'The Mogs are misunderstood - they're unlike the previous older generation' - Toby Neal says

They are unlike any previous old generation, as brought home by the passing of Marianne Faithfull.

She was the Boudicea to their Iceni, an icon and a figurehead of her time, a woman who, according to the various tributes, encapsulated the spirit of the 1960s generation.

We won't go into those obituaries of Marianne Faithfull in detail because this is, after all, a family paper, but in summary she lived a life of sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and confectionery, although the last bit was an urban myth.

Marianne had an army of contemporaries. And they are among us. The young generation of the 1960s are the Moggies of today.

You can see them everywhere. Clogging up garden centre cafes. Hogging the middle lane of motorways. Mixing with the economically inactive in shopping centres on weekdays.

There are more and more of them. It's like one of those movies in which the zombies are taking over and people take a while to notice.

Not that the modern old generation are anything like zombies. They are too clever for that. These are people who have pulled through damaging experiences like watching 1960s sitcoms and the Miss World competition.

If you didn't know, things were different then. As a result they have thoughts, and we must suspect that some of them have thoughts which are thoughts they keep to themselves.

They hide, too. A lot of them look younger than they really are. They are adept at wearing various disguises. Wearing jeans is a favourite. To expose Moggies, take a peek at their footwear. If they don't have lace-ups, consider it a suspicious sign.

If that doesn't help, a sure giveaway is if they give a little involuntary groan as they bend over.

They do have an alibi in that tired cliche that those who could remember those times weren't really there. Pull the other one. Are we supposed to believe that they were so stoned in the 1960s that they have only recently awoken from their drug-addled stupor to find themselves in a strange new world and a strange new century?

Too young to have fought in the war, they missed out too on the discipline of doing National Service, and they grew up with flowers in their hair and preaching the virtues of peace and love.

The rise of the Moggies has changed the dynamics of relations between generations.

Today's yobs are too scared to mug little old ladies in case they fight back, and have retreated to the safety of their bedrooms to trick them with online scams instead, taking advantage of one of the Moggies' vulnerabilities, a tendency to hold on to old-fashioned manners.

"You want my password and bank account details? Certainly, young man, thank you for asking so nicely."

We would draw up a charge sheet against the Moggies but frankly don't have enough space. But they stand accused of clinging on to their homes when there are places available in care homes at very reasonable prices, and their spare bedrooms could be very useful as Britain is projected to welcome 10 million new arrivals by 2032.

Also, despite long waiting lists and other attempts at dissuasion, they have proven to be dogged and persistent NHS botherers.

What are we to do? Rachel Reeves has turned off their heating but those who survive the winter will be getting enhanced state pensions in April.

We have to look at what went wrong. Remember they grew up when they still put lead in fuel, and Britain still mined for fossil fuels before the famous environmental campaigner Margaret Thatcher put a stop to that.

Yet in some ways the Moggies have been treated unfairly. They have been traduced as hardline Brexiteers. The truth is that they are the most enthusiastic Remainers in British history. It was their votes which took Britain to an overwhelming Remain victory in 1975.

And they have a quality which seems to have been lost in the 21st century. They have a sense of humour.

Cripes, I hope so.