This article appeared in The Evening Standard
In a society which feels so riven, politics can feel like fight club — except that everyone knows about it because we’re all at each other’s throats, especially on social media. Black versus white. Woman versus man. North versus South. Rich versus poor. Left versus Right and, of course, young versus old.
The idea of inter-generational tension feels timely when you look at the pandemic. While it’s mainly over-eighties who are dying from Covid, young people are taking an educational, professional, social and financial kicking right now. Their university experience has turned into an expensive nightmare.
Sixteen to 24-year-olds are seeing the biggest fall in employment compared with other groups. Add to that a looming mental health crisis and it’s not that much fun being a young person right now, despite having such luminous skin.
We’re frequently told by shock jocks that the young are ready to rise up and have it out with granny on Covid restrictions and other stark inequalities. That the generation war is about to kick off.
Continue reading in The Evening Standard
