Boomeranger

Boomers have been getting a bad press of late but the time has come to stage a fightback.

Lest the prospect of hordes of disgruntled pensioners getting militant should prompt alarm on the one hand or hoots of derision on the other allow me to clarify. I'm not for one moment suggesting that, collectively, we oldies should take to the streets demanding yet further concessions for ourselves, rather mobilise our political clout on behalf of those young, disabled and disadvantaged people who are facing hardship as a result of increasingly punitive government policies.

Our generation turns out to vote disproportionately, while others are either too apathetic or too disenchanted to make the effort. That gives us enormous political clout which, if harnessed to the common good rather than selfish ends, could be transformational. Losing our winter fuel payment (known by some as the wine allowance) was insulting for loyal Labour voters and, for many, caused anxiety or actual hardship. But, having benefited hugely from post-war health, education, housing and pension policies, now is the time to show solidarity with those many who are never likely to enjoy the benefits we did unless we stand up for them.

To be frank, I think it's time for we oldies to adopt a self-denying ordinance and focus our political influence for the benefit of others less advantaged than ourselves. I'm outraged by plans of this Labour government (for which I confess I voted) to cut welfare benefits and personal independence payments (PIP) to the disabled, whilst softening its tax policies towards 'non-doms'. This is emphatically NOT what I voted for. I appreciate that the incoming Labour government under Keir Starmer inherited a desperate financial situation, if not the hyperbolic 'black hole', but its decision to punish the poor whilst sparing the super-rich is despicable.

If Millennials and Generation Z choose to disenfranchise themselves out of despair at the current political system, whilst lacking the energy or commitment to overthrow it themselves, then it falls to us Boomers to use our declining powers to do it for them. They accuse us (understandably) of squandering their inheritance, destroying the planet and generally fucking them over. Oh, and now we might be sending them to war as well! Their anger could quite conceivably tip over into inter-generational conflict, which I doubt we have the physical power to resist. Our superpower is our voting strength so let's use it, or the threat if it, to secure our legacy for them.

If at first we don't succeed, we'll just keep coming back.

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