the wind up.

 

[shmmeee]

I’ve only been on this thread for a few months. Universities have been allowed to grow and grow and become revenue generating machines, selling in some cases worthless courses and raking it in from loads of student accommodation. Completely wrong in my view.

Which UK students would you reject? It would be STEM subjects first cos they cost the most.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I’ve only been on this thread for a few months. Universities have been allowed to grow and grow and become revenue generating machines, selling in some cases worthless courses and raking it in from loads of student accommodation. Completely wrong in my view.

I don't disagree about universities. But that would be another aspect of the generational divide, with today's students going into tens of thousands of pounds of debt for degrees that count for a lot less than the degrees of the past which had free tuition and led to a much less crowded jobs market.

Both parties had a role in it becoming that of course.

 

[Grendel]

I've made no secret of the major changes I've made to my life in the past year to try and better myself, and prior to that spent years helping people achieve success of their own. Still do that voluntarily each weekend in the city too.

I stayed in private education by contributing towards my own fees with part time work, in any case.

You come across as pretty unpleasant most of the time with sneering comments aimed at people's professions, income, personalities etc etc. The aim of the game for you on here is to go on the wind up.

How much of your monthly income do you pay on your mortgage?

 

[shmmeee]

I don't disagree about universities. But that would be another aspect of the generational divide, with today's students going into tens of thousands of pounds of debt for degrees that count for a lot less than the degrees of the past which had free tuition and led to a much less crowded jobs market.

Both parties had a role in it becoming that of course.

You don’t get labs and equipment without teaching midwits for peanuts in a classroom tho. Unless of course you out all the costs on the taxpayer or the students themselves.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

You don’t get labs and equipment without teaching midwits for peanuts in a classroom tho. Unless of course you out all the costs on the taxpayer or the students themselves.

Well yes. In the last few years of my STEM degree we were in 35 hours of contact time a week, half of which was labs. Mrs BSB who did a humanities course had a few hours of contact time a week and would have been charged the same barring being Scottish.

Not sure what the answer is really, unless it's to incur higher charges for those subjects-but then those subjects are the ones where we need the graduates.

 

[shmmeee]

Well yes. In the last few years of my STEM degree we were in 35 hours of contact time a week, half of which was labs. Mrs BSB who did a humanities course had a few hours of contact time a week and would have been charged the same barring being Scottish.

Not sure what the answer is really, unless it's to incur higher charges for those subjects-but then those subjects are the ones where we need the graduates.

It’s the same as the visa mill situation. Yeah it would be great not to have unis putting crap out to foreign students, but without them student loans would triple overnight.

I think most of us would go back to an old style system of maybe 20% going to uni. But you tell the middle classes that their daughter isn’t studying art history next year. And you tell employers they can’t insist on a degree for working in an office.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

It’s the same as the visa mill situation. Yeah it would be great not to have unis putting crap out to foreign students, but without them student loans would triple overnight.

I think most of us would go back to an old style system of maybe 20% going to uni. But you tell the middle classes that their daughter isn’t studying art history next year. And you tell employers they can’t insist on a degree for working in an office.

The solution to this is probably beyond the brains of some football forum posters in truth

 

[shmmeee]

The solution to this is probably beyond the brains of some football forum posters in truth

Even the Arsenal forum it seems.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

How much of your monthly income do you pay on your mortgage?

Currently, our mortgage payments are £1400 a month. My PhD stipend payments are £1550.

 

[shmmeee]

Currently, our mortgage payments are £1400 a month. My PhD stipend payments are £1550.

My student loan is paid off in two months time. I’ll get almost as much as my mortgage payment back each month, more than my child support amount. All disposable income. Imagine the drag on the economy that’s been.

 

[wingy]

It’s the same as the visa mill situation. Yeah it would be great not to have unis putting crap out to foreign students, but without them student loans would triple overnight.

I think most of us would go back to an old style system of maybe 20% going to uni. But you tell the middle classes that their daughter isn’t studying art history next year. And you tell employers they can’t insist on a degree for working in an office.

Get em doing the construction disciplenes, oh they already do!

 

[MalcSB]

Which UK students would you reject? It would be STEM subjects first cos they cost the most.

Obviously not. They are the most valuable,

 

[shmmeee]

Get em doing the construction disciplenes, oh they already do!

Companies won’t train them cos they fuck off and start their own business. Would be ludicrous for govt to encourage a generation of small business owners tho. Best to just have building be really expensive and immigration required.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

My student loan is paid off in two months time. I’ll get almost as much as my mortgage payment back each month, more than my child support amount. All disposable income. Imagine the drag on the economy that’s been.

I think mine got sold off to another debt company who decided to start charging interest, so I doubt mine will ever be paid off in full.

 

[shmmeee]

Obviously not. They are the most valuable,

But the most expensive. All the people you or I feel aren’t doing proper quals pay for those that are. David Beckham Studies or Gender Neutral Basket Weaving Studies costs fuck all to staff and resource. An empty classroom and a teacher with no more lucrative career alternatives versus a fully stocked lab and competition with industry.

Money has to come from somewhere.

 

[shmmeee]

I think mine got sold off to another debt company who decided to start charging interest, so I doubt mine will ever be paid off in full.

I mean obviously I’m no longer strongly in favour of debt forgiveness

The effective tax rate on graduates earning modest sums is ludicrous.

 

[wingy]

Companies won’t train them cos they fuck off and start their own business. Would be ludicrous for govt to encourage a generation of small business owners tho. Best to just have building be really expensive and immigration required.

Not really in the specialised disciplines surely?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I mean obviously I’m no longer strongly in favour of debt forgiveness

The effective tax rate on graduates earning modest sums is ludicrous.

In my last year of teaching it was £140 a month.

 

[wingy]

In my last year of teaching it was £140 a month.

It's murdering my girl ATM,but she's plugging away with it!

 

[shmmeee]

Not really in the specialised disciplines surely?

In terms of engineering probably not, and certainly in my (fake) engineering discipline companies are happy to hire what’s out there and skill them up.

Don’t know as much about proper engineering. I did a Marconi Apprenticeship and I’m not sure we’ve got the companies do offer the really high level stuff have we? Certainly industry needs to train more.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

It's murdering my girl ATM,but she's plugging away with it!

I wouldn't have minded it as much if it were steadily paying off the debt, but the statements I got sent showed it was just paying down the interest and not actually reducing what I owed. So really, that's money that won't realistically be getting repaid.

 

[shmmeee]

I wouldn't have minded it as much if it were steadily paying off the debt, but the statements I got sent showed it was just paying down the interest and not actually reducing what I owed. So really, that's money that won't realistically be getting repaid.

Mine didn’t really go down at all until I moved to a whole different income level and then paid off in less than three years. And now I’ll be free of a tax that people earning what I was will be paying until 60. Madness.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Mine didn’t really go down at all until I moved to a whole different income level and then paid off in less than three years. And now I’ll be free of a tax that people earning what I was will be paying until 60. Madness.

Got another 2.5 years on this doctorate and hopefully would then be able to say something similar.

 

[Marty]

Companies won’t train them cos they fuck off and start their own business. Would be ludicrous for govt to encourage a generation of small business owners tho. Best to just have building be really expensive and immigration required.

From my experience it generally doesn't happen, most can't be bothered with going through the hassel of running a company. I started my apprenticeship with 14 others, by the final year it was down to about 7 iirc, due to people not being good, wanting to do something different etc. A city the size of Coventry only had an additional 7 heating engineers from that year group and that's something that's fairly common. We're just not giving young people the opportunity imo,

Foreign tradies I've worked with produce a fairly poor standard of work compared to what we turn out, we just don't produce enough.

 

[shmmeee]

From my experience it generally doesn't happen, most can't be bothered with going through the hassel of running a company. I started my apprenticeship with 14 others, by the final year it was down to about 7 iirc, due to people not being good, wanting to do something different etc. A city the size of Coventry only had an additional 7 heating engineers from that year group and that's something that's fairly common. We're just not giving young people the opportunity imo,

Foreign tradies I've worked with produce a fairly poor standard of work compared to what we turn out, we just don't produce enough.

I knew a lot of kids who wanted into various trades but either needed maths and English C grade for some reason or had to get a company to sponsor them and places were always limited. I know there’s been less interest recently, but generally it feels like we’ve let a whole generation of mechanically if not academically capable boys go to pot.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

I knew a lot of kids who wanted into various trades but either needed maths and English C grade for some reason or had to get a company to sponsor them and places were always limited. I know there’s been less interest recently, but generally it feels like we’ve let a whole generation of mechanically if not academically capable boys go to pot.

Easier to blame them

 

[Nick]

Currently, our mortgage payments are £1400 a month. My PhD stipend payments are £1550.

Wow.

I'm so glad I didn't go to uni. Currently discussing options with my daughter and work based degree apprenticeships are looking good.