The UK fertility rate has dropped again, to 1.41 (a steady population has a fertility rate of 2.1). Basically it means that the percentage of older people will continue to grow – thus increasing the burden on younger people to work and provide taxes. I have not seen the proportion of births to those born outside the UK but am confident the the the fertility rate for this group is higher. The recent politics of division in society will make racism worse. Northern Irelands recent spate of racist attacks maybe a harbinger of what is to come.
The fertility rate has been falling since the early sixties and dropped below replacement level in the mid-1970’s, co-incidentally it correspends to the imposition of Thatcherite politics. I have heard people express opinions that the decline is due to economic factors “eople cannot afford to have children”, but basically this is bollox! In my youth (here we go with old people speak!), wealth was more fairly distributed and we did not have the gizmo’s, cars, TV’s, etc.etc. of people today. Were we happier? I have no idea but we also had outbreaks of typhoid and measles, chicken pox, mumps were common and widespread.
However the key factor, in my opinion was optimism. The later 1960’s and early 1970’s were time of change and optimism about the future. Yes I know the Cold War was in full spate, Vietnam war was in full horror, but the pop scene and youth culture was booming, hemlines up and hair down! The future was bright. CND marches and Greenpeace offered a better future. The NHS was brilliant and the papers had not started to slur anyone who had made it from a working class background (unlike the campaign of hate against Angela Raynor and Meghan Markel today).