Have the Boomers Pinched Their Children’s Futures? – with Lord David Willetts

48 thoughts on “Have the Boomers Pinched Their Children’s Futures? – with Lord David Willetts”

1. When asked like this bigger is better – bigger means more opportunities, translating in higher economic wealth etc. There is a sweet spot though. Too large and it turns the other way for most, too small and it doesn't work out except for a few. Plus you have to have democracy & an democratic open society

2. This is a taboo topic.. Nobody wants to lose his(her) privileges but I think there is wisdoms on what the conferencist explained.

3. That's a very good argument against conservatism, despite being from a Tory.

4. Divide everyone into artificial groups and have them bicker, where there is only one CLASS composed of every race, age, philosophy and gender you can imagine that bleeds everyone dry.

5. so when are we roundin up all the boomers an leaving them in antartica?

6. Like a Lord needs a platform to speak, 👎

7. This is such an interesting analysis. It shows statistically, all the worries of so many people, and just how hard hitting some of the self-imposed recessions have been, during and post Thatcher. He, himself, may be a moderate Conservative, but he is clearly not a 'Thatcherite'. 

   It is also so interesting so see how the politics had changed, from strong class-based divisions, to no clear division at all. Personally, I feel strongly that following the 1992 recession, Socialism changed in this country, too. It started to attack it's own, in order to rile people towards their own political ends – so desperate for a 'moral victory' against Thatcher – and I suspect this backfired. It hurt as deeply as any recession, especially at local Government level. It left people destitute, unsupported by their 'friends'. 

   I hate the Tories, and all they are doing to this country of ours – especially with the promise of Brexit. Yet, I could never willingly vote Labour, either – for exactly this experience. New Labour was moderate. Today, it is not. It is regressive. This whole talk spells-out the reason why we so need a new politics. Indeed, we need a different generation in politics!

8. This should be mandatory viewing for all boomers.

9. Deep State intergenerational warfare propaganda. As expected, but some 150 years of Anglo-American oligarchic propaganda, fraud, theft, and war crimes will not be buried.

10. The link to the Q&A in the description, links to a Q&A from a different lecture!!

11. sounds like Boomers had a party and Millenials have to pay for it…

12. A simular thing is happening in the United States.
    By the way; you should remove estimated Co2 emissions and replace it with other types of pollution instead. Current scientific studies have proven human influence on the climate is less than 1% compared to natural changes. (Solar particle forcing) (galactic current sheet) (cosmic ray impacts due to low solar activity)

13. Tory scumbag.

14. Ok boomer

15. OK Boomer

16. Ok boomer

17. Like suggested in that scene in Battlestar Galactica I think we're going to have to start ordering people to reproduce.

18. The Q&A link is incorrect and takes you to Q&A: Why Have We Not Found Any Aliens? – with Keith Cooper. :/

19. The difference between "conservatism" in the UK and us, in the us, he'd be black balled for saying such socialist things. This is further left than many American Democrats

20. A simple man appling simple logic to explain a complex issue to simple people.

21. I'm a millennial from a working class background. I have far more in common with a 70yo from a similar socioeconomic milieu than I do with, for example, the 2nd in line to the British throne who happens to share my birth year. End of, really.

22. They are and always will be the "Me" generation.

23. So the answer to big government is more governent.

24. Pillow day for the boomers can not come quick enough.

25. Thanks boomer.

26. Pension is something my generation will never see.
    I'm thinking of either buying a homestead and growing my own food…
    Or becoming a landlord and renting out apartments.

27. I have seen some evidence to indicate that much of this situation is the same in the United States.

28. Let's assume all this is true up to 6:30. How are things going to work out for you when there are fewer people left in the next generation to support you? I suppose it's not a problem because you can always vote them into tax slavery.

29. 10 grand in 2 years woohoo

30. Royal Institution gets woke.

31. I'd love to see a similar analysis for the USA. Certainly a lot of the trends seem similar, from my personal experience and observation.

32. Ok boomer.

33. Everyone already knows this but thanks anyways.

34. 10:12 "20% of boomers have a second home which they rent out". Lord David Willetts (Lord? How many second, third etc homes does he own and rent out?) makes unfounded and unjustified assumptons. My late mother's house, which I inherited and now let out, was never my home. I spoke to our tenant and said that, if she wanted to buy it, she only had to talk to us (no, I'm not a charity, but will take a sensible offer). "Second homes" are for the privileged, those born with a silver spoon stuck up their arse like this who-ever-he-is stuck-up Willetts.

    Bit disappointing. I'm a masochist, so will keep watching. Watch this space.

35. We have an economic system that rewards the ownership of a natural resource and penalises work effort and enterprise. This funnels incomes to those that do not produce goods and services. Not just those that are retired, but banks, landlords, property developers and foreign property owners. Land now represents 50% of total UK wealth, whereas in a just society it should be zero. A proper land tax drops its selling price to zero because incomes are transferred back to typical working households and those that find housing unaffordable now. Furthermore, it optimises the economy for growth, reducing the need to tax beneficial activities. So everyone in the future can benefit from a stronger economy, with the proceeds more equitably distributed.

36. I am curious, here in the US the average house has become 1000sqft bigger over the last 50 years, thus when you compare the price per square foot it has stayed I line with inflation.
    Is this the case in the UK? I realize houses are smaller over there but I would be surprise to hear they aren't getting bigger.

37. To be fair (and my previous comments have been stupifyingly negative, although for (I think – YMMV – defensible reasons), at around 29min it all sounds depressingly familiar (stunning final salary pension schemes that allowed my wife (her pension) and I (hanger-on) to move to a lovely village). This boomer is def part of the problem: but how can I be a part of a solution?

38. Is Lord Willetts an Honorary prof? I would hate to assume that old = poor but that would suggest its safer to assume old = not poor. Can I assume that a lord = not poor?
    How about we not assume anything about people we dont know even if we have access to the stats (Census?), or titles they are known by.
    Pensions are generally paid for by taxation as suggested by governments and agreed to by the general public. Pensioners get what they have paid for, and usually less and later than agreed.
    Science of propaganda?

39. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.

40. born in '66, my pay at 22 was nothing like 7 an hour, it was just over 1 per hour ! Consequently, a year later, still working for that same princely sum, i happily left the toryified uk.
    Now, at 53, my hourly pay is just over 100 times that level. i bet the overwhelming majority of those who stayed and endured the wave after wave of attacks, under the tory regime, can not say the same.
    Tory has systematically destroyed Britain on behalf of a handful of avaricious lunatics. i believe that it takes a few years spent overseas, away from the UK's relentless and obsessive pro-tory propaganda for a person to recognise that disturbing truth.

41. that was very well delivered , especially given that it was 'a tough crowd' of (stereotypically indignant / defiant) boomers

42. Wow, good talk. I like the change of pace. I like the facts and data. And I agree with Lord Willetts, y'all fix it or we will, and it may not be pretty.

43. 20:20 pensioners were poor in the 80's because thatcher stole their
    pension money. it was 'index' linked to average earnings, she threw
    that out the window and, now the uk state pension, at less than a THIRD
    of that paid to German citizens, is the most pathetic in the developed
    world.

44. No one gonna mention the graph at 17:40 is wrong in regards to what he is saying. Does he mean post gen z instead of melenials?

45. We were supposed to be underwater by now so you're falling for this again?

46. Solution: 2.5% wealth tax with an exception to someone with a Net wealth below $15000, and then a yearly handing out of a UBI (basic income) to the bottom 40% of the population with more priority to Students and homeless, and make it exclusive to Citizen only. This will make Boomer generation contribute to the younger generation while not excluding unfortunate Boomers who ends up homeless.

47. Great talk. I found that the baby boomer generation completely disconnected with their social responsibilities, with the mentality of children they take all the benefits from society and refuse to prepare the future for their own children. Their generation have not worked harder, saved more, they have consumed more and taken more. The boomer generation are akin to the banker (a professional gangster) – who was born with no societal debt and taken everything from previous generations and refuse to give back, as they, somehow, are better than all other generations, before and after them. As to the point of baby boomers care, well, that is mute, if they did, they would vote for youth not for the benefit of themselves.

48. I am wondering whether to talk about the baby boomers being from 1946-1965 actually makes sense because what I actually see from the graph is two baby booms in the late 1940s and then in the early 1960s with a fairly large dip in the mid-1950s.

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