To think that with over 1million pensioners in poverty, removing the WFA makes Labour the nasty party, who tell blatant lies?

[TealTraybake]

And hypocritical lies at that. Just a few months ago Labour ‘vowed to be the party for pensioners’

‘Nearly 1 million people aged over 66 in the UK are living in deprivation, according to government statistics, the highest number since comparable records began.
Labour, which analysed figures from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records, has vowed to be the party for pensioners, with plans to insulate millions of homes and reduce energy bills. It has also “committed to retaining” the triple lock which guarantees annual rises to the state pension’

I understand the WFA should be means tested - but the current threshold is far too low. Food prices have gone up. Energy prices have gone up. Some pensioners need that WFA 🥺.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/16/nearly-1m-uk-pensioners-deprivation-official-figures

Well exactly…and we are in this position because the last Labour government created a dependency on in-work benefits, depressing wages / salaries for several generations of young people, to to manage the level of unemployment that was prevalent throughout their terms in power. They transferred
more money from the public to the private sector as a result of these wage subsidies than any other party has managed!

100% this. 👏

I'm not sure even the Tories would've taken a winter fuel payment away from pensioners.

Can you explain exactly how the Tories 'starved the poorest children during the pandemic'? Genuine question.

It’s an awkward truth indeed. Same will happen again if they tax companies out of employing in the UK.

@HeySummerWhereAreYou exactly. The "I'm alright Jack" mentality is great until it bites you on the arse isn't it?

I feel more for children living in poverty, for depressed and destitute young people who have no hope, for working parents struggling to make ends meet, for single parents doing their best but always coming up short.

I know pensioners who retired in their fifties. Who have multiple homes. Who used the right to buy scheme to make money. Who have substantial assets (cash or otherwise). How about they help each other out a bit? How about wealthy pensioners support their less well off contemporaries? Because the younger generations do that. We help each other. We support each other. We pick each other up over and over and over again. And we have been since the first financial crash 15 years ago. And we are tired. And depressed. And ill. As I said in a previous post, so many of my friends have ongoing health issues and they can't even get a GP appointment because they are never seen as a priority. They are suffering and doing their best and sooner or later something has to give.

I hear so much about how "we" have lost the sense of community, and the younger generations are selfish and self absorbed. I'm sorry but I only see selfishness from the older generations. Having a parent tell you that they "deserve" a bigger house than the beautiful semi-detached one they have when you're living in a shitty area dealing with crime and rodents is galling, and most of my friends have similar stories.

This isn't really the issue for people; most are looking at it as part of a bigger picture.

The issue is that Labour are taking a winter fuel payment away from elderly people, who've presumably paid into the UK tax system their whole lives, whilst simultaneously spending ££££s putting up migrants in hotels and sending ££££s overseas. THAT is the issue!

As they say, charity begins at home.

"I know pensioners who retired in their fifties. Who have multiple homes. Who used the right to buy scheme to make money. Who have substantial assets (cash or otherwise)"

Well yes, we all do, for goodness sake how many times we we have to state that this is not about those people.
That is like saying that I know younger people with enormous homes, children go to private schools, privileged lifestyle etc, so they all must be, doing just fine, the outcry is about taking it away from the pensioners who have no family, no one to look out for them and living on the breadline.
It seems to some, it now suits the narrative that Granny can freeze to death or starve because not all pensioners are poor!

We know about the wealthy pensioners but can you acknowledge there ARE frail, elderly people who may be alone and need support

I mean I have about four quite close to me on this street. I'll defend their ability to stay in their community for the last few years of their lives

Can you accept these people also exist and it is who will be impacted by stripping small amounts of money they have?

Naming no names, but there’s seemingly a serious lack of understanding in some of these comments. Whether it’s wilful misinterpretation, misdirected anger (I get that it’s a tough time for many), or poor comprehension skills, I’m not sure. Possibly a combination of all.

@Scenicgirl @EasternStandard I'm only using the same sort of rhetoric against pensioners that I have been hearing used by pensioners against my generation for the last 15 years. It's hurtful and frustrating isn't it? When the shoe is on the other foot?

You are obviously mixing with the wrong people.

I think I've been pretty vocal for younger generation on various threads, during covid for example but I'm mostly focussing on pensioners here as that is the topic of the thread and policy

Please see if you can at least talk to someone who is alone, needs support from their community, doesn't have much and will be worried about all this. Just to bring their perspective to the conversation

There may be ways to approach the difficulties that mean they don't suffer unduly

And Amen to this. Yes of course there are some pensioners who are close to the threshold who will lose the £300 when they could maybe do with it, but for the most part, pensioners will not suffer with this £300 being taken away. Certainly not as much as the younger generations have suffered by not having all the top trump cards many pensioners have had in life.

The OP said 'there’s seemingly a serious lack of understanding in some of these comments. Whether it’s wilful misinterpretation, misdirected anger (I get that it’s a tough time for many), or poor comprehension skills.'

And yes there IS, but it's not from the people who are thinking the £300 should not be given back, (and that most pensioners don't need it.) It's coming from the ones who think pensioners should be treated better than other age groups, and have all the goodies, and have NO cuts, whilst everyone else can suck it up and take the austerity cuts.

Naming no names, yes some people DO lack comprehension skills, and seem to have a serious lack of knowledge, and seem to burying their head in the sand, plugging their ears and going 'la la la' because they don't want to hear the inconvenient truth. And that is that as a whole, pensioners are the richest age group and it's about bloody time they took a hit from austerity. Everyone else has had to! And as has been said, not all of them are fragile and weak little feathers, and not ALL of them have worked all their lives to deserve everything over and above other age groups!

It is evident on here. What I find most fascinating from a social perspective is many vocal left leaning posters on here have been all very quick to slam anyone not on the left of the political spectrum. Even centrists.

Anyone who mentioned Reform (not a fan) were quickly called racists. The tone was very derogatory to cohorts of people who have really struggled in recent years and are disillusioned.

Now however, the same posters speak of “protecting their own” and “foreign aid” all rather right wing. The faux horror at Reform doing well has gone 180 about turn.

"You are obviously mixing with the wrong people."

@Scenicgirl you mean people like you? Didn't you tell another poster (@Aduvetday I think) not to be a martyr and there will always be others with more money when she was raising quite legitimate concerns and frustrations?

"Now however, the same posters speak of “protecting their own” and “foreign aid” all rather right wing. The faux horror at Reform doing well has gone 180 about turn."

@Aduvetday exactly. Now it's the fault of immigrants is it? That train is never late...

What has me spitting feathers is that it hasn’t been taken off pensioners living in a number of EU countries that are warmer than the UK in the winter because of the Brexit agreement.
disgusting

It’s one of the most fascinating about turns I have ever seen on here. Like, genuinely. It would make a really interesting study. All those “horrible, mean and right wing racists.” To now mentions of boats, looking after their own and foreign aid. All it took was the WFA cut for very right wing views to pop out of the woodwork.

Are they not allowed a decent salary. One that reflects the responsibility of taking the blame when something goes wrong.?

You don’t remember the Marcus Rashford campaign to make sure that children still got the free school lunch they were entitled to? It’s shameful that it took a footballer to make sure children were fed when not a single member of the Tory cabinet had even considered that families couldn’t afford to provide an extra meal per day.

As always, context is everything. You made it sound like they abolished free school meals completely, which wasn't the case at all.

Marcus Rashford was campaigning for vouchers during school holidays for those who receive school meals during term time. Initially, the govt wouldn't back this scheme because they felt poor families were already supported by child benefit. However, they soon did a u-turn and invested £300+ million into making sure the poorest kids were fed during the holidays. So really not the same thing at all.

Are you suggesting someone should start a campaign to force Starmer into a u-turn on a policy that will cost many elderly their lives this winter?

Blame Quantitative Easing... effectively negative interest rates forced anyone with a brain to chase assets... like houses..... because they were a secure store for value/money. And it has only started to unwind since Putin invaded Ukraine.

There is a lot of total ignorance in some of these posts.

I get what you're saying about people switching on stuff and the finances etc but I depart on a small group of people just over the threshold

And I ask people to talk to someone in that position, @StewartGriffin too

I must be in the minority here but what I find shocking is that people don't see the "people on boats" as a large part of the problem and are blaming the pensioners.
But hey, that's ok, this is a free country and each person is entitled to their own opinions and whatever we spout on MN isn't going to change a thing.
FYI
There are an awful lot of people in this country who could work but choose not to so to attack people who have paid their taxes is a bit much.
Plus, the people who assume because you're defending saying that you are right wing or a pensioner yourself. 🙄