I Was One Of The First Nhs Babies.

[10ClarionSt]

Yes folks. I was born on July 22nd 1948. I was one of "the lucky generation", whatever that means, into a new service that had been strongly opposed by the Tories all the way to it's introduction, who, even now would privatise the whole thing if they could. But what was/is lucky about our generation? I can see all the eyes rolling - here he goes again! We are told that we are going to live longer than any previous generation, and, paradoxically, will be a burden on the NHS because of that. Lucky? Our parents had to cope with rationing and austerity after WW2. We lived in a slum in Ancoats, where everyone smoked, everyone! Even teachers at school! Where we had to live amongst industrial smogs. We were lucky alright. But here's the question: Having lived amongst all those things, where is the legacy of them? Smog. Passive smoking. Austerity. Slums. It don't stack up guvnor!

[fiction-factory]

Easy- when you look around you don't see all the people who died years ago.

[fiction-factory]

Maybe I misunderstood the question as you seemed to have rolled up quite a few things there and managed to get in a political point into CB

[Sqad]

1948? you are just a youngster ;-)

I don't understand the point that you are making.

[10ClarionSt]

Squad, I've said this on here before, more than once, but just for you, here goes. In 1949, 81% of the male population were smokers. 62% of the female population were smokers. Both my parents were smokers. My mother carried me and two other siblings through pregnancy whilst being a smoker. We were born into the world of inescapable passive smoking, because of smoking aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, public transport and other public venues. We had to endure long, cold winters of heavy smogs; rationing and austerity.
Where is the legacy of all that? It wasn't just for 2 or 3 years. It was from birth until the Clean Air Act with smogs, and much later with passive smoking. Hardly any fresh fruit until 1954 when rationing ended. That was lucky wasn't it? We are going to live longer than any previous generation and be a burden on the NHS, but if passive smoking is so dangerous and harmful, why are us "Baby Boomers" going to live longer? Has passive smoking only become harmful in recent years just because that nutcase Roy Castle said so? What about everyone else who worked in pubs and nightclubs? Apart from that, everything's fine thanks!

[jno]

one huge reason why people live longer is antibiotics, which were in their infancy when you were. I would have died 30 years ago if it wasn't for them.

Much better treatment of heart problems too.

[10ClarionSt]

jno, I was (still am) allergic to Penicillin, so the doc had to be careful what was prescribed for me. Even more luck, eh? :o)

[jno]

my stomach's not a big fan of penicillin but fortunately there are alternatives. And you can even drink alcohol with most of them.

We've been lucky with that. They're saying now that antibiotics will gradually lose their effectiveness through overuse. Not necessarily our overuse but the ones that are poured into the cattle that we eat.

[10ClarionSt]

However, jno, I think you've missed my point. Anti biotics can't have had anything to do with passive smoking, then or now. It was everywhere in those days. Inescapable. Surely if passive smoking is so bad, why are we told we're going to live longer? I fail to see the connection with anti-biotics.

[jno]

we're living longer than any previous generation because we're not dying of infections that would have killed our parents and nearly killed me.

Also no big wars in our lifetimes, unlike our parents' and grandparents' generations.

[10ClarionSt]

It was more than that, jno. Our generation were determined to try and eliminate those things that our parents endured. The NHS was the beginning of that process. Employment rights; housing improvements, education improvements, all came about because of the Labour Party and Trade Unions, then ripped apart and privatised by the Tories. The NHS is the only thing they haven't privatised, but they will if they get the chance. I'm just going off the point a bit, sorry. I'll go off to bed instead!

[jno]

we can't claim credit for the NHS, it was our parents. (Well, not mine, I'm not British.) Of course as more of us live to old age we succumb to other illnesses like cancer and dementia instead, and the cost of treating us for 10 years longer than our parents, while we have fewer kids to pay for it, means the NHS is struggling. My generation's been better off than anyone else ever, but we haven't left the world in such a good state as our parents did.

Sleep well!