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UK state pension age will soon need to rise to 71, say experts (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The way I see it there are three realistic choices a country can make.

Raise the pension age. Not very popular with the public as illustrated by protests everywhere this has been mentioned.
Increased migration. Not very popular with the public as seen by the rise of far right parties in both Europe and outside.
Lowered living standards. Not very popular because who wants to pay the same taxes but get less out of it?

This isn't a UK problem. It's the entire western world. And no, the populist idea of "just have more kids" doesn't solve it.

Any ideas?

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)

There is one more choice that could easily improve everyone's standard of living. Tax the rich. Which isn't realistic because politicians across all large parties are in the rich people's pockets and, on top of that, the rich own the media, so they can manipulate public opinion. Not that they would have to do much manipulating, this is a western world problem, everyone has been fed trickle down bullshit propaganda for decades.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

this is a western world problem

Not really. Do you think media and politicians aren't owned by the rich and powerful in other parts of the world?

[–] [email protected] -2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The trickle down propaganda is a western world problem, because that's where the ideology of trickle down originated from and therefore has been most prevalent.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Maybe in that particular form but the more general idea that rich and powerful people got there because they deserve to be rich and powerful and if we prevented them from getting rich and powerful it would negatively impact all of society is certainly not an exclusively western idea.