The Way We Live Now

When I started this blog in July, it seemed to me that those working outside the public sector hadn't yet realised that there were massive changes ahead. To be fair, I had only a hazy idea myself, but enough to feel alarmed at the prospect. There has definitely been a shift in recent weeks. I've noticed that conversations with colleagues, family, friends, in fact just about anyone, circle inexorably back to the telling phrase, 'We live in interesting times.' Everyone is saying this, and the required response is to nod sagely and murmur, 'Interesting times indeed.' This sequence confirms that you, like the other party in the conversation, are an observer of dramatic events beyond your control.

The next step, of course, is to shift from observer to participant, as the protesting students have done. I subscribe to the view that the protests are about a lot more than tuition fees. Young people are protesting now because they feel they have nothing to lose by doing so, because they feel that their opportunities are being taken away. Whatever the actual impacts of the complex new tuition fees scheme (which might be more progressive than the current system, I haven't examined it in sufficient detail to say), putting a price of £9,000 a year on a degree is an ideological statement. Whereas previous governments emphasised the value of higher education to society, the coalition is framing it as an asset to the individual, one that needs to be purchased. I don't think the government understand how much of a shift in the social contract this is, nor how hypocritical it looks in light of their fairness and social mobility rhetoric.

When I was a student, the times weren't especially interesting. I graduated prior to the introduction of top-up fees. During my degree there was a general election in which the incumbent Labour government faced no serious threat, and the economy remained boringly stable throughout. Despite this, as students do, I spent long hours sitting round a kitchen table putting the world to rights with my friends. There is a vast gap between those debates and the protests now. They are manifestations of the same student political awareness, altered by the seismic economic and political changes of the intervening years. The twentisomethings of my generation graduated with plenty of debt (£10-£25,000 for the most part), but we expected to and for the most part did find jobs. Our future looked stable.

It isn't anymore. Many of my university friends now work in the public sector; in education, the army, Whitehall, the NHS, quangos, or local government. I don't think any of us can say with confidence that our jobs aren't to some extent at risk. My whole team is now officially at risk of redundancy, although we've yet to receive the letter confirming this. Most importantly, we have little reason to believe that there will be other jobs available if/when we are kicked out of the public sector. In the mixture of positive and negative economic news, it remains a fact that there are already more job-seekers than there are vacancies in the UK. Unlike our older colleagues of many years experience, we twentisomethings will get minimal redundancy payouts, certainly not enough to start our own business or keep us off Job Seeker's Allowance. We have been basically priced out of the housing market, so are unlikely to have either the asset of a house or the burden of a mortgage.

Where does this leave us? Certainly in a better position than teenagers and students, which is why we've yet to take to the streets. In my opinion, it leaves us as prime brain drain material. I wonder if my generation will take a look at the lack of jobs, collapsing public services, and disgust with politics in the UK, and decide to go elsewhere? Being stuck in renting makes us mobile and our degrees apparently now command a great premium. Although many other countries are experiencing austerity, we are the only one to be saddled with the sickening spectacle of David Cameron and Nick Clegg telling us that we are all in this together. For those with languages, France and Germany beckon. For others, Australia is having an economic boom (unsustainably based on exporting raw materials to China, admittedly), or what about New Zealand, Canada, and the less Tea Party-ridden parts of America. In fact, there's a whole world out there, and it's looking increasingly appealing.

I can't understand why the government seems amazed that instability causes protest. Perhaps they're just feigning surprise that young people complain when their certainties and security are suddenly stripped away. During 'interesting times' you can either get involved or watch from a safe distance. A lot of people my age will soon be faced with that decision.

Meanwhile, Cambridgeshire County Council has announced that its budget is being cut by £160 million over the next five years. £50 million must be saved next year, and that front-loading will have an especially significant impact. An estimated 450 jobs will go. Suffolk-esque kamikaze outsourcing does not appear to be the preferred option, encouragingly. A consultation on where the cuts should be made can be found here.

Edited To Add: Having had a go at the consultation survey, I'd urge everyone who lives in the county to do the same. It's eye-opening - whatever distribution of cuts is decided, it's clear that support for the most vulnerable people (the elderly and at-risk children) will be cut. In addition, up to 19 libraries could be closed and up to 80 bus routes stopped.