Marriage is not like a phone deal

AS MY friends know, I’m far from being a fuddy-duddy, but increasingly I’m alienated by the lunacies of the young.

Was I like that? No! Education in the Sixties taught us discipline and debate — and values, too. Yes, we got many things wrong. But nobody thought fancy dress offensive.

Leaving aside the stupidity of identity politics and snowflake ‘offence’ we’re witnessing within our universities, what about the poll that’s just revealed many young people believe marriage should be more like a rolling mobile phone deal?

A quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds think marriage should be a temporary contract with a renewal date and the chance to ‘upgrade’ to a new partner.

Worse, one third of the same group is in favour of polygamy (I bet they’re all male), while another third think that people should move freely between partners in ‘fluid arrangements’.

So to hell with monogamy, fidelity, effort, duty, long-lasting love. Bring on ‘open marriage’ — which always ends in tears.

All hail instant divorce! And who cares what happens to the poor children of these fleeting shack-ups?

Honestly, if this is what passes for wisdom in the young, then I’d be all in favour of putting the voting age back to 21. At least by 21, still a student but married, I was a proper adult.

As you know, many letters about marriage come into this column and I’m also personally acquainted with its ups and downs — and its griefs. But I have no doubt about the importance of the institution, especially when there are children.

I also know that within the public promises exchanged (even in a civil wedding) is the potential for the greatest joy, support, companionship and care men and women can experience. I still believe this is the bedrock of a stable society — and no bunch of callow yoofs waving their silly phones can take that conviction away. They’ll learn.