Nick Robinson on the Today programme said that people affected by withdrawing the Winter Fuel Allowance were "the wartime generation". AIBU to think he's wrong?

[HauntedBungalow]

Also, I am genuinely bored of this British obsession with referencing World War II when talking about unrelated random subjects.

World War II ended 80 years ago. The "wartime generation" don't need a Winter Fuel Allowance because they're all already dead, barring the odd 97 year old who is still living at home and paying all bills themselves.

This, its obvious what he meant. People who were evacuated as children, lost educational opportunities, perhaps delayed starting their working life.

But what has that got to do with the WFA?

That’s a tin hat theory. But if your point was everybody has forgotten about the clusterfuck that was Covid policies, nope, Boris carries the weight of that legacy around with him like Marley’s ghost.

Rationing ended after the war. Final restrictions lifted in 1954.

Because of what they did and voted for: massive sell off of social housing, refusal to allow housing development because ‘not in keeping with the area’, expectation that the state will fix their health because ‘cradle to grave’, not speaking up as governments introduced massive tuition fees and high-interest loans for young (so they start life in massive amounts of debt), voting for massive increases in immigration, turning a blind eye as water companies sold off to allow sewage to be pumped into rivers….the list goes on. We’re all in this together, apparently. Except when we’re not.

Oh and I forgot the locking up of children and young people because ‘protect the NHS’.

Most of the posts here appear to be using exactly the same narrative. I maintain that regardless of being and feeling hard done by in the past, we pay taxes now to invest in our country’s infrastructure and support the most needy. There are children right now living in B&Bs. They deserve help, not wealthy pensioners.

@HFJ yes. And harping back to the war generation is nonsense. I can understand that we owe veterans a debt. But their kids who endured rationing? No. I wouldn't say they had things any harder than plenty of other kids who came before or after them. And there are plenty of all age groups who need help. "working hard all their life" should not be a reason to get handed money they don't need taken from people who might!
And using the argument that they don't want to spend money because they're used to being frugal and are worried they might run out is nuts!

For all the posters who despise the rich boomers (and not all boomer generation are rich) what happens when these people die, will posters then despise the people who inherit their wealth

I think the technical term for people who were children during the war are the silent generation, and some of them will be the hardest hit by this measure as they have been entitled to the higher rate WFA and possibly not have the benefits that have made some of the boomer generation wealthy

@HauntedBungalow National Service was “peacetime” conscription for men. It lasted until 1960 with the last conscripts finishing in 1963. They were deployed to conflicts in Cyprus, Korea, Kenya, Middle East etc.

As for firestorm may I respectfully suggest you research what happened to Coventry.

I consider the Wartime generation as anyone born before the end of World War II. They were evacuated, had to live with rationing until 1954, had parents, primarily fathers, they didn’t see for years. There were no mobile phones, face time etc.

WRT the Winter Fuel Allowance, most reasonable people don’t have a problem with means testing it’s the very low limit at which it has been set. If they had set it at £20k or £25k most people would have said fair enough.

Remember women, in particular, did not have the opportunities to save into a personal/works pension let alone access jobs and careers that are now open to us all. This was the generation of women who had to fight for equality e.e sex discrimination Act, Equal Pay Act. Remember some of these women had to leave their job if they became pregnant.

£20k or £25k is significantly higher than NMW which is just under £18k!

Yes the generation born into, and at the end of war had a hard start to their life. Does that mean we have to keep paying them all hundreds of pounds a year forever, even if they are rich?

What about children born into poverty and hardship now? Why aren't we giving them a winter fuel allowance?

@CeruleanBelt isn't that what universal credit is for, and I don't think pensioners get that. And also child benefit.

I think of the war time generation as being born up to around 1955 or even later

The impact of the war is so often over looked, the terrible poverty the impact of being involved in the war and how there was no support people just had to get on with it and this will have often impacted parenting even if the children were born quite a few years after

They get child benefit as well which is a lot more than the winter fuel allowance per year.

HRTQueen, the second world war ended (in Europe), in 1945! People born after that are not the war generation, that is obvious. However the war impacted the 'post-war' babies for quite a while. I know, I was one.

I don't think it is overlooked now, it is taught in history and young people find it interesting (& horrifying), but it doesn't do to be too bogged down by what happened in the past. We can learn from it but must live in the here and now.

People of my parents' generation, who lived through the war, many in the forces, didn't go on about it once it was over. They wanted their children to be forward thinking and build a better society, which we tried to do. It is much fairer now than it ever was when I was growing up. I've seen so many changes. However there is still a way to go!

We had this during Covid - all the "they fought in a war and you just have to sit on the sofa" stuff. A 70 year old today was born in 1954. An 80 year old today was born in 1944. You have to have been nearly 100 to have possibly fought in the war. People eligible for pensions today were born as late as 1957.

Yes it is, newkins, and I am always glad that children are cared for, including free school meals.

Carulean, you surely realise that many pensioners still pay income tax. I am certainly far from wealthy but I do, not a lot now because I don't have a big income, but a contribution nonetheless. I also worked for donkey's years and paid tax, was glad it paid for services and helped those who were in need.

We're not all greedy. However elderly people, alongside the disabled, chronically sick and, of course, children, are often quite vulnerable. The least society can do is ensure they are comfortable, secure and have enough to live on. None of us know how we will be healthwise in a few years time.

I'm eternally grateful that my mother and mother-in-law, plus a chronically sick and lovely cousin, did not have to worry about paying the bills and eating at the end of their lives. They were happy (the dads unfortunately died not that long after retirement). My husband died suddenly a month after he was 70, was still working at that time, planning to semi-retire after Christmas. He died in July that year.

I have no complaints for myself at the moment but that is not the case for many others.

And people on NMW are eligible for UC, child benefit, free nursery hours, free school meal in the early years etc.

And there is a significant difference between basic state pension and NMW.

The pp I’d just saying the threshold should have been set higher than basic state pension.

I was thinking earlier that actually what I'd like to see is the energy companies dipping into their huge profits to provide a bill discount for pensioners.

£200 per household for their older customers, or Labour could fund it with a levy on them.

That would be a great solution all round, taxpayers don't fund it and pensioners still get it.

My grandad is 99 and was conscripted into the army right at the very end of the war and saw no active service.

Barely any of the "war generation" are actually left.

Not a bad idea in principle but are they necessarily the ones who need it most?

My parents don't need it more than a young person struggling to make ends meet.

Robinson is wrong. I listened to Richard Madeley bleating on about it the other morning bemoaning its withdrawal. He and his wife would both get it and clearly don't need it. So many do not need it - it's just a Christmas bonus to them. Give it to the genuinely needy, not everybody.

EvangelicalAboutButteredToast · Today 10:08
I actually feel a bit sorry for Keir Starmer already. His legacy is going to be killing old people. Even if the old people die with cold as one contributing factor the press will spin it to read that the blame lies solely at the feet of Labour.
Meanwhile, everyone has completely forgotten how many died as a result of a failed, and deliberate, herd immunity experiment

Absolutely agree. He is taking a responsible decision to not distribute money that the country does not have to those who do not need it. So many people I know, in my family and beyond do not need this money. They like getting it - but it's like a free handout pre Christmas.
The mistake Labour has made is timing - he should have done it in March giving people time to prepare mentally/financially. He should have gone after the energy company profits first.

Either way - if the money isn't there, it's not there. We've had 14 years of Tory government splashing money on what we do not need and the majority will not benefit from - HS2 being one thing. Why no uproar over that?