Being young

Fifty years ago, young people left school and went either to university (gey few at that time) or into work (a lot). Anyone over the age of 50 has no idea how tough life was for young people in the 80s and 90s when youth unemployment reached 40%. Nowadays, we don't talk about youth unemployment. We talk about the 'gig economy': the casual, underpaid method of working that capitalism seems to demand in the  modern UK. No holiday pay, no sick leave, and in some companies no toilet breaks during your shift. And, above all, no union membership to protect your rights. You have no rights as far as I can see.

Tonight I was in a local pizzeria. Privately owned, not part of a chain. Things were quiet, although by the time I left 25 minutes later the phones were busy. As if people had looked at the clock and thought: 'Struth! Is that the time? Better order something to eat'.

The biggest issue for the staff seemed to be that they had run out of prosciutto. That just left 3 sorts of sausage for the pizzas they were serving. There was some discussion over whether they should offer customers a pound off if they asked for the prosciutto they didn't have. I was more taken with the fact that they were selling rocket as a pizza filling. Rocket. It grows like a weed in most parts of Europe, but if you want it in a pizzeria in the UK, you have to pay extra.

Two young employees were discussing jobs with a customer of their own age as they worked. I was pretending not to listen in. All of them seemed to think nothing of travelling across the city for work. They knew which fast food outlets were hiring, and they knew which ones to avoid. One had moved out of a flat back to live with his parents in hopes of raising enough for a down payment on a mortgage but as he said: 'That's well spent now.'

I so wanted to ask if any of them had thought of doing a course at a further education college or looking for an apprenticeship. Or applying for funding from the Prince's Trust or the Lottery or Google Charity Grants to set up their own business?

I also wanted to ask: Where will you be in 20 years time? Still making and delivering pizzas? It's worth asking. Every fast food joint and every supermarket employs young people, who stick around for a few years and then move on. Where do they go? To better jobs? Or, as a taxi driver told me last week his daughter (the one with the Masters) now was, selling smart meters on the phone for British Gas? Or 'online bundles' for BT?

And where will they be in 40 years time? Still working - that's for sure. Will they have pensions? Will they ever earn enough to put money into a pension? Can they ever retire? Will they be able to spend their old age with their grandchildren? Can they afford to marry? Or have children, never mind grandchildren?

We've handed our young people and their futures over to capitalism. That's not their problem. It's ours. If Scotland ever gains independence, this is my number one priority: to create a decent future for our young people, with a job and a home of their own. A bit of security. Or is that against the aims of capitalism?