Thursday, June 22, 2017

London in steamy, sizzling heat...

... and organisers on the Hard Left announced an attempt to bring down the government by holding a march....it didn't quite work as insufficient people turned up, but it's an announcement for the longer term. This is the voice of young, well-to-do people with a strong sense of hatred for what they have been given and a need to feel they have  actually achieved something.

There is a good deal of discomfort that can be exploited. But at the moment the mood isn't quite there: following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, people arrived not with anger but with  practical help, stacks and stacks of gifts of food and household necessities and clothes and more...and it was volunteers, neighbours and churches that led the way with political activists arriving rather later.

However, the Left has a great deal going for it, especially as it has the student population strongly on its side, with the massive explosion in universities in recent years and a great many young people who feel they have degrees and ought not to have any debts. They feel unwanted and unloveable.

2 comments:

Malcolm said...

I've had more university education (13 years on a generous estimate) than pretty much anybody else, so I'm far from rubbishing it. But there's a lot of what economists call "signalling". This is the idea that a Rolex watch is worth having, not because it tells any different time to a Timex, but from the fact that it is expensive. It tells everyone that the wearer must be rich. Similarly, a university degree is worth having, not so much because of the education on offer, but because it's difficult to obtain a place at a prestigious institution, or even at any institution.

But 9,000 a year for a signal is a steep price to pay. Add living costs, and youngsters are starting off on adult life with a considerable burden. 50,000 or so debt. Then they have to house themselves. The old script of marriage in early twenties and starting a family no longer works. The young have a lot to be angry about. But it's being misdirected.

Anonymous said...

In the US we need Plumbers, Electricians and other skilled workers. My own experience is that it is hard to find one The cost is expensive but I need one because my ability is a joke, so I very am willing to pay the skilled worker. We have finally learned not every person needs to attend a university and end up with a huge debt and a major in some useless subject. The sad thing is they end up living in their parent's basement.