It boils down to forms of attitudinal education, Graham.
The concept causing all of this is simple: the world owes me a living.
It has two distinct and surprisingly opposite fans. On the one side are those mainly in the blue-collar world who can lack the background or vision to further themselves via their own efforts and enterprise; there is then the opposite type that comes from wealth, feels youthful guilt at not really having to find a job, and attempts to express empathy with the other 'side' as absolution. Absolution, that is, from totally illogical guilt: unless to further an artistic, philanthropic or altruistic dream of some sort, work is simply an essential to finding money. Without need, there is little intrinsic value to be found in it: it fills your life at the expense of so many better things with which you could concern yourself.
When reason or logic can't deliver what one wants, then force and/or violence becomes the alternative that sometimes works. But but at what cost? You mentioned the 'miner's strike' and it was indeed a sort of turning-point marker. But it also left some terrible scars both on communities in the physical sense, and on people in the psychological and political. That it was inevitable, that no country can continue to subsidise systems that lose money, mattered not to those affected directly, which is perfectly understandable if one is in their shoes. But as a nation, choices and actions become unavoidable, regardless of the political toll it will charge to the party faced with the implementation. It takes a brave leader to run the risk - and see it through.
But youth doesn't last for ever. After a few years of having to earn that daily bread, political leanings can change dramatically, and love for those actively dodging work fades as the romatic idea becomes exposed for the freeload it essentially is.
It's also a bit ironic that France, of all countries, gets targetted by terrorism: it was one of the few lands which so many black US Americans who had the gift of music decided to try and make their new home. As I understand it, they were well-received, became very popular because of their talent, and led better lives than they could find back home in the States; one even bought herself a chateau! But then religious terrorism is so much more evil than that of colour or race: we enjoy some of the same in some Scottish circles as we do in parts of Ireland: one 'Christian' religion devided by partisan groupings. Absolutely insane. They can't even have football matches without bringing it into play. So much needless tragedy. And you don't need to travel to the Middle East to find version of the islamic one: not so long ago, a guy in Glasgow, a moslem, was killed by another moslem with a different religious slant. Hey ho.
So yeah, pretty much everything is effed up everywhere.
Rob