Social mobility, changes, a fortunate generation and so on.

So, the latest polls suggest that Scotland might vote FOR independence after all. This is causing lots of discussion about border controls and last minute promises of extra benefits and autonomy if they stay in the United Kingdom. 

Another consequence seems to have been the announcement of a Royal Pregnancy. Yes, I know they are saying that the announcement has been made early because poor Kate has horrid extreme-morning-sickness and has had to miss some royal engagements. However, some analysts appear to think that it is because this amazingly wonderful news just might make the Scots want to stay in Great Britain after all. Why? Does a royal birth make such a difference? Will this baby become the "Prince or Princess of Scotland"? 

Anyway, Guillermo and Catalina, as the Spanish insist on calling them, are over the moon to announce that baby number two is on the way. Spanish scandal mags have been saying so for weeks. Do they have access to details of the life royal that the rest of us don't? Are they strangely clairvoyant? Or has someone simply said that baby George is now over a year old and it's about time they made another sprog (an heir and a spare as they say, well, as I am told they say) and suggestion has gone to rumour which has gone to press coverage? 

Does it really matter, in the broader scheme of things? Probably not! Not to those of us born in the 1940s at least. 

The Institute of Fiscal Studies have been looking at what we have as pensions and have discovered that most retirees from that birth group "have never had it so good .... the vast majority of couples born in the 1940s are maintaining their former living standards into retirement – and nearly a half enjoy a greater income in retirement than average real earnings." 

Bearing in mind how low some "real earnings" are, that average may not be so very high. But once again I have been reminded that we are the fortunate generation who did not have to pay university fees, had jobs to look forward to when we graduated and had proper pension schemes. 

The Institute of Fiscal studies goes on to say: "Younger workers are now being offered less generous “defined contribution” pension plans into which employers tend to pay less money and which are dependent on stock market returns. They are also having to save large deposits to pay for a home and take on mortgages on multiples of income far higher than previous generations." 

On that last point, I would like to point out that when we were entering the housing market we had to save at least twice our annual salary to have the necessary deposit to put down on a house, which was pretty difficult even then. I know that house prices have gone up in a ridiculous fashion, out of all proportion to salary increases but ... it wasn't all easy peasy for us either. However, with hindsight I think we were very fortunate that no-one was prepared to offer mortgages above and beyond the value of the property. You had to work very hard to get into negative equity in those good old days. 

While we're in looking-back mode, let's mention university, which has already come up once in this blogpost. This morning I read that the UK has more graduates than ever but without the skills and social mobility to match. It seems that only a quarter of the country's graduates reach the highest levels in literacy and numeracy, well below other top-performing nations. 

Am I surprised? Not really. Once you start to say that everyone can go to university - ok, not everyone but the aim was for 50% I believe - then there's bound to be a bit of dilution of skills amongst those going to university, especially when you take into account some of the degrees on offer. Call me snobbish if you will but "Events Management" is not a degree subject on a par with Chemistry or Modern Languages. 

Add to that the increasing tendency for students to stay at home while they study for their degree, going to the university closest to home and you have another factor in the lack of social mobility. Going away from home to study, living independently, meeting people from a whole range of different walks of life all added to the likelihood that you would try something new and different in life. If university is an extension of sixth form college you are probably going to look for work close to home as well, even if it's not quite what you might truly aspire to. 

Just think, if a certain young lady, now pregnant for the second time, had not gone away to university she would never have had the chance to be the future queen of England. There's social mobility for you!