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The war between boomers and millennials benefits neither side | Rachel Shabi

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In today’s circular economy precariousness crosses the generational divide

Sitting in a Wakefield coffee shop, three women in their early 70s, each of whom was raised in a Labour family, discuss the life prospects for today’s younger generation. “It was as hard for us then as it is for young people now,” one says. Harder actually, interjects another woman, listing the home comforts now provided by TVs and washing machines, and the consumer perks accessible by credit card. The women say they’re sympathetic to younger generations, but that the young need to work harder, not rely on handouts. “We are expected to pay for them now,” as one woman puts it.

All three women voted Conservative in 2019 – they wanted Brexit done and didn’t want Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister – turning the West Yorkshire seat blue for the first time since 1932. Wakefield, a city with a population that is ageing faster than others, is just one brick in the wall of northern Labour constituencies that crumbled on 12 December.

We won’t reignite intergenerational solidarity if we entrench resentment across age groups

Related: The Tories can’t help ‘blue wall’ voters unless they understand them | Torsten Bell

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