The War on The Old

by John Sutherland

The war on the old has been declared.

In the post-Brexit world, intergenerational conflict has become a visible phenomenon. There is an overwhelming sense of blame from younger generations: it was 'the wrinklies', the grey-haired plutocracy, who voted Leave; who are overburdening hospitals, shutting the youth out of the housing market and hoarding accumulated wealth.

By 2020, we are told, one in five Britons will be pensioners, and living a longer retirement than ever before. 'A good thing', politicians add, through gritted teeth. The truth is that for them, 'the old' are a social, economic and political inconvenience.

John Sutherland (age 78, and feeling keenly what he writes about) examines this intergenerational combat as a new kind of war in which institutional neglect and universal indifference to the old has reached aggressive, and routinely lethal, levels. This is a book which sets out to provoke but in the process tells some deep and inconvenient truths, revealing something British society would rather not think about.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

Published November 17, 2016

About the author

John Andrew Sutherland is an English academic, newspaper columnist and author. He is Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London.

Reviews

[PolicemanPrawn]

This is about how UK society is waging war on the old, particularly in light of the Brexit vote, in which many of the old voted to leave. There are some substance to these claims, but the arguments were not really too interesting or convincing, and there wasn't much good analysis or information. For example, there may be a natural tendency to dislike the old, but these sort of hypotheses were not addressed. This is another book written by a literature professor that wasn't good. A poor entry in the 'Provocations' series.

[Jane]

I'm prejudiced. If a book is about old people and also humorous, I'm IN for 5 stars.

I couldn't understand the reviewers who said there weren't enough facts to be convincing. Maybe it's because I'm not a UK resident. I'm an oldtimer in the U.S., and even with our Social Security and faulty insurance system, I think there's a War on Old People. If it weren't for people not having babies and doctors needing to make money, we would be set out on an ice floe to die off without a frozen whimper.

[Liz Neville]

informative, but very depressing!

[John]

Brilliant as JS has consistently proved to be for me.