[Sundae]

Hard effort = hard work. That doesn't always mean lots of money.
Smart choices might not always be available/ understandable.

My Grandad worked hard all his life. He worked until the mandated retirement age.
He expected the Government to take care of him.
That was the promise he had all his life.
And yes, they did. He was taken care of. He had a council bungalow, social care visits, a cleaner once a week and after he was put in hospital he had hospice care.

He was happy with what he had, and with what he received. He lived worry-free in his last few years, although that was mostly because Mum had great advice from people who knew the system in making sure he got what he was entitled to. And because we made damn well sure we stepped up as a family. Plenty of evidence all over these pages.

Grandad was lucky.

He lived through The Blitz.
Married his first love.
Raised two children even though his family (property owners) never managed to claim back what they lost in the War.
Moved back to Central London into Govt sponsored housing.
Took us (grand)kids in during the school holidays so the 'rents could keep working during the school holidays

Later was able to "swap" to council housing in Aylesbury to be close to Mum (Uncle Jim moved to Australia)
To do this he had to move in with us and leave Nanny behind. He had to share a house with his daughter's family and work as a hospital porter. Lucky Jim.

The man never had anything to spare.
He worked hard all his life.
He was functionally illiterate.

People who don't make it into the Times £100m list aren't failures. They didn TRY less than anyone else. Not everyone who works a low wage job is dolescum. I don't know of anyone in my family who chose an easy path, or did not work as hard as they could. But the world needs some people not to advance for wiping up blood in a hospital corrider to having a sandwich chain outside said hospital or writing an award winning play about it.

Doesn't it?