Adam Cailler, a senior reporter and MSN lead at the Daily Star, is part of one of the hardest hit generations when it comes to tax and more, and the chaos of the triple lock decision could make or break Andy Burnham.
Cailler, 36, says that since he turned 18, the country has seen the financial crash, multiple wars around the world, a pandemic, more wars, austerity, several Prime Ministers and nothing but higher tax upon higher tax.
What the triple lock really is
He argues that the thread running through a lot of this has been the “triple lock”. Politicians treat this as if it were some mythical overlord that cannot be touched. But what it actually is, he says, is a noose around the neck of this country, and around anyone under the age of 50 who works hard for their money.
Cailler writes that his generation is hit with the largest tax burdens of any generation, in a bid to try and bring down the country's debts – but he questions whether anyone has noticed that this hasn't worked for nearly two decades, so why would it work now?
Reaction to Burnham's door-opening
He asks why everyone over a certain age has reacted in such uproar about Andy Burnham opening the door to stopping the triple lock. He says he is not really sure – and the only answer you get from a lot of people, including Unite leader Sharon Graham, is that it's “electoral suicide”.
But take all the hype away from the thing that costs around £15b a year, all the triple lock being scrapped would mean a small increase in pension payments. It will not decrease the payments – it just makes the amount they get go up less each year.
Pressure on future generations
Cailler says the country is utterly screwed, and his generation constantly feels it more and more, every day. Bills up, tax up, cost of living rising almost daily – and the one thing that makes sense to do is being treated as if the entire country will collapse.
But it won't. He argues it will push the country into fixing social care, it will ease the pressure on the future generations and it will show that Mr Burnham is not Keir Starmer version two. It will show that Mr Burnham might actually be a good Prime Minister after all.
He concludes by preparing his inbox for abuse from anyone aged 60 and up.
