Whitehall has left generation of teenagers with no hope, says Andy Burnham
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/30/whitehall-teenagers-greater-manchester-mayor-andy-burnham-education-young-people
Posted by topotaul
Whitehall has left generation of teenagers with no hope, says Andy Burnham
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/30/whitehall-teenagers-greater-manchester-mayor-andy-burnham-education-young-people
Posted by topotaul
15 Comments
I don’t find his comedy funny either but that feels a tad extreme.
It’s not just Whitehall, though, Andy. It’s the entire global capitalist system that disenfranchises people and expects most of them to live in poverty without any realistic way out. What we have, and have had for my entire lifetime, is a government that completely buys into the stratified, neoliberal economic system that encourages the rich to get richer, companies to focus more on creating value for shareholders than actually creating anything of value, and drives down wages so that it’s easier to achieve both of those things.
Schools need to care more about the career paths of kids, not everyone is destined or should go to uni, my sixth form was graded on how many of their pupils went to university so if you wanted a different career path they didn’t give a shit and would tell you you need to study harder and apply for uni.
No wonder 2/3rds don’t want to pursue a uni degree when you look at the cost!
Get them out every day picking up litters, weeding roadsides, cleaning off graffiti etc. and watch them suddenly find a job or enrol in a course.
It’s almost as if there are only around 0.8 million job openings for over 1.5 million job seekers.
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“Whitehall” governments are absolutely allergic to responsibility aren’t they?
I know they weren’t in power then but this feels like putting the foundations in to blame Whitehall / civil service for their own failings
Not just current teenagers, pretty much every young person since the 2008 financial crash.
The economy has barely grown, wages have stagnated, and we’ve lurched from one crisis to the next. I’m in my 30’s and am significantly poorer than my parents were at my age.
This is a pointless tirade. You are a mayor of a giant city, just do something to change this outcome where you have agency. Attaching blame without attempting solutions – or at least pointing out that you’ve tried to do something but because of someone else’s failings it hasn’t worked – is a massive reason this poor country is going down. We need more positivity from people in power and not just finding who to blame.
A generation isn’t 14 years Andy. Labour were in charge for another 15 if a generation is 30 years.
Well no shit Sherlock. Poor management of an otherwise great country got us here.
I fully agree with his assessment of the situation – I was pushed into uni as the only viable option and it was pretty rare for someone in my school to pursue a vocational path. I don’t wholly regret studying at uni because it did improve my critical thinking and opened up my eyes – and some opportunities. But it also left me lost and floating aimlessly for long stretches. We need to restructure the school system a bit.
it’s the entire system you maintain for the rich that needs to die
Ad in local paper today: Atherton home for rent. $30,000 per month.
Whaaaa? That’s what a large percentage of the population make in a year…and still struggle to make rent.
I really wish people would say Westminster not Whitehall. It’s got nothing to do with DfE how policy has been or will be set, unless you are claiming they don’t know about the issue… which is obviously not true.