If we all in this together what cuts have oaps faced?

[3asAbird]

As my title says im struggling to see any.

Winter fuel allowance -stays universil-too expensive to means tesrt
same with free bus passes.

part of their social care is paid so they can leave wealth to their families

They excempt from bedroom subsidy so they allowed to under occupy and biggest group.

Pensions I think went up

This new married couples allowance maybe another additional benefit to them if they large proportion of this group.

Housing-they brought at right time probably paid off mortgage and have lots equity.

They moan about interest rates but they fortunate enough to be able to save.

If social-how many homeless pensioners are there? Are they always band a?

Maybe im being harsh and some pensioners have it hard.

But locally they have several holidays a year, holiday homes, brand new cars.

wondering how exactly we all in this together ad should there be mass turnouts under 60 to vote at next general election.

[Viviennemary]

They haven't suffered many cuts because they hardly get any benefits. If they have savings they probably get nothing.

[Bowlersarm]

Yabu

And sound a bit mean tbh. I am pleased our societ looks after the elderly.

However, I think your wish will come true op. The pensioners of the future will be the obvious group for tackling ex

[Bowlersarm]

Gah

....for tackling economically.

A lot of us will suffer when we reach pension age.

[expatinscotland]

'expat - Will you be one of the current two thirds of elderly people living in poverty or on the edge of poverty?'

If I were to live to be elderly, then yes, I would be one of those in poverty. I am a member of Exit, however, and have made plans to join my daughter in death whenever I weary of life here, which is proving tiresome already.

[SilverOldie]

Here are my realities being a pensioner:

Apart from oap I receive a small private pension, less than £400 a month.

Have no car - can't afford it

Have not had a holiday for over 10 years - can't afford it

Worked without a break from the age of 16 to 60 despite developing osteo arthritis in spine, hips (3 replacement ops) and knees in my mid 30s. Which effectively meant I was in severe pain every single working day from then until the age of 60.

Because of my disability, can't walk to the nearest bus stop so can't use buses therefore no bus pass.

Saved for years to buy a flat (at hugely higher interest rates than they are now), and I now own my property outright. It will be used to fund any care I may need as I get older.

The small amount of savings I have earns virtually zero interest and is gradually being eroded away. But I have zero debt - ie no credit cards for which I'm thankful. Nor have I ever applied for any benefits from the Government.

I am single, couldn't have children and the men I had a serious relationship with eventually left to marry women with whom they then had children.

What bit of my life do you want? Yes to the owned house I expect but I doubt you would find the rest very enjoyable.

YABU and and are jealous despite denying it.

[Mrsdavidcaruso]

Silveroldie the voice of reason and experience I am sick of people like the OP whinging about pensioners.

My own Dad is 84 and apart from his national service has worked and paid into this country for nigh on 70 years yes thats right he is still working and STILL pays tax on both his wages and his pension, and there he was last year in fucking tears as he could not afford to give my Mum the lady he was married to for 60 years the type of funeral he wanted, as he couldn't afford it luckily he has 4 daughters who all chipped in.

BTW dont expect Labour to start taking away pensioners 'benefits' if they get in as the vast majority of working class pensioners who don't have huge final salary pensions, who live in social housing, who are too old to drive and need their bus passes are Labour supporters, and it aint just Tory pensioners who vote you know

[SilverOldie]

Thank you Mrsdavidcaruso

So sad to read about your Dad but so pleased that you and your sisters could pay for him.

I'm one of the Tory voters referred to. Having seen what Labour did to this country how anyone can vote for them is beyond my comprehension. And let's face it, if they did unfortunately get in, they are highly unlikely to reverse any of the policies that the current Govenment have put in place.

[fairy1303]

mrsdavid your post has just made me cry.

Your poor dad. I'm so glad you wonderful daughters chipped in.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

YABVU

And since when has a pension been a benefit in the same way jsa has? When these pensioners started working they were told that their NI contribution went towards their pensions. So it's money they worked for

On paper my grandfather has an absolutely stellar private pension. Are my grandparents well off? Are they fuck.

[daisychain01]

I'm getting a bit sick of the fact that the pensioners are being left out of the cuts

How lovely.

Maybe wait until you are at the age of retirement, having contributed all your working life to this country, then decide whether that is a nice way to think and a good attitude to have.

And the pensioners you are talking about may well have been people who fought the War for our freedom

Yuk, just yuk to this.

[expatinscotland]

WWII ended 68 years ago.

[daisychain01]

And your point is, expatinscotland? .... yes thankfully it was the last world war - maybe that gives a message about the sacrifices made!

Shameful some of the comments on this thread.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I think expat was pointing out the majority of today's pensioners are likely to be the children of men/women involved in the war given it ended 68 years ago...

[chibi]

to be fair, there are probably shitloads of 90+ year old veterans of the second world war around.

orrrrrr not

i look forward to paying through the nose for the brave hippies who grew their hair for our country's freedom. or something.

[Pinupgirl]

Yanbu-my inlaws love to go on and on about how they are "poor" pensioners. They own 2 homes-made a mint thanks to being able to buy their council house and sell it. They both have private pensions-despite the fact my mil retired at 40. They get the winter fuel allowance,free bus passes,free rail travel,now have a blue badge for their 2 cars and are trying to claim other benefits due to mil having a very minor accident a couple of years ago.

I know many pensioners like them and very few whom I would class as "poor".

[daisychain01]

Yes Alis - agreed, you and Expat may be technically correct, although there are still many people over 90 years old that fall into the category of OAP (my MIL is one, who contributed to the war effort, and thank goodness still lives an independent life - having worked hard all her life - lost my FIL only 2 years ago, and he was in the War too).

Maybe I find some of the language and sentiments expressed generally are too difficult to reconcile. I have gladly paid into the system for decades and don't resent the prospect of 'losing out' if it means OAP's have their winter fuel allowance and whatever else people don't want them to have. Hopefully when my turn comes, I won't be at the mercy of this type of thinking.

But I respect everyone is entitled to their own point of view, it is a public forum.

[daisychain01]

and I have no doubt that I come across as self-righteous, this topic does divide opinion - maybe that's what the government wants!

[cooeeyonlyme]

I work 36 hours a week, have 3 children and bills coming out of my ears.
My nana gets more money than i do per year, how the feck does that happen?

I don't begrudge it but i don't see why i have to sit in one room with my kids of a winter while my nana gets to spend her not needed wfa on a perm.

We need to have a level playing field here, it's not right at all.

I have to pay £6 per day for buses for my two eldest to get to high school, that's not including the dinner money they need too!

Bus passes were scrapped in our area for the kids and now we all need to pay for them unless you're on the dole.

[youretoastmildred]

Daisychain. You will be at the mercy of this kind of thinking when your time comes. That is the whole point. The good times are over. We won't see the comfort some of the generation above us took for granted, ever. We will struggle all our lives and now, as times are so hard, support some in a style to which we can never hope to become accustomed. Why is this fair?

[Mrsdavidcaruso]

sorry fairy didn't mean to make you cry but just because some pensioners are rich does not mean all of them are.

[campion]

My mum , 83. Widow.Nearest child 120 miles away. Small pension on top of OAP ( she did actually work for it). Entitled to zilch apart from universal benefits. Bus pass not much use as no buses nearby and can't walk far. Uses taxis to do shopping. Looks after house and garden as best she can. Good neighbours. Gets on with it.

That comes from a lifetime of getting on with it. Schooling rather affected by WW2 ( though she can construct proper sentences). Left school at 14 and worked.Lived in condemned cottage with 1 cold water tap and outside loo for 11 years after marriage because there was a housing shortage. Got on with it - and 3 well scrubbed children.
My twin brother developed leukaemia. Universal death sentence in those days. No help with transport back and forth to hospital appointments and no car. She got on with it. She and my dad worked hard, paid their bills, asked for nothing and set an example to their children.

You know, I think she deserves her winter fuel allowance.She spends it on - guess what?... her fuel bills.

[youretoastmildred]

Champion your mother sounds like a wonderful person.
But I don't think anyone wants to take the fuel allowance away from anyone who needs it.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Daisy

I do agree with you. I said the OP was being unreasonable in my initial post.

[Thymeout]

You'retoast - Not so, I'm afraid. Doubt if Campion's mother gets pension credit, if she has a private pension, no matter how small.

Several posters have said WFA and bus pass should be restricted to pensioners on pension credit. You have to be on v low income to get it.

[Minifingers]

YANBU

At least for some pensioners.

My mother's friends are late 70's and 80's - ex senior midwives, health visitors, teachers, head-teachers, lecturers, senior civil servants, engineers.

They have had:

• Free higher education for their children
• Student grants for their children
• Many retired early and have been living on their occupational pension for 25 or 30 years.
• Their mortgages were paid off decades ago and they have a huge amount of equity in their homes.
• Many of them bought shares in privatised utility companies and inherited money from their parents.

Some go on 2 or 3 cruises a year, do their food shopping in M&S and Waitrose, buy a new car every 3 years, and have had 100's of thousands of pounds worth of NHS treatment, many for conditions complicated by obesity and lack of exercise.

They all moan about the unemployed and immigrants. They talk about paying into the system for years. I don't point out to them that they have taken far, far more out than they ever contributed in taxes. It makes me want to scream.