To think we shouldn’t have to contribute to soch if we don’t intend to use it?

Well I don't think its fair for childless people to have to contribute to other people having children they can't afford but that's the way it is. You can't pick and choose. Get over it

This is like people who don't have kids, moaning that women get Mat leave and SMP, and free education for their kids, and how that's "not fair" because they don't get those things, as they are childless.

They conveniently forget that women with children usually take career breaks or go part time, meaning a huge loss of earnings and a much depleted pension. They raise the next generation, so that when said complainers (who never had kids) hits old age, there will be a good supply of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ambulance drivers, carers etc - because the women who had kids supplied the next generation of people!! And at great financial sacrifice, not to mention the physical sacrifice of numerous pregnancies and births!! And all without any bloody thanks.

I think you understand the concept perfectly well and know it doesn't refer to every individual. But yes - generational attitudes are indeed shaped by a shared economic and social environment.

The second world war would be a good (albeit extreme) example. Did every individual have the same wartime experience? No. Was the generation still shaped overall by it, leading to attitudes that made the creation of the NHS possible? Yes.

Similarly - has every boomer enjoyed the benefits free access to higher education and a housing market that rewarded them with decades of appreciation - unearned wealth that they attribute to "sensible choices"? No. But enough of them have experienced this overall that it shapes the general attitudes and voting patterns of their generation - leading to a situation in which the NHS has been allowed to crumble.

Hope that clears it up.

I think OP has been on the Scotch.

Or as we used to call it around here, The Broo.

Oh, is it a hive mind thing? Or more like fungi? I wasn't aware all people born in the same 15 years at any given time all thought and experienced and lived the same way.

Funny of you to imagine your stupid advertising demographic will be treated well when you age.

Did you miss all the articles written about us millennials in the early 2000s? Work shy, financially irresponsible, eat too much avocado on toast... and those views are still held by many today. Same goes for gen z now. Theres been loads of posts on here about how entitled they are, terrible to work with etc. We are used to it so I'm sure this poster won't be bothered in the slightest.

How does that make a difference? It’s still unlikely you’ve paid as much as you’ve cost, unless you’ve been a higher rate taxpayer you’re entire working life?

You misunderstand. Boomer is about a specific generation with specific expectations and attitudes - not about the age of the people. A Millennial can't age into Boomerism, as they haven't grown up with their advantages.

It’s not earn more than £17k, it’s pay more than £17k in tax annually. Which not a lot of people do.

Nope, we would be getting into pick and mix individual systems which would be a nightmare to administer -

That is the whole point of the way our society works though. How would the system work if all high earners decided to opt out of the NHS and pensions. There wouldn't be enough left in the pot for those who have chosen to use it.

You would then end up in a situation where other taxes are increased to cover the short fall.

Ultimately all it would do is create a bureauocratic mess that costs more to administer.

It literally happens every day. People don't actively seek it out.

Yes, no way is OP a boomer, they'd be too close to retirement to be so casual about not needing the state pension or the NHS.

No idea what either the OP or @MissCooCooMcgoo are going on about!

Took me ages to realise that too - mainly because you wouldn't pronounce 'soch' (short for 'social') to rhyme with 'gauche', which is what I presume OP meant.

I'm curious. Are you planning to never grow older? Because at some point, if you do, you will be the age of this generation you revile. How will you enjoy being viewed in this way, simply because of some arbitrary demographic calculations used by marketers, a label, which you do seem to take immense pleasure from using pejoratively, and the randomness of your date of birth?

Why 'boomer' though? I don't think an entire generation agree with this nonsensical idea or behave in that way.

“A non NHS user”?

Your NI is being used to pay for the NHS in total and will, just by the nature of it, be predominately paying for the older and oldest age groups.

Fancy being total if you have a serious illness, say cancer, later in life being told “No, you’re an non-NHS user, so we won’t treat you, as you didn’t contribute when you could have done.”?

It's taken me a while but I think the OP is using the term "Soch/Sosh" not as an acronym but as an abbreviation for "social"!

However you look at it though, she's talking complete and utter nonsense 😆

Just emigrate to somewhere else then…if you can find somewhere semi ‘ civilised’ that only taxes you on the things you think are fair.

You’re being ridiculous…of course you can pick and choose it’s just others that can’t.

weird you can’t see beyond yourself

😂😂😂

I hope ChatGPT understands the meaning of STOP - it could sound a bit like SOSH spoken with a mouthful of mushy peas.

Can you imagine how complicated the system would get if people could opt in and out of paying for different things they did or didn't want to receive at any time. It would be an absolute nightmare.

Yes - it’s been at the core of political discussion for about 10 years. It’s the reason Germany (well, Merkle) welcomed as many immigrants as they could get thinking it would mean more tax payers, more money in the pot, preservation of social services/pensions. The issue is that even with the declining numbers of young people we have now, there are already not enough jobs - or jobs people are willing to do that pay a living wage - and an expectation that we can just import people to ‘wipe bums’ as the Lib leader charmingly put it.

Long term, we are going to need to change the model as I can’t reconcile the idea that if my kids are lucky enough to get work, they will have to bank roll my generation with hideous taxes and may never get on the property ladder unless we fund it for them (we are fortunately enough that we will be able to do this - many of their friends/peers are less lucky).

I get where the [pension] model started in the late 1800s. I get the altruistic nature of a society that supports it’s elderly and vulnerable and want to be a part of a society that has these values… but at the end of the day it’s not something we can afford anymore. Along with no cap to child benefit and unending ever growing welfare bill. I have no idea what the answer is, but as with most things in life, if you can’t afford something, you have to accept to can’t buy it or gift it. And a government one day will have no choice but to be the one to utterly reform and curtail what we provide as a state. I suspect pensions will be one area of focus.

Soch can mean wheeze or gasp.