Thanks Booze. I've no work today and my studies are over, so thought I would spend a little time contemplating the demise of humanity. It's not the happiest topic, but I really sense that things are around the corner and I can't see it being all that fun. I hope I'm wrong, I really do, but the portents are really not good. The next decade is going to be rough for everyone economically and beyond that nobody is doing anything about the environment. It's all lip service and saying the right things, but nobody is actually doing anything. Development has been so rapid over the past 200 hundred years, it's way too much. Even if it doesn't all result in the collapse of humanity things are still never going to be as good as 'back in the day'. I was reading the comments from a Guardian article looking at cuts in child benefit and came across this one that I quite liked...

"Child benefit should be paid for the eldest child only. After that, if you want any more children, you should pay for them yourself."
Oh I'm sure future generations will face this.
"Is it true you got child benefit for both myself and my brother, mum?"
"Yes dear"
"And grandma got free university education?"
"Yes dear"
"And dad got a pension?"
"Yes dear"
"And you both lived together in a reasonably priced home?"
"Yes dear"
"And you had two holidays a year?"
"Yes dear"
"And there was a minimum wage?"
"Yes dear"
"And, like, average people like yourselves could afford to get married and raise a family?"
"Yes dear"
"Why then, mum, is my generation expected to do without these things?"
"Hush dear"


Even if we do make it through the next 50 years or so I can see the quality of life being so much less.