What are all pensioners getting another £300 this winter??

[F0RBIDDENFRUIT]

They are amongst the richest people in the country, yes there are poor pensioners but a lot of them are way richer than anyone else.

£300 more for energy, none of the old people I know need this, they all have more money than their children.

Just because they vote, that is the only reason they can be doing this.

Would you revoke the fuel allowance as a non means tested benefit?

@Jamtartforme it is true many pensioners did vote Tory. And Brexit. Look where both of those things have got us. Many young people didn't bother tho. My children did, but report many of their friends didn't. Here I am making generalisations! But mobilise people!

I’m blaming the government and the people who voted for them.

In 2021, people living in relative poverty in the UK:

7.9 million were working-age adults
3.9 million were children
1.7 million were pensioners.

How is redirecting a paltry 2.6 billion each year going to help those people? It is peanuts.

What we need is a massive change to reverse the destruction of the last 13 years. Which is going take time, a lot of money and a government with guts and integrity.

So far there is (sadly) no prospect of a government with such guts and integrity. Far easier for governments to get us to blame each other and distract us with scapegoats.

And you're demonstrating it perfectly dear! The Use and Abuse of Statistics as well as How to Lie with Statistics should be compulsory before anyone uses stats to 'prove' their point! As someone once said, 'give me the figures and tell me what you want to 'prove' and I'll do it for you'.

Yep. Until we get off our collective arses and do something it will just be more of the same, whichever party gets in.

Yes. I’ve already said it could be linked to pension credit. The flaw with that is that it’s an underclaimed benefit because a lot of pensioners who qualify see it as charity and don’t claim. At least ours does some good at the local foodbank.

"No, because I’m using it to work full time and contribute to pay people’s pensions? You don’t get 30 free hours unless both parents are in full time work. Did you work full time when you had children? If not, why not?"

Because I got 5 months maternity leave, I wasn't allowed to go back part time unless I dropped down to a wage that was less than the cost of childcare. DH got 2 weeks paternity leave and he increased his hours to allow me to stay at home a bit longer. I had a traumatic delivery, post natal depression and no family support at all as my mum was still working full time. Because I didn't go back to work I had to repay my maternity pay.
I had intended to go back, but things just didn't work out.
I worked 20 years before having children and another 20 years once I went back after DC started school. There was no help with childcare.

Yes, there's a serious problem with wages in this country. Salaries are rising pretty quickly for people on above average earnings, but not for others or at least nowhere near the rate of inflation. Working people should not be lying awake worrying about how to make £20 stretch when those in positions of power are more focused on ensuring inflated corporate dividends still reach the wealthy (from energy companies for instance). It's unforgiveable.

Conversely, you don't see the same levels of intense unemployment now through several generations of the same families, and that is obviously a good thing. Pretty much all mine and DH's friends (early 50s) were on the dole at some point. It really, really sucked for us in the ate 80s/early 90s (even worse for our parents who also had to contend with 70s inflation). Obviously there's geographical disparities but you need to stop blaming gen-x and the pensioner generation for your position now.

It's awful the position you are in, and my kids have had to sacrifice a lot to get a foot on the property ladder. If we didn't help with their childcare they would be fucked tbqh and thankfully being young ourselves with flexible jobs we can physically help, even though we both work F/T. Our kids have the same worries you do and I hate it for them. That you are paying half your salary on childcare is truly appalling and we need more progressive taxation. Robbing pensioners isn't going to pay your childcare.

And instead of blaming so-called Tory-voting pensioners, young people need to start voting. It's mind-boggling that less than 50% of 18-24 years olds voted in 2019. Your generation are as much to blame for successive Tory Governments.

Far easier for governments to get us to blame each other and distract us with scapegoats.

100% @IClaudine

The country's in a huge mess. Personally I think 13 years of Tory mismanagement and Brexit has caused most of it. Blaming the pensioners for getting this extra £300 or whatever is ludicrous. They are only one tranche of people, others on various benefits also get more generous payments as evidenced previously on this thread. And why not? None of these people, including pensioners, are responsible for the state we're in.

We are pensioners. I was a single parent for a while and my lovely pensioner parents who were on a low income helped me massively. Likewise we help our adult children with childcare, and various funds at appropriate times. And this is what many of our friends also do for theirs.

I hope people do see sense at the next election and vote this lot out (for reference neither me nor my husband have ever voted Tory). Young people need to get out there and vote in the next election if they want change.

Where did I say they should? Also, even the full State Pension is a very long way from providing for a comfortable lifestyle!

Governments aren’t malign entities which suddenly appear and impose themselves on us, like Skynet. They’re voted in democratically. Of course if one section of the population are voting in a government that makes another’s much worse, those two groups will argue. It’s a natural consequence

Very true. The thought of having to live on £203.85 a week for everything isn’t something I want to contemplate. No wonder 18% of people of pension age are living in poverty.

Robbing pensioners isn't going to pay your childcare.

How is suggesting a concession is means tested ‘robbing them’? And it would save 2billion which could go into the childcare sector in theory.

There will be no money left to pay out in 30 years when I reach the ever increasing pension age.

But it won’t. The amount of money spent on families in poverty has fallen constantly since 2010, they’re not about to change their spots now. Particularly when they’re 20 points behind in the polls.

It doesn’t work like that. Taxpayers who are currently still at school or even yet to be born will pay your pension. Unless you think the world’s going to end - in which case you won’t care.

My mum isn't rich. She does need to be warm though on account of being old.

And you think there will be enough of them given nobody can afford more than 1 kid or 2 at the most?

Do you acknowledge the government is voted in by people? And isn’t an imposed entity?

So do babies

And your pont is what? Because babies don't get a winter fuel allowance, pensioners shouldn't either?

They should get it instead of pensioners (at least the ones who don’t claim pension credit).

There are double the number of children in poverty in the U.K. than there are pensioners.

The UK birth rate has been pretty stable since 1980 so in 30 years’ time there will be fewer pensioners supported by around the same number of taxpayers as now. It looks pretty rosy in 2053.