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It doesn't seem like you have messed up your life. If you have made it that far in the humanities, then I think you're the type that can figure out how to keep going.

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They’re almost 50 and don’t have a full time job with pension. That is not a good position to be in unless you come from money, are married to someone who does, or has a solid professional career or gold plated benefits and a permanent job.

I don't know the specific detail of OP's position, but (all?) post-docs in the UK are members of the same pension scheme as all other academics in their institution. Your fundamental point is quite right--short-term contracts are a lousy and difficult game to play into middle-age.

They have a government pension.

They spent 30 years "working" on their research interest instead of at the beck of bosses and clients. Even if they spend retirement stuck as a grocery clerk, they'll have a better life (more funded free time to pursue their personal interests) than almost everyone.

Will the job of grocery clerk exist in 20 years?

research interests ≠ personal interests, necessarily.

Research is not very different from work actually. You always work on the basis of market demand (In this case, the funding organisations)

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