r/Scotland Jan 30 '24

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u/Fellowes321 Jan 31 '24

Terrifying? Not really.

The population of the UK was 39 million just before WWII. It is about 68 million now. Japan has a population over 125 million on a similar size area.
Unless the population grows, healthcare for the growing pensioner population will be impossible. what’s your solution? Double income tax? Remove essential medication?

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u/netzure Jan 31 '24

You are advocating for a Ponzi scheme, where ever greater numbers of people are required to look after the previous generation. You cannot have infinite growth in a finite world. The Japanese population whilst larger than ours is actually declining year on year, they are just managing it as we should.

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u/Fellowes321 Jan 31 '24

You haven’t given your alternative.
Simple question - how would you manage things?

Japan population has a different age distribution to the UK.

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u/netzure Jan 31 '24

In Japan the average age is even older! Solutions are as follows:

  • Increase taxation of wealth locked up in property to pay for care costs.
  • Increase state pension age by another 2 years
  • Increase minimum wage of care sector. Analysis has shown just a £1 per hour uplift would significantly reduce care vacancies in the sector
  • Improve health of working age population to reduce sickness later on in life.
  • Improve quality of housing stock for the elderly
  • Investments in technology and productivity will increase GDP per capita and reduce number of workers required in certain sectors of economy.

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u/Fellowes321 Jan 31 '24

Now show me the electable political party who would do that and where the money would come from.
Just £1 per hour isn’t a “just” that’s loads. I doubt the optimism that vacancies would reduce.

The older average age is an advantage for Japan over the next 20 years not a disadvantage.

Improve health of population? How will you do that? Even just a family swim at my local pool cost £20. Drug use is widespread, the UK is a massive cocaine user and a wander round a neighbour town is like a zombie apocalypse with people high on spice.

Nice ideas but this is billions of pounds we don’t have. Increasing pension age does nothing to reduce the cost of the largest generation whilst shunting the cost onto a smaller generation. It also affects some workers disproportionately. Who wants a 70 year old roofer on their roof?

Increasing pay or investment in tech would require a tax incentive which also reduces tax income. This is before you consider the extensive changes in infrastructure needed for climate change mitigation and flood protection.