AUSTERITY IS A MYTH ; REALITY IS DIFFERENT.

I read an article recently which poured scorn on the notion that people in the UK today are having a hard time. After giving the matter a few moments thought, I can only agree that the so-called 'austerity' which we have endured is a myth and that, in reality, the vast majority of people are much better off than they have ever been.

Having said that, many will not agree. They will point to tiny, or non-existent, wage rises in recent years, ridiculous house prices, student fees and many other things to demonstrate how they're being hard done by. They will say that their future prospects are miserable, with the likelihood of lower pensions than their parents while also having to work to a greater age. To some extent, they have a point.

However, what they don't consider is the overall standard of living which they enjoy when compared with earlier generations. They seem to be oblivious to the need to make mature choices about their futures, in particular, with regard to the ways in which they manage their money. While previous generations had a tendency to prioritise spending on housing followed by essentials, today's generation seems to prioritise spending on leisure, pleasure and egotism. For many, possession of the latest technological gadgets, the latest 'designer' clothes, assorted body decoration and holidays in exotic places have taken precedence over buying a home paying everyday bills and saving for the future. They whinge about having to pay fees to go to university while doing nothing to help themselves and not even understanding the rules around the loan system.

They have money for smoking, drinking and all sorts of personal enjoyment, yet can't pay their everyday bills. Having spent their money on frippery, they then complain that they are poor and can't afford the deposit for a house or to save for the future. Basically, they seem to think that the world owes them a living while they appear to accept little or no responsibility for themselves. They are horribly decadent and their overall approach to life is not that far removed from earlier societies which had reached a peak and then suffered catastrophic collapse. They expect something for nothing, a return with no effort and that the state must support them in whatever they choose to do. They believe themselves to be 'deserving' and invulnerable.

Well, life ain't like that. The modern generation are infinitely better off than any generation that went before. They have access to things and riches that were unimaginable 100 years ago, even 50 years ago; if they choose to squander those riches that's their funeral. In this world, it's effort and forward planning that are rewarded and if they can't understand that, tough. Rather than whining about the injustice of their situation they need to 'wake up and smell the coffee'; they need to pull their collective fingers out, get up off their bone-idle arses and start seeing the world as it really is.

What price anything like that will happen, at least in the near future ? In the longer term, it's inevitable because, otherwise, they'll all be in cardboard boxes under bridges all over the country.