Vent - My Mother (and her generation?)

Torry_Quine

missbiggles1 wrote: »

We sold a house in the country over 20 years ago having put in storage heaters and a multi fuel stove because there was obviously no gas. Even the people who actually viewed it weren't interested because it didn't have central heating and, when we eventually sold it (at a loss), the buyers put in LPG central heating within months.

Apparently fewer than 10% of homes didn't have central heating 10 years ago and it's seen as an indicator of poverty.

http://www.poverty.org.uk/77/index.shtml

I have never lived in a home with central heating, I have storage heaters. It seems ridiculous that its an indicator of poverty.

seven-day-weekend

Torry_Quine wrote: »

I have never lived in a home with central heating, I have storage heaters. It seems ridiculous that its an indicator of poverty.

I know new apartments round here are heated with electric wall heaters.

My son's older flat had storage heaters when he bought it. He has replaced these with electric wall heaters.

Many properties do not have a gas supply, nor is it possible to get one.

I too think it is ridiculous if not having ch is an indicator of poverty,

pollypenny

Primrose wrote: »

Well each generation has its own difficulties to live with. I was born during the war. When I started work women were not allowed to contribute to a pension scheme and when I got married, i had to get my husband's written permission for Inland Revenue to send the tax rebate I was entitled to on marriage made out to me in a cheque in my name rather than his!

There was a delay in processing my tax rebate on marriage, so it was paid to my husband! 1968

Women teachers paid the pension contributions as men. However, dependants were only entitled to 2% on death of the woman. That only changed in 1987, thanks to the fight if a WPC, who when she was dying of cancer made her husband promise to take it to ECHR.

See, Europe is good for us.

Person_one

missbiggles1 wrote: »

We sold a house in the country over 20 years ago having put in storage heaters and a multi fuel stove because there was obviously no gas. Even the people who actually viewed it weren't interested because it didn't have central heating and, when we eventually sold it (at a loss), the buyers put in LPG central heating within months.

Apparently fewer than 10% of homes didn't have central heating 10 years ago and it's seen as an indicator of poverty.

http://www.poverty.org.uk/77/index.shtml

That's an interesting link, but I couldn't find a definition for the term 'central heating' which makes me wonder.

In cities, where loads of new build apartment blocks are going up all the time, hardly any of them have a gas supply and nearly all are heated by either storage heaters or electric wall heaters. Could these be classed as central heating though even though its not what most people think of when they use that term?

It does point to some regional variations. Here in the NW, my brother moved into a house a few years ago with no central heating, built in the 70s. My parents used to live in a house on a row of Victorian terraces, and it was a real mixture. Some were newly refurbished and ultra modern, some were still using the old open fireplaces, depending on who lived there and for how long. The house I'm in now is the first place I've lived as an adult that has proper gas central heating. Yes, most homes have it, but nobody is surprised to come across a house where it hasn't been installed yet.

I just find it interesting that lack of central heating is used by so many as apparently the ultimate indicator of how dire things were back in 'their day' when plenty of people younger than the baby boomers (who are at least 55/56 now) have experienced the same!

missbiggles1

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I know new apartments round here are heated with electric wall heaters.

My son's older flat had storage heaters when he bought it. He has replaced these with electric wall heaters.

Many properties do not have a gas supply, nor is it possible to get one.

I too think it is ridiculous if not having ch is an indicator of poverty,

Of course, some of these will be classed as having electric central heating.

seven-day-weekend

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Of course, some of these will be classed as having electric central heating.

OK, I think of CH as either gas or oil.

NewShadow

Robisere wrote: »

I refuse to join in the generation-bashing you obviously wanted to provoke, but why did you have to paint all of my generation with the same brush that you use to picture your mother? I am 71 in a couple of weeks, but I am not going to tell you more about how hard my life was, just the part where my mentally-ill mother put me in a coma for 3 days at 6 years old, using a coal shovel. The climax of a pattern of abuse that ended when I was sent to my aunt's to live for almost 3 years, until treatment and lifelong medication put her on an even keel, although she could never understand my complete rejection of her. Would you have preferred to have had a mum like that?

Hi Robisere, Sorry if you think I was generation bashing.

And sorry that you had such a horrible experience with your parent - something that unfortunately hasn't been limited to a particular period in history.

The whole point of my post was that I wasn't generation bashing - Things now are 'as bad/as good' as they were then - pointing out my mother's rose tinted glasses.

The '(and her generation?)' in the title was a tongue in cheek nod to the tendency of (some) people to write off entire generation(s), who aren't actually old enough to have made the decisions which have resulted in the societal changes they're being blamed for.

maman

Robisere wrote: »

I refuse to join in the generation-bashing you obviously wanted to provoke, but why did you have to paint all of my generation with the same brush that you use to picture your mother?

OP's view is obviously coloured by her own experiences but you're right there are 'good' and 'bad' examples in every generation and it's not helpful to stereotype.


It makes me angry that there are people in the mother's generation who are claiming benefits because they didn't make adequate or any provision for retirement. I know some of them personally who instead chose to spend all disposable income. Of course I know that's not all pensioners on benefits but they do exist.


Similarly (and probably because) many people of OP's generation were brought up with high expectations so they aren't satisfied with making do and waiting for all the trappings of a comfortable life. While I know many older people who started their first homes with hand-me-downs and kept them for years, many younger people want it all and they want it now and sadly much of it on credit.:(

missbiggles1

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

OK, I think of CH as either gas or oil.

So did all the people who didn't buy our house.:o

I think it's the question of radiators that counts for some, people would've been happy if our multi fuel stove had run radiators.

Petra_70

maman wrote: »

OP's view is obviously coloured by her own experiences but you're right there are 'good' and 'bad' examples in every generation and it's not helpful to stereotype.

It makes me angry that there are people in the mother's generation who are claiming benefits because they didn't make adequate or any provision for retirement. I know some of them personally who instead chose to spend all disposable income. Of course I know that's not all pensioners on benefits but they do exist.


Similarly (and probably because) many people of OP's generation were brought up with high expectations so they aren't satisfied with making do and waiting for all the trappings of a comfortable life. While I know many older people who started their first homes with hand-me-downs and kept them for years, many younger people want it all and they want it now and sadly much of it on credit.:(

So what? Why SHOULDN'T they spend all - or most of - their disposable income?

You can't take it with you!

Imagine saving and scrimping for your retirement; never buying new cars, or going abroad, or just squandering on frivolous, fun things, so you can 'save' for your retirement, and then you die at 66?!

What's more, what the hell do you think your national insurance contributions go towards? Many people are entitled to claim that pension from the state. The state pension is not a benefit you know! And many pensioners are entitled to housing benefit too, whether it gets up your nose or not.

I mean, for all YOU know, many of these people you are berating, have probably paid 5 times more tax than YOU have!

Frankly, you sound a bit bitter.