Finances

Driving north to our parent’s house for New Year’s Eve, I announced the monumental news to my older brother that this year, I would finally be starting my own side business. As it transpired, my brother confessed that he too had been grappling with ideas for his own money-making side project; feeling pressured to milk his existing hobbies for cash. From our discussion, it was obvious that we both felt compelled to have a side hustle and that we were not fulfilling our potential without one. All that had to be accomplished now was to figure out what the heck I was going to do. Unfortunately, my initial plan to purchase a fifth-tier, professional football team from Wales, had hit the proverbial cross-bar.

Giving it some thought, I wondered whether social media was to blame for setting this expectation that we should be going above and beyond our full-time jobs. The rise of influencer culture has set an expectation that we should be living life to the full at all times; pursuing several foreign holidays a year, attending festivals and eating out at expensive restaurants - where we can also get a new profile photo from the top of The Shard! The portrayal of living a lavish, active lifestyle is no longer reserved for models, rich kids, bloggers and sugar babies. It has now become the norm for everybody - regardless of class or status - to portray a certain lifestyle on social media. People want to be seen as interesting. They want to be seen as multifaceted. Therefore, if our reality is working a nine-to-five job, five days a week and spending the remainder curled up on the sofa gripped by the Crocodilian Death Scroll - also known as Tik Tok - it is now commonplace to feel guilt in our waning self-actualisation.

Social media compels us to flaunt all aspects of our lives, and hobbies are no exception. My Instagram feed is filled with photos of dog walks, wild swimmers, spin bikes and embroidery hoops. Hello world, here are the aspects of my life that make me interesting! And yet, being creative and busy - or at least being seen to be - was still not enough. My brother and I have had hobbies for years and yet we felt as though we ought to be maximising these activities for profit. Social media has hoodwinked us into believing that a lavish lifestyle is wholly achievable if we can generate supplementary income from our hobbies. We live in a world where clothes are sold on Depop instead of being donated to charity. Nobody puts paint to canvas anymore, instead they create digital art that will sell better on Etsy. We are surrounded by the products of other people’s hobbies and as a result, we cannot help but feel that we are on the wrong end of the transaction.

![A screenshot from Instagram with the message: "Find 3 Hobbies. One to make you money. One to keep you in shape. One to keep you creative.](https://res.cloudinary.com/fledger/image/upload/v1662926146/post/hustle_quote_exlujy.png "Amid social and economic pressures, young people feel compelled to optimise and commercialise their free time instead of just enjoying it. Source: [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/book.of.leaders/)")

Perhaps we consider that the efforts expended on our hobbies warrants some form of financial recognition. If you are going to upcycle furniture, repair guitars or sketch in your free time, there is a satisfaction in being able to sell those products which you have poured your time and energy into. You can recuperate the cost of materials you are using whilst also obtaining tangible recognition that your skills are appreciated by others.

For some, the desire to commercialise their hobbies may be rooted in pursuing a new full-time career. My younger brother has always played guitar on the side of his full-time job, and he is now finally able to pursue a career in music on a full-time basis - something that would be much harder to achieve had he not developed his hobby for profit several years ago. Perhaps subconsciously, I am searching for a fallback career in case [robots really do replace lawyers?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58158820)

The pressure to portray a lavish lifestyle not only encourages us to go above and beyond our day jobs, but also convinces us that our current income is inadequate. I have certainly considered options for increasing my monthly income in light of rising living costs. Creating a side hustle from my existing hobbies feels much more achievable to me than renting out my non-existent property, and significantly less seedy than selling my sweaty socks to middle-aged men on the internet.

In my endeavour to find a USP for my first business venture, I quickly realised that setting up a small business is no mean feat. Approximately [60% of small businesses will go bust within the first three years](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/24/start-ups-across-uk-going-bust-need-careful-management-economy/). Therefore if you really want to pursue a business venture, then you need to be prepared for failure. It requires resilience and commitment, something that comes from a passion for what you are doing, and not simply the desire to make money. You will also need the financial backing, which may prove tricky in today’s turbulent economy. _(It was for this very reason that my side hustle as a digital artist never took off; with my bank account rudely opposing my proposed purchase of a drawing tablet, laptop and printer-scanner simultaneously)_. Running a small business takes a great deal of time and dedication. It imposes deadlines and a standard of care above what you would produce simply for your own enjoyment. You will need to comply with the laws that regulate the commercial sphere and learn how to file your own tax returns.

It is achievable. I have friends who have turned their creative passion into a successful business. They are incredibly talented at what they do and their skill and passion shines through. Social media has even played a huge part in the success of their businesses, by showcasing their work, creating their brand and building their customer base. Yet despite what capitalism may tell us, running a business does not have to be for everyone. You can absolutely keep hobbies for yourself without exploiting them for profit - and you can even keep them off social media if you try hard enough!

> The pressure to portray a lavish lifestyle not only encourages us to go above and beyond our day jobs, but it also convinces us that our current income is inadequate.

Recently, I have made an effort to pursue hobbies outside of work that have always appealed to me. I am taking piano lessons, I am learning to rock-climb, I write. Each of these hobbies allows me to explore aspects of my personality and to focus on personal growth. I can unwind from a stressful work day by exercising my body and my mind in ways that I would not otherwise know were possible. Most of all, because these hobbies stem from a genuine interest and build on my existing skills, they make me feel like my truest form of self. Whether or not I decide to pursue a small business out of my hobbies remains to be seen. For now, I am simply grateful for the many other rewards to be gained from partaking in activities that bring me so much joy in this otherwise tumultuous and overwhelming world.

Society today promotes [capitalism at its most extreme](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50562518); the only valued purpose of business is its ability to make money. When this societal attitude is combined with the pressures of social media, we are made to believe that we should be exploiting every aspect of our lives for profit. Yet as humans have always done and will continue to do, we can choose to acknowledge and oppose societal pressures in pursuit of our own interests. Many of us will have legitimate reasons for converting our hobbies into a business, whether financial or otherwise. Yet we must not underestimate the benefits of having a hobby. They enable us to relax and unwind, to explore our personality and make friends along the way. There are also [proven mental health benefits to having a hobby, which can reduce stress and improve your mood](https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/meaningful-life/purposeful-activity/hobbies#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20people%20with,skills%20and%20relationships%20with%20others.). In our social media dominated world, it is more important than ever to prioritise our mental health and engage with others face-to-face. Hobbies allow us to achieve both of these things. Having a hobby allows us to create and cultivate a space in which self-care and self-development are assigned priority. A valuable space, that in my opinion, extends beyond the worth of any business.

Social media has made it harder for us to simply enjoy our hobbies without feeling an overwhelming compulsion to convert them to side hustles.

Is social media robbing the fun from our hobbies?

Life as an A-Level politics student is pretty simple. I scout the news headlines for Boris Johnson’s latest hairstyles, updates on Vladimir Putin’s self-proclaimed righteous battle for liberty against “fascism” in Ukraine, and whether households in the UK will be able to survive the winter. As I said, simple.

However, the future that students are facing is not at all simple. Ever since Tony Blair launched his ambition to send at least half of Britain’s youth to university, many are now blindly heading there, despite the [eye-watering cost](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/colossal-student-debt-tax-opportunity-many-not-worth/). And while more people achieving a higher standard of education is a good thing, it has inevitably meant that a degree is no longer as valuable as it once was. So, what should students do?

There is no doubt, in my mind, that a degree is definitely worth anyone’s time, and many people come out of university with the knowledge needed to take them to their careers, even if that knowledge is where to go for the cheapest drinks. But is it worth the money? Those living away from home in London can borrow a maximum of £12,667 to help with their living costs. Had such a figure risen in line with inflation, it would stand at a [maximum of £13,632, a £965 gap](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/new-uni-students-sleepwalking-financial-crisis-loans-fail-cover/) – not something you can get from just selling a few textbooks, or cutting back on pot noodles.

Usually, a student would seek help from the bank of mum and dad, but with the rising cost of living, propelled by the main CPI ([*Consumer Price Index*](https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices)) components of food and energy, households are facing an even greater squeeze. The energy price cap is expected to rise to £3549 in October, and [inflation is forecasted to hit 18%](https://www.ft.com/content/778e65e1-6ec5-4fd7-98d5-9d701eb29567). So wherever students turn, they are met with financial pressure that has been compared to that of 2008. A [survey by Nationwide](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/bills/cost-of-living-crisis-students-struggling-bills-homelessness-1796506) shows that two-thirds of students are struggling to pay bills, prompting borrowing and overdrafts.

![A-Level students opening their results|1200x798](https://res.cloudinary.com/fledger/image/upload/v1662408185/post/students_results_voqvje.webp "Students that have just received their A-Level results will be heading to university at a time when they cannot even afford books, let alone balance them. Image from [The Sun](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12384073/what-time-a-level-results-released-today/).")

Students that have just received their A-Level results will be heading to university at a time when energy bills will claim more than 11% of a household’s median disposable income, [according to the ONS](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-25/uk-energy-crisis-risks-squeezing-households-more-than-2008-crash). After years of ruined education thanks to the pandemic, not helped by tragic tory planning and response, students will have to endure mounting costs, both at home and at university.

*Well, what are we doing about it?!* I hear you ask. A fine question indeed, but many universities have found it more prudent to [remove ‘sensitive’ and ‘challenging’ books](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/09/universities-admit-purge-challenging-books-protect-students/), rather than helping students financially. *Okay, so what about our politicians?* Not much better I’m afraid, the latest in Tory genius is to [‘phase out degrees that do not improve students’ earning potential’](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/07/rishi-sunak-vows-to-end-low-earning-degrees-in-post-16-education-shake-up). Although this may seem well-meaning, is it really the role of the state to decide what courses individuals take?

If you wanted to go and study philosophy, the classics or creative writing, many Tories would tell you that it is a waste of time as it doesn’t improve your career prospects (despite their former leader studying the classics and making it to the office of the Queen’s First Minister - doesn’t improve career prospects, eh?). Remember when Plato argued that the best form of governance is when philosophers ruled? Yes, not going to happen. Of course, the students of the future won’t know who Plato was; they won’t be able to study philosophy.

I am all the more happy for a government and our political leaders to be taking an interest in our current students, the here and now, but, when our political attention succumbs to short-termism, then we must be worried. After all, how can we secure the nation’s future without securing the quality education that those who will inhabit that future need and want? - Not what the government needs and wants.

Parliamentary action to support students is unlikely to be seen. With the legislature currently in recess, and [Labour calling for MPs to be recalled to Westminster](https://uk.yahoo.com/finance/news/uk-labour-demands-recall-parliament-213000576.html), the country is in recession whilst our politicians are in recess - did they ever actually start working?

> As we continue our conflict with inflation, young citizens will feel their ambition of home ownership slipping even further away

The educational standards of the UK may see a dramatic fall in the coming years, especially as the cost-of-living crisis deters people away from the debt-ridden path of university, favouring vocational qualifications or venturing straight into the workplace. Tony Blair’s ambition of sending half of the nation’s young people into lecture halls and libraries may not be realised in the future.

Despite this forecast, record numbers of students are making their applications to university, with [44% of 18-year-olds applying in England alone](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/feb/17/rise-in-university-applications-from-uk-18-year-olds-figures-show). Richard Adams, Education Editor at The Guardian, says that “the appetite for higher education remains undimmed, despite the government’s efforts to talk up the benefits of alternatives such as apprenticeships or other training”. So despite the noise that the nation’s financial woes are creating, and political efforts to direct interest to vocational paths, the university has not lost its hold on young people, and sixth formers still feel an academic education is the best choice for them.

That being said, students will need to master their budgeting skills and find the extra money to get by whilst studying for their degree. Once they graduate, the situation doesn’t look even better. The Bank of England is looking to [raise interest rates to 4%](https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-11146501/Interest-rates-set-hit-4-Bank-England-battles-inflation.html) as we continue our conflict with inflation, which means that young citizens will feel their ambition of home ownership slipping even further away.

Despite all this nonsense, I for one am going to university, not just because I’m an essay-writing, book-devouring, coffee-guzzling bibliophile, but because university really represents the future for me. There are few places that can offer the social, cultural and political experiences that university campuses do, and I am confident I will be prepared for a fruitful career as well as an intriguing life.

However, the effect of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and soaring inflation will rest on the shoulders of our students for years to come, and leaving aside whether they decide to go to university or not, one thing is certain: life as a student is not simple.

From the cost-of-living crisis to soaring inflation, students need to find a way through a labyrinth of challenges.

How will we study at university when we can't afford to live?

The UK economy is in a state of crisis. Inflation has reached 9%, the highest rate in 30 years. Food, fuel and housing costs are rising at the highest rate since the 1980s. Yet despite increases across the board, not everyone is feeling the heat. A disparity is emerging between those who can afford to save and those who can barely get by. Our lowest earners, particularly those with little or no disposable income, will be hardest hit by rising costs. Proportionately, they will spend more of their income on essentials, such as food or energy, than the rich. In turn, they will have very little, if anything, left to stow away in their piggy banks.

We’ve all been in a situation where our earnings are low - working our first jobs, starting a new career, or studying for our future.  We all know that this can be a daunting time and the current cost of living has only exacerbated that. Young people today, the lowest earners in society, are spending twice as much on fundamental living costs such as rent, mortgage payments and household bills, than the over-fifties. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they were also most likely to be furloughed or made redundant and any savings that they may have accrued will likely have been used through this turbulent time. With the furlough scheme now at an end, many will be without financial support once again.

> Millennials today are not only less likely to get married than previous generations but are also more likely to delay marriage for financial reasons, preferring to achieve financial stability first.

Rising costs mean that low-income, single adult households will spend almost half of their income on gas and electricity alone. This will use up most, if not all, of the household’s income, leaving nothing leftover to save. Of those below retirement age, almost half now say that they cannot afford to save. It affects me too. It has taken me years of study to achieve a professional qualification which allows me to work a full-time job in a reputable industry. Yet by definition, I am living in fuel poverty - spending on average 10% of my monthly income on energy bills. This is not an issue that can be avoided by full-time work and professional qualifications. The impact of the rising cost of living is being felt on a much wider scale.

We all want to have savings in the bank. Not only do they provide a safety blanket for the rainy days, but they help us to acquire the privileges that we are encouraged to aim for in the increasingly materialistic world in which we live. Traditional views encourage us to go to university, to marry, and to buy our first home. Yet each of these aspirations require a hefty savings pot which many of us are simply unable to obtain.

![The housing market.|1200x794](https://res.cloudinary.com/fledger/image/upload/v1655028887/post/rainy_days_houses_bgbz1g.jpg "Today, renting a property will set you back on average just over £1,000 per month - an average monthly increase of 8.3% from 2021. For some of us, this takes up more than half of our monthly income. For those looking to buy, the average house price in the UK now sits at £273,762. This means that a first-time buyer obtaining a 95% mortgage would need to save on average over £13,500 for a deposit. In the current economic climate, saving this amount of money is, for many, simply not feasible.")

We are at an age where we are told to knuckle down and work hard so that we can earn more and save for our future. That we should start saving for our first home; invest in our pensions; and take on a side hustle for some extra cash. If there is extra cash to splash, we ought to increase our pension contributions if we want to retire early or invest in stocks and shares. If we want children, we should be earning more and putting away funds for their education. If we want a certain lifestyle - a big house, holidays, gym memberships, a dog - then we will need to factor in some more money for that. If we want to retrain or invest in further study, we had better save a few extra grand for the fees –but don’t forget to have spare savings for an unexpected leak or redundancy. We are the generation who are expected to put in the graft to achieve certain milestones, and yet we simply cannot achieve these because the money we earn is all used up on living now, rather than being invested for the future. There is a direct correlation between our age and the milestones that are expected of us, and yet it is our age which limits our ability to save and fulfil those expectations.

Take marriage for example. Millennials today are not only less likely to get married than previous generations, but are also more likely to delay marriage for financial reasons, preferring to achieve financial stability first. The same can be seen in respect of home ownership. In the early 1980s, over 62% of 25 to 34-year-olds were homeowners. However by 2012, this had reduced to less than 43%. With low incomes and massive expenditure, it is not surprising that now only 28% of the young actually own their own home, despite their preference to buy rather than to rent. With house prices on the rise, the average house price in the UK currently sits at £273,762. This means that a first-time buyer obtaining a 95% mortgage would need to save on average over £13,500 for a deposit. In the current economic climate, saving this amount of money is, for many, simply not feasible. As a result, our generation is less likely than previous generations to get on the property ladder, and those who do are likely to do so later on in life.

Without the funds to buy, many of us are paying a pretty penny for a roof over our heads. Today, renting a property will set you back on average just over £1,000 per month - an average monthly increase of 8.3% from 2021. For some of us, this takes up more than half of our monthly income. I find it particularly frustrating, knowing that I could be paying half of what I pay on rent towards a monthly mortgage payment instead, if I could only save for a deposit. Yet with rent consuming such a large portion of our income for a prolonged period of time, it becomes increasingly difficult to set funds aside. Some may consider relocating to somewhere cheaper. However, the cost of hiring a removal company, putting down a deposit, and taking time off work are all privileges that only those with extra cash lying around can afford. In addition, moving away from the city may mean a longer commute to work and with the cost of fuel and train travel also hitting record highs, the whack to our wallets becomes almost inescapable.

As if to add further insult to injury, the average university graduate in 2020 will have left university owing £45,000 in student debt. With student loan contributions being collected at source, graduates have no choice but to take a continual hit to their income until the loan is eventually paid or written off. With a decrease in the repayment threshold of student loans from £27,200 to £25,000 and plans to extend the loan repayment period from 30 to 40 years, graduates can expect to pay 9% of their earnings towards loan repayment throughout their working life and into their sixties.

![Students graduating from University.|1200x441](https://res.cloudinary.com/fledger/image/upload/v1655028886/post/rainy_days_graduation_yqhfdq.jpg "In the last decade, universities saw a 450% increase in the number of student mental health declarations, with approximately two-thirds of students reporting a mental health condition caused by financial pressure.")

Saving money whilst studying has also become an impossible task for many - with around a quarter of students reporting that they have just £50 to live on each month. Maintenance loans are available to support those in need, however the loans on offer are often insufficient, with 50% of students reporting that the loan does not cover all of their living costs. If you, like me, can only afford an education by relying on maintenance loans, then you will likely struggle to save during your studies and will also take a reduced income for the rest of your working life simply for the privilege. First generation students like me go to university in the hope of bettering their job prospects and escaping poverty. Yet with higher education limiting the ability to save both during study and thereafter, the graduate premium is restricted for those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. With two-thirds of Brits now viewing university as an unaffordable luxury, there is a serious risk that income inequality will continue to grow.

::post{#how-will-students-study-at-university-when-they-cannot-afford-to-live}

The impact of rising costs is affecting more than just the physical sums in the bank. With little-to-no disposable income, our mental health has also been thrashed. It only takes a few scrolls on my social media feed to see my peers holding the keys to their first house, celebrating a recent promotion, or planning their wedding day - further fuelling the belief that I am somewhat lagging behind. It is completely understandable that we may feel stressed, overwhelmed or embarrassed by the lack of money in the bank and the feeling that we cannot achieve these milestones. In the last decade, universities saw a 450% increase in the number of student mental health declarations, with approximately two thirds of students reporting a mental health condition caused by financial pressure. Even if you are not in poverty, just the fear of financial instability can have the same detrimental impact on your mental health as poverty itself. The consequences of poor mental health are that people may struggle to attend work and stay on top of their finances - with 63% of people with mental health problems struggling to make financial decisions whilst unwell. As a result, many of us will end up in a vicious cycle whereby our stress and unhappiness at the inability to save money actually leads to further financial difficulty.

Young people are in desperate need of more widely-available maintenance grants, affordable housing, greater rent protection measures and proposals which would better support our income and help us save. Yet the proposals introduced by the government to tackle the cost of living crisis have failed to take young people into account. The recently announced support package will be welcomed by those struggling with the rising cost of energy bills. However, this is a temporary solution for issues that will be impacting us for a lifetime. Other proposals also fall short. With many students and young professionals studying in the city or choosing to live at home to keep costs down, only a privileged few will own a car and thus reap the benefits of the proposed cut to fuel duty. The increased National Insurance threshold will be of no benefit to people in full or part-time education, or part-time employment, who were already earning too little to contribute. Furthermore, the proposed Council Tax rebate of £150 fails to take account of the disparity between those feeling the effects of the current crisis and those who are still able to save. It implements a broad-brush approach; paying all households within Council Tax bands A to D, rather than targeting those households who need assistance most. Not to mention the fact that it is of no benefit to full time students who are exempt from paying Council Tax in the first place.

If adequate support is not put in place now, then the consequences of the colossal costs imposed on our generation today will have a knock on effect on our future. The value of our investments will be adversely affected and we will be forced to work into our late seventies, unable to retire any earlier. The government must do more to recognise the dire reality that we are facing. They cannot sit back and rely on social media to grant us a pathway to fame and fortune.

Young people today are underpaid, with wages constantly lagging behind the inflation rate. The lowest earners in society are living and working in real-time through the devastating economic impact of Brexit, the Covid-19 epidemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Unprecedented price increases are disproportionately affecting the younger generation and yet we have been completely overlooked in the government’s support scheme. The reality is that many of us are unable to pay bills and afford housing, never mind being in a position to save money and fulfil the traditional milestones of higher education and buying a home. It saddens me, that by being unsupported and unable to save for our future, our generation will pay the price of this crisis for the rest of our working lives. When every day is a rainy day, we are no longer saving; we are surviving.

The UK economy is in crisis; our aspirations require a hefty savings pot which we're unable to obtain.

The Cost of Living Crisis: How we're paying the price for years to come

If COVID sent the world to sleep, Putin's so-called "special military operation" in the sovereign country of Ukraine was the wake-up call. So intrusive was this alarm that it has mistakenly revealed the hangovers of western countries, whether they be an acceptance of dirty money, an acceptance of dirty energy, or an acceptance of dirty foreign policy.

And in a world of bad hangovers, the sobering reality is that the U.K. is in a state of hypocrisy.

At home, our hangover was realised by the euphoria of foreign capital, with no questions asked about who, what, and where from. Like magic, in came cash for [expensive houses in the centres of our cities](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/06/how-london-became-the-place-to-be-for-putins-oligarchs); houses that, if not empty, are being reimbursed by you and me at prices we can barely afford. And silently profiting from our blissful acceptance are Russian oligarchs and foreign officials, whose countries' regimes are incandescent with human rights abuses such that their fiery glow still penetrates our closed eyes even when we look away. No amount of hashtags will change it. As we protest against the [violations in Ukraine](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61496428), still we pay the villains that commit those violations. Yet when foreign intervention suits the needs of those in power, they are all too happy to look the other way. The Brexit vote has since received concerns over Russian interference. Yet, those in power were not only happy to ignore this inference when it suited them but also [blocked the security review](https://www.ft.com/content/ad9598a1-b916-48e4-9cd7-9f3ff0030949). And we, the public, have paid the price ever since.

We gladly shake the red right hand if it means some benefit to our country or, more likely, our political servants. Even as I am writing this, our Prime Minister is flying to Saudi Arabia to shake hands with a man who, if not ordered, was complicit in the [beheading of 81 people in a single day](https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113922).

![Boris Johnson shaking the hand of Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman](https://res.cloudinary.com/fledger/image/upload/v1653048386/post/hypocrisies_saudi_x1t1rl.png "Boris Johnson at the onset of the fuel price crisis, shaking the hand of Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ©Stefan Rousseau/AFP/Getty")

It is to Saudi Arabia, towards which [even the U.S. have cancelled shipments](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/01/27/reports-biden-administration-pauses-controversial-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-and-uae/), that the U.K. sells weapons to the tune of £1.39 billion in the form of missiles and bombs. Some of these bombs will undoubtedly have contributed to the [almost 9000 civilian causalities](https://yemendataproject.org/) after being dropped above the skies of Yemen, to which, at the same time, the U.K. has provided around £400 million in aid over the past 3 years. In fact, the U.K. is [the fourth largest donor country](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9326/#:~:text=The%2520UK%2520has%2520provided%2520more,largest%2520donor%2520to%2520the%2520country.) to Yemen this year. This alone is maddening. But consider this; could we contemplate supplying weapons to Russia whilst supplying aid to Ukraine? Yes, the global circumstance is different, albeit slightly, but the hypocrisy is staggering.

You might say that it is "just business" and that our country must behave like this if it wants to stay ahead. And the depressing reality is that you might be right, in some twisted way. But every time we take such actions, the thin veneer of our morality wanes. What right do we have to be the moral arbiters on the world stage if our hypocrisy shows in such obvious stains?

Even the institutions we helped create at the end of the last terrible international conflict, to be the great global moral arbiters, have been recently exposed as hammers made of glass, unfit for purpose. The U.N. showed up for its inability to act independently against members of its own permanent security council, with the general assembly able to do little else than [condemn the already condemned](https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117652) and make futile demands.

Instead, countries look to NATO to provide some sense of security, with [Sweden and Finland aiming to join most recently](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61511396). This practice has removed the idea of resolute national sovereignty for those living outside of Europe and its immediate environs indefinitely, with countries such as Tibet in the past, and Ukraine in the present, left to go it alone with whatever aid they can conjure. The hypocrisy being if you are important enough, if you look somewhat similar, and if you have enough money, perhaps your country will be protected from war, genocide, and famine.

This is the world the young people of today will inherit. A world of blurred lines and increasing injustice, where the moral and emotional burden is placed on the shoulders of the individual. Perhaps a perfect representation of this is the U.K.'s new refugee – sorry, Ukrainian refugee – scheme. Hailed by some as a world-beating scheme, through which most Ukrainian refugees will travel, where individuals must apply to house refugees themselves and carry the emotional and financial [weight of care](https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nick-ferrari/woman-hosting-ukrainian-refugees-tells-lbc-she-regrets-it/). In a monumental show of hypocrisy, at the same time, the incumbent government has passed a new nationality and borders bill that restricts the passage of refugees travelling through other countries. This bill has come under [U.N. scrutiny](https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109792) for defying international law. And still, we applaud ourselves.

![A UK Food Bank](https://res.cloudinary.com/fledger/image/upload/v1653048381/post/hypocrisies_food_eugsid.png "As we send [billions](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/05/03/ukraine-military-aid-britain-spending-europe-donation/) to Ukraine, we cannot even spare a million to feed our own people. Image sourced from the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/world/europe/as-the-working-poor-become-more-common-in-britain-so-does-hunger.html).")

As we shout in our streets for those abroad, we do nothing to help those closest. In April this year, [13.8% of households experienced food insecurity](https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/food-insecurity-tracking), meaning 7.3 million adults and 2.6 million children were uncertain of where the next meal was coming from, despite our boast of being the fifth largest economy in the world. Our domestic politics is a mess. Hypocrisy has weaved its way into the very fabric of Westminster, with COVID party scandals and policies that flip-flop more than our Prime Minister's sandals. The same Prime Minister who was called an outright liar in parliament and is currently under investigation by the metropolitan police for breaking the very same lockdown rules he set in the first place. The same Prime Minister who claimed that there was nothing to worry about regarding inflation and is now dealing with the greatest cost-of-living crisis in decades. Yet we will ignore the hypocrisy. We will still vote conservative, because "all the politicians are the same", because "it's better than the alternative", because though you're running out of bread, you hold out for the promise of cake.

In a world of bad hangovers, the sobering reality is that the U.K. is in a state of hypocrisy.

Ukraine has exposed our shameful hypocrisy

On England's green and pleasant land, we young are the nameless cash cows from which the older generations suckle and abuse. If our future were not bleak already, April's National Insurance rise will be the latest upgrade to the milk machine this [year.](http://year.Fo) For, in the promise of subsidising social care, [tax contributions as a percentage of GDP will breach 35%](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/09/07/highest-taxes-since-second-world-war-boris-johnson-abandons/) for the first time in over 80 years.

It comes at an arduous occasion. When our udders are already strained and tense with inflation, unemployment, debt and rent. On top of this year's 7% inflation, the cost of living for the young has risen [by 16% versus 2008](https://fullfact.org/economy/how-have-wages-changed/). Independently, just last year, [house prices increased a staggering 11.8%](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-house-price-index-for-september-2021), ensuing in a [9% rise in rents](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/nov/16/uk-rents-rising-zoopla) regardless of the halt to our economy. This comes as the job market sees a [23% reduction in entry-level jobs](https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2020/05/18/employers-cut-entry-level-jobs-by-23-due-to-corona-crisis) coupled with [record redundancies](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/10/uk-redundancies-second-covid-lockdown) among the young, leading 37% of young people to [take out loans](https://www.fincap.org.uk/en/insights/borrowed-years-a-spotlight-briefing-on-young-people--credit-and-debt) through credit cards, overdrafts, and loan sharks. As a consequence, the average debt ratio for young people now [reaches 70%](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/cymraeg/amdanom-ni/about-us1/media/press-releases/soaring-debts-trapping-young-generation-in-financial-difficulty/) as compared to 11% for 60-64-year-olds. And all of this takes place while *[one quarter* of British pensioners acquire *millionaire* status](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/levelling-up-the-inversion-of-the-welfare-state) as measured by household wealth. But despite all of this, it is up to us young, who have suffered the worst economic and social consequences of the 18-month lockdown, who will be paying off the pandemic fallout for decades to come, and who will feel the blow of the latest tax rise to our lives far more profoundly, to pick up the pieces and subsidise care for the older, far wealthier, generations. It is backwards. Instead of a mother feeding her hungry calves, it is the calves whose produce is fed to the fat parents. The source of the milk is written on the bottle and yet the elders shrug their shoulders. If they did protest, their cries were only brief before their fade into quiet indifference. They have forgotten what youth looks like and have lost their appetite for change. So who now can we rely on to speak for the young? Who now do we look towards to help balance the scales of fairness? For if we have succeeded in building Jerusalem over the years, then it has been on the backs of the young: be it cheap labour, be it war. And if in 2022, it isn't our physical bodies that are sacrificed anymore, it is our financial stability, hopes and future aspirations that are maligned. The National Insurance rise is just the latest bus the young have been thrown under, and there are hundreds of buses queued up around the corner. To stop them, we need a voice, loud and clear.

Traditionally, the opposing political parties have claimed the voice of the young. Until the dramatic failure of Nick Clegg's coalition with the Conservatives, The Liberal Democrats proved a popular choice amongst the disenfranchised young pining for political relevance. Their [manifesto](https://www.markpack.org.uk/files/2015/01/Liberal-Democrat-manifesto-2010.pdf), committing to abolish tuition fees and improve living standards, earned the party a vote share of every 1 in 5 ballots cast. But after achieving joint power, it took just 2 years to betray the confidence of the young; bouncing back to the same old story - neglect and disregard. Since then, despite its victories in the local elections, the Liberal Democrats' national vote share has more than halved, barely budging beyond 10%. Some may claim that this is retribution for the young, but without a viable voice in Parliament, our prospects have simply worsened. Indeed, only [18% of young people](https://www.ncfe.org.uk/blog/uk-s-young-people-in-crisis-with-only-18-positive-about-future-career-prospects) now have a positive outlook on their future. Results from an Autumn 2021 [survey of 2000 young people](https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/young-people-say-their-prospects-are-dwindling-and-wellbeing) only compounded this sentiment, with 90% of young people declaring concerns about stable work, 4 in 5 reporting a significant negative impact on their mental wellbeing due to government policy on COVID, and 4 in 5 again, expressing serious doubts about their rent and housing security. In a glimmer of hope against many of the issues facing the young, came a resurgence of the Labour Party under Corbyn. His 2017 youth-focused agenda saw the majority of the young respond with the [highest voter turnout for over 25 years](https://www.ft.com/content/6734cdde-550b-11e7-9fed-c19e2700005f) in his support. Under Starmer's leadership, however, and until the end of the pandemic, voter turnout had rebounded to a measly 43% and confidence in the party plummeted. Despite Labour's most recent positive polling on the back of a somewhat improvement in their image, nobody still knows what Labour sincerely stands for. Can *you* even give just three points of policy under Labour? During the pandemic, they agreed on every stance the Conservatives had, and since, their position has been more or less aligned with the Tories too. If it weren't for Boris's blunders, there would be little differentiation between the two. And when policy is king, what is the purpose of the Labour Party?

If Labour's actions are to go by, then they exist to defy youth, as apparent by their seemingly active war against the young which was exemplified in a recent attack upon its Young Labour wing. Just on the onset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, [Keir Starmer axed Young Labour's conference, cut its funding, and suspended access to their Twitter account](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10551691/Young-Labour-BLOCKED-Twitter-account-group-clashes-party-Ukraine-NATO.html) after it suggested he was "backing NATO aggression". This comes just a few months after a prior incident in which, in a letter to the chair of Labour's youth, Jess Barnard, the Labour seniority, explained that she was under investigation for "hostile or prejudice" conduct in reference to a couple of tweets in 2020 where she announced that she would be blocking "trans-exclusionary radical feminists" (TERFs) on Twitter. The row came as Bernard publicly shamed the Labour Party for rejecting calls of support to hold a youth conference and [banned Jeremy Corbyn from addressing any potential audience](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/10/labour-apologises-to-chair-of-youth-wing-for-investigation-error) in defiance of their will.

![A series of Tweets from Young Labour](https://res.cloudinary.com/fledger/image/upload/v1646502533/post/young_labour_tweet_eeslmu.png "Young Labour’s tweet in response to the Labour Party’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Image sourced from [The Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10551691/Young-Labour-BLOCKED-Twitter-account-group-clashes-party-Ukraine-NATO.html).")

These may be contentious issues, but regardless of your opinion on NATO, "TERFs", Jeremy Corbyn or Young Labour itself, such clear disregard for the opinions of the youth wing, the elected representative of Young Labour, and by extension a portion of the U.K.'s youth, visibly demonstrates Labour's indifferent attitude towards young people whose vote share is essential to any Labour election victory and whose lives have been hammered and battered for over a decade. If Labour were to win a general election, what does this say about how they will treat the perspectives of the young? The sad reality is that the young's electoral ballot as a method of change is destined to fail, even if their preferred party prevails on the day. So who then takes the mic and speaks for the young?

In the age of social media, some would argue that this responsibility is now each individual's problem. For who needs a party or movement to speak for someone when they can contact anyone within an instant?

Social media has given a voice to anyone who wants it. And with 70% of young people leveraging social media daily, the platform is buzzing with eyes and ears which may be receptive to those who speak up. But despite unprecedented access to an audience, most voices bounce into oblivion within their [own algorithmically reinforced echo chambers](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023301118). Indeed, a [study of 2000 Twitter users](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/04/twitter-accounts-really-are-echo-chambers-study-finds) identifying as either Labour, Tory, UKIP or SNP supporters found that they are significantly more likely to follow, interact and share articles from those that share their same views. The dangers of such confirmation bias to distort truths are well-documented. But even if we can overcome that, the nature of existing within an echo chamber by virtue of its chamber is that any political voice we are granted bounces within it. And for those rare voices that break out of their chambers, an ocean of words from a billion users dissolves them. It is as if each youth is standing on a stage and speaking into a jar; the few muffled words that are picked up by the mic are amplified to a head-phoned and unsympathetic audience. Only the loudest voices can break through the headphones - and for the "traditional" media, such headphones are an obstacle like a ravine to a bird.

As if a stable ship on ever-changing waters, "traditional" media still manages to reach much of the audience it once dominated. For young people, this reach is via social media platforms. Despite the majority of young people accessing news from Twitter first, the platform also leads users to get information from websites of major news organisations such as the BBC, The Daily Mail, or The Guardian. As the go-to organisations, these outlets carry tremendous responsibility as arbiters of truth, microphones of agendas, and pilots of country-wide conversation. To serve the young in these roles, they must advocate for topics the young are interested in, shed light on issues that impact them, and provide the perspective of the youth. The substantial underrepresentation ([4%](https://www.nctj.com/downloadlibrary/DIVERSITY%20JOURNALISM%204WEB.pdf)) of young people in media positions where they can affect change can be circumvented by empathy. But the apparent neglect of young people through misrepresentation of the young, or ignorance of issues that impacts them, points to a significant shortage of empathy which follows through into their reporting, or failure to report, in the case of the National Insurance rise. A recent survey, for example, revealed that almost half of the British public [know little or nothing about the tax increase](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/britons-boris-johnson-ipsos-nhs-chancellor-b2016366.html) and how it will involve them. And while there are some reports detailing the impacts of the rise, a quick Google search will surface next-to-no opposition to the rise and almost zero anger on behalf of the young who will be unduly afflicted by it. To put it into context, for any of us on minimum wage, the National Insurance increase equates to an additional £112.00 that will be lifted from our bank balance. And coupled with the upcoming reduction in Universal Credit payments, we will soon be [£1,082 a year worse off](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/levelling-up-the-inversion-of-the-welfare-state). And for those of us lucky to be in work who have graduated from university, on top of the [9% tax we owe in student loan repayments](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-tuition-fees-changes/) comes an [additional 2.5%](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/levelling-up-the-inversion-of-the-welfare-state) in National Insurance contributions; all culminating in an effective tax rate of just under 50%. This is nearly [10% higher than the effective tax rate for the same young person in 1980](https://www.ft.com/content/bbaf099a-0b5b-48ad-9ca5-fee26844c1df). All this to say that we are the highest taxed generation our age bracket has ever had, exacerbated by a period of inflationary chaos.

> Should more issues sanction an easy solution, let us not be surprised if the young are picked on first

It is a simple enough explanation for such a serious subject, which makes the media's indifference all the more a travesty. But as long as the media giants remain stable, there is no hope of change. Buses will be dragged out of the depot and directed towards our bodies, yet no outlet will bat an eyelid. Its coupling with a discriminate government paints a depressing picture. Amidst worsening knife crime; property ownership; natural disasters; education; social stability; mental health, and financial freedom, govern a party whose cabinet does not care. In the last election, just [22% of young people voted Conservative](https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/12/17/how-britain-voted-2019-general-election). In contrast, [80% of the over-65s voted for Boris](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/levelling-up-the-inversion-of-the-welfare-state). He survived the recent coup to his leadership. His re-election is secured as long as he keeps the affluent elders happy - and using the young's money to pay for their care is a sure way to put a smile on their faces. Should more issues sanction an easy solution, and there are severe problems on the horizon, let us not be surprised if the young are picked on first. Calves, after all, are at the mercy of the farmers, and our farmers do not care. Our only hope, perhaps, is to seek pastures anew.

Who can we rely on to speak for the young? Who now do we look towards to help balance the scales of fairness?