Part 1 of The cracks are real and patience is running out can be read here.
Personnel now in middle and senior management and politics are, you may care to remember, mainly the product of an establishment and educational system that turned out a whole generation of students who struggled to meet even the dumbed-down ‘A’ levels and degree courses that the vastly-expanded higher and university sector churned out in their tens of thousands from the early 1990s onwards. That period when Blair, while not getting involved in wars, was committed to changing the face of Britain for ever, including schools and hospitals. Those people are now in business management and the public services, resulting in, what many have belatedly started to recognise, the state of politics and the public services over the last few years and plainly in view for all to see the last four months.
It’s plain to see where the origins were – during the period when the baby boomers were in control, the swinging 60s generation, look back at the newspapers of the time, the summer of love, the festival on the Isle of Wight, the university sit-ins, the riots, the football hooliganism, strikes, the sexual revolution, increased drug taking, not by the majority of course but by a very large minority.
What is clear is that the following generation, the boomers’ children, the 80’s generation X, continued where their parents or increasingly single parents left off. Low standards, few boundaries of behaviour, the ‘Friends’ generation who took the T.V series as their guide to life, demanded lots of ‘rights’ but wanted few responsibilities. Fuelled by the youth culture of the media, easy money, and even easier credit. Business and professionals in all walks of life noticed and commented on the lack of basic standards and education of the new generation. Many it was said were ambivalent to work, often lazy and incompetent, performed poorly and were unreliable. Senior people in the professions complained that university leavers with degrees often were unable to write clearly and concisely – not helpful if you are starting a career in the law where, as one senior training partner in one of the country’s leading law firms told me in the early 2000s, trainees clutching their law degrees from this university or that, were unable even to construct a sentence and with the comprehension and spelling ability of a 10-year-old, and as he said at the time: “We are, if nothing else, word-smiths” and they can’t spell. So many reports from so many disciplines say the same thing.
Despite all the ‘education’, all the Human Resource legislation, slavishly following the latest management fad, equality legislation, the pool of competent people diminished. Politically motivated activists are now in place from the shop floor, through the middle management of the public and astonishingly to some the larger companies and corporations, even at board level where the chairman of one national chain complained that a shopping trolley added more value to the company than the ability of some non-executive directors.
Parents accept the values of an increasingly left-wing media and the dictates of social media, group think and, like the 40 plus teenagers they really are, accept the group think of the ‘in’ crowd just as their baby boomer grandparents did in the 60s.
All this has been apparent during the last few months, with an indecisive government – a government not unlike John Major, who it was said, was in office but not in power. Boris of course is in power but not it seems in the office.
Weakness and indecision is being exploited by many seeking to overturn the elected government, a government seeking to be all things to everyone and failing most. A lot of this can be traced back as I’ve said, over many years, poor political leadership, lack of confidence and professionalism, the pursuit of easy money and the good life for the few.
The acquiescence of the many to the most authoritarian legislation by this government driven by whims of the chattering media classes and so-called experts will be for future historians to debate. One thing is quite plain for anyone to see if they take the time to look, that many of the baby boomer generation never actually grew up, as they age their attitudes are fixed firmly in the 1960s – a fading dream which most never experienced anyway. In turn their children have grown up with no boundaries to speak of and had a life so far funded by the magic money tree. Still behaving as teenagers in their 40s, illustrated by their manners, their dress and their conversation and beliefs which change at the drop of a hat. A generation that loves to do as it pleases when it pleases, that has all the answers, but when faced with the reality of taking decisions that matter, just can’t. Faced with their out-of-control children, (the ones their grandparents describe as ‘amazing or special’), running riot, breaking the law, refusing any authority, manipulated by social media influencers, they are surprised and clueless and refuse to take even the most basic personal decisions unless Mummy or Daddy, in the shape of government, tells them what to do, because guess what, life and the real world is dangerous and they can’t deal with it. Let’s all stay at home and wear masks. Why? Because it’s dangerous not to. Really? Just like polio, typhus, smallpox, Aids, MRSA, C-dif, measles and flu, you mean? Well yes they reply, but this is different.
Well, good luck with that. Their children like them have been mesmerised by the media, watched as their futures go down the pan, which I remind you was until this year either the fault of selfish baby boomers, or climate change, they soak up manipulative scaremongering stories written by people with a hidden agenda, because they want to stay safe. The elderly removed by the ever-caring NHS from hospital to often ill prepared care homes, probably had every confidence that they would be safe too.
The government (if in fact we have one), needs to understand and get a grip with what is going on. For years we have heard of the feckless living on benefits but now we have nine million people living on the proceeds of the furlough, many of whom have no intention of returning to work with some apparently convinced that it will be next April when they will graciously agree to return.
What they have done is discover the conservative version of socialism and guess what, many of the middle class and the millennials, like it very, very much. If you are looking for them to rebuild the country and look after the elderly and the weak, you will wait a very long time; they can’t even look after themselves. Thank goodness not all baby boomers, generation and millennial ‘snowflakes’ are the same. It’s heartening to hear conversations across the generations from people who are genuinely concerned about how the emergency has been handled, how the minority is now calling the tune and how the establishment has not responded to the attacks on freedom of speech, media bias and the cancel culture. The numbers are rising and it seems patience is running out, something that the Prime Minister needs to heed.
Norman,
I don’t recognise the country you are describing, perhaps it is cities not the country. I’m one of those who you used the derogatory term “baby Boomer” , but the only drugs I’ve consumed in my life are prescription ones and the music still is Classical. My wife and I brought up three children and installed the morals we wanted into them, not leaving any of that to another person, my wife stopped work when the first was born.
That is probably where the slide begins, women having children and then handing over the responsibility to minders and having absolutely no control of their upbringing. These same people seem to have no ability to live within their means, our children were taught to only buy what they can afford or save until they had the cash. The money tree fallacy only ends in tears! Just like the Blair hearts as he was also a giant fraud.
So please Norman don’t cover everybody with that broad brush as I firmly believe my wife and I are not the only ones who loved, cherished and are proud of our offspring.
Mike, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Too much stereotyping going on in this article. I have never been a rocker, never taken drugs, never been on a demo, except policing one that is.. From the age of 12 been a big band fanatic and still am, and more so than my parents when they were alive who lived through the jazz era.
I understand your concern, Lisa. I, too, have three children – two living overseas. May I offer:
Cause no harm
Be honest
Be peaceful
Be responsible
as a lifetime mantra, no matter the training or background?
Excellent advice Michael, except for ‘be honest’. Yes, for the vast amount of time one needs to be honest, but if one is asked: “Does my bum look big in this?” perhaps tact is better than honesty…!
Good advice indeed Michael.
Yes, an excellent resume of our current condition.
I notice though that there is not even a mention of our ‘multicultural Society’ and how it is, and has been, affecting the ‘dumbing-down’ of the entire population, which of course is and was the reason for our educational system to almost totally degrade.
Similar conditions now exist in the USA …………Ah, now let me see they can’t pass the exam? No problem……reduce the difficulty of the questions, and everyone ends up with a Doctorate……who cares whether they are competent? That’s not important………….we now have ‘systemic ignorance’ which OF COURSE will counter ‘systemic racism’……….we all end up dumb………and consequently we have ‘racial equality’.
So…the Chinese Wuhan Virus is not the ONLY pandemic we have suffered from in the last thirty years………..and it may well not even be the most devastating one. We are now in the midst of The Ignorance Pandemic, and THAT is a Pandemic for which there is no vaccine………
Maybe China saw this one coming many years ago?
yes, and to show how bad it has got our beaches and streets are choked with litter because no one was alowed to smack therm when they were children.
Thank you Norman a very concise reflection of life today. Although I have three children, now in their late twenties and thirties, I am pleased to say I have avoided most of the pitfalls of this generation. My only concern is my youngest son, who was also the only one of the three to embrace academia and has a senior research post as a Dr. of Physics, has unfortunately gone through the education system of indoctrination when it comes to human rights but not “wrongs”, climate change and BLM et al and despite producing a lot of evidence to the contrary, he thinks I am the one who has been brainwashed although he would never say that. Good luck to them all.