We are now into our second week of campaigning. Conservatives have been particularly active with policy announcements, and behind them a clear theme is emerging: appealing to the core pensioner vote.
The Party is now, according to one YouGov poll, running at eight per cent among the under-50s, third to the Greens. Even if one follows the logic of appealing to older voters then younger (and middle-aged) people matter, because there is a significant group of older voters who are worried about the prospects of their children and grand-children. So worried, indeed, that it will affect how they vote.
So with that in mind, here is a thought experiment on what could have been proposed:
Senior Service
“We propose a bold new call for national community service from people when they reach pension age. That is when many people stop paid work [and there could be an exemption for those who are still working]. Older people have a lot of wisdom and experience to contribute.
“We envisage their taking on roles such as school governors or simply visiting schools to listen to children read. They could also join the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) or friends of the local hospital. We have considered whether some form of military service should be an option but have decided to resist the appeal of creating a new Dad’s Army.”
“The current generation of pensioners have done particularly well from the welfare state relative to what they have put in in tax and national insurance. Assuming that spending on the welfare state remains at current levels, baby boomers will take out 1.5 times more in benefits and health and social care than what they have put in in tax and national insurance.
“They are indeed a lucky generation – and many want to put something back. So when an older person receives their letter from DWP setting up payments for their triple locked state pension, they will also get a request to deliver some form of community service for say 25 days a year.
“Take-up should be high, as we believe many older people want to put back. Our senior citizens service is a great way for them to stay active and involved. But if a new pensioner refuses to participate with no good reason, we will consider if certain benefits should be withdrawn – perhaps the free travel pass, for example.”
Under-30s Tax Allowance
“Meanwhile we recognise that younger people are under real financial pressure. Their earnings are no higher, or in some cases lower, than they were for people of the same age 15 years ago. For example, at age 30, a millennial born in the late 1980s could expect to earn eight per cent less than those from the cohort born ten years before them.
“And now young people are much more likely to be poor than older people are: the poorest tenth of pensioner households are around £3,000 a year better off than the poorest tenth of non-pensioner households.
“There is already a special exemption from national insurance for pensioners. We now wish to find a way of helping younger people with the tax burden too. We therefore propose a new increased income tax allowance for young people aged under-25. We would aim to increase this to a tax allowance for the under-30s as resources allow.
“We believe that cutting taxes on young people and expecting some community service from people when they start collecting their pension is a fair deal across the generations. It reflects the skills and obligations which different generations possess.”
Generational Exchange
“However we do understand that there are ties across the generations which we wish to strengthen. One possibility would be to make these obligations and tax benefits transferrable.
So a young person could, if they wish, transfer their tax allowance to an older relative – and an older person could ask a younger relative to take on their community service on their behalf, if they were willing to do so. These exchanges between the generations are benign – but there may not be many.
“If and when resources permit we will also propose the same package for pensioners as well as young people – so young people as well should be expected to contribute community service, and old people would also enjoy a tax relief. Such a balanced package shows we understand the pressures and obligations of young and old alike.”
These proposals aren’t going to happen. They seem far-fetched. That tells us something about our assumptions about the different generations and what we can expect of them. Maybe those assumptions need to be questioned.