Anarchy in the UK?

At the foundation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs are basic physiological needs: food, water and sleep. The next level up focuses on safety: security of body and health. Yet the youth of Britain face dismal prospects for their future; prospects which are only becoming significantly worsened by the current initiatives of the current government. And the reaility that the youth of today will struggle to achieve even the second rung on Maslow's hierarchy is rapidly becoming a likely reality. First time buyers have been priced out of the property market. So instead of having any possibility of establishing a foothold of security, the youth of today will rent for longer. Possibly never own property. Without stability or free cash, save less for retirement and the downward spiral of social decay will continue until the system is fixed. The next generation earn a proportionately lower salary than previous generations. They will work longer before achieving retirement and due to inflation, will struggle to achieve a level of stability that remotely resembles that enjoyed by previous generations. The increasing social inequality of the UK is untenable and this downward spiral will only lead to social instability and political unrest. And this is a brutally truncated version of the reality facing the next generation of Britain. Education prospects are dwindling, unemployment is increasing, whilst policing and healthcare are getting cut. By the time social unrest begins to peak, likely within a matter of years, the police will be insufficient to maintain order. Moreover, they may choose to join rather than oppose those protesting. Which would leave the British government in the position of maintaining order through military force. What we observe as history unfolding in the Middle East seems likely to be the probable future for Britain.

Clearly resolving the British economy is an urgent need and one which will impact significantly across society, but this burden must be imposed in some degree of equal measure. Necessary changes should not merely decrease the quality of life for the poor. The greater burden of repayment must be imposed upon those with money, not those without. This may require changing the rules and goal-posts for the affluent and privileged. But short term pain will bring long term gains. Imposing the burden of repayment onto the poor will only lengthen the time required to resolve current challenges and will destabilise society even further. The rich may hold sway with the power brokers of government, but beware the tides of change, because ill-advised strategies to spare the few today, won't be sufficient to spare them from tomorrow.