The Butterworth Controversy

Debate.

March 4, 2025.

Commentator Benjamin Butterworth caused a furore with this post on social media site X, on April 1st.

"Baby Boomers are the richest generation to have ever lived, they had stable jobs for 40 years, 30% are worth £1m & they have taken from the state 130% of what they paid in.

And as thanks they ring up the radio fuming that millennials want to have the homes they were handed.

The Ungrateful Generation."

He may of course, have been joking given the date but his post provoked a reaction.

Add your comments to the debate:

According to Mr. Butterworth, the baby boomer generation are rich beyond imagination.

Worth millions and living a life of luxury to the detriment of the current generation.

Very obviously, he didn't live back then, when today's pensioners were young and starting their working lives.

Yes they were good times in terms of music, culture and generally 'living'.

It was a great time to be be alive.

However life was very tough. We didn't have much money, and made the best we had at the time.

Me personally? I didn't have the opportunity to buy my council home at the time. Mostly because my wife at the time didn't want to. She always said it was her insurance policy in case I left.

Ironically, that was the reason I 'left'.

So here I am donkeys years later with nothing to my name. No millions in my bank, no property to sell...A virtual pauper.

Peter Morris.

Benjamin. You have got it ALL wrong. WE are the grateful generation.

We didn’t have to have everything RIGHT NOW as current generations do.

We went without, to save for a house, to have children younger.

We didn’t all have cars or technology.

We’ve given millions in taxes and to our children to help them.

We are less of a burden on the state than future generations will be.

We didn’t whinge like you.

We are stoic and resilient.

We give generously to charities.

Have some bloody respect because idiotic envy mindsets, like yours, will eat you up.

Nadia

Benjamin, you are talking about people who have worked for the entirety of their working lives to get what they have - which in many cases isn't much.

Most pensioners are not rich by any means and most have only the state pension to survive on. The increase coming up this month amounts to a princely £9 a week and that's already gone with the scandalous rises in energy and food costs.

Those who now own their homes worked and earned the wages to justify a mortgage and paid that mortgage for 25 years. They worked hard, went without and raised their families.

Now, a tip:

One day, you will be old.

You cannot delay it, deny it, defer it, vote it away or stop it.

You

will

get

old.

What will you say when some cool, trendy, funky young thing disses you merely because you are old?

Lose your apparent hatred of the old Ben, because barring any catastrophic intervention, there you will be going.

Kevan James

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