£610 a week pension demand is insane

[Thisismyfinesthour]

Just read that there is an online petition doing the rounds for a £610 a WEEK pension demand to the government.
WTAF? Is the heat melting some peoples brains? It seems over 5000 have signed it.
Where do they think the money is coming from?

I’m more embarrassed for you tbh.

Right, so it only counts as incessant posting if they are posts you disagree with?

I disagree that discussion forums don't change anything. They are platforms for people to express their opinions and share facts. I have read loads of threads and had my opinion influenced and sometimes changed completely based on something that has been written. For, example, a good chunk of the population were raised during an era when pensioners were genuinely a poorer group in society and many still hold this belief that this is still true today. Reading facts and stats around poverty and which groups are most impacted can be enlightening.

We live in a democracy. Majority rules. The poll on this thread shows the majority of people don't want to award pensioners overly generous state pensions. Debate is increasing regarding the triple lock and turning it into a double lock. For now, the public support the triple lock but there are an awful lot of people that express no opinion on the matter and haven't decided yet. This is how change happens. If you look at other social issues such as the trans movement you can see that an awful lot can be achieved through debate and discussion online. Exposing people to the facts and realities, especially when it comes to conflicting rights and priorities. Paying pensioners more means saddling young people with more debt. At the moment too many people think we can pay triple locked state pensions and nobody else loses out. This is what will hopefully change as people's understanding of the issue increases.

What are you losing due to the triple lock?

The increase in the pension payment is rising faster than economic growth. This means we have less money for funding defence, education or health. The triple lock has been vastly more expensive than what was originally forecast.

Most of them? My mum started work in q960. Yes she's dead but she would've been 79bif alive. So the ones starting work in the later 60s are still under 70/71 now.

So I wouldn't say nearly all dead

There is less money as the Tories riddled us with debt.

It really is this simple. The triple lock means that the financial cost of funding pensions is growing far faster than the economy and wages. This can’t carry on indefinitely. The political debate needs to happen for us to decide what we replace the current system with, because it can’t carry on as it is.

The triple lock was only meant to be in place for a few years. You do realise that don’t you? If it continues in perpetuity the entire uk budget will be paid to pensioners. The longer it is in place the higher the proportion of the uk budget that is consumed by pensions.

Yes… and?

Unless you have a time machine we can’t put that toothpaste back in the tube. The country is worse off than it used to be and can’t afford the same things anymore.

Soooo… only working age people should shoulder the debt burden?

Groundhog Day again. Someone add something worth discussing ‘else we’re stuck with the same gripes, time and again.

Surely free childcare costs more?

I'm working age.

Is this relevant?

The pension triple lock costs £16bn a year.
The childcare bill costs about £8bn a year.

Given the birth rate is trending down there’s about 3.6 million children under 5 in the UK right now (and decreasing). There are 12.7 million people of pension page (and increasing).

Yeah, so?

Yes. Though feel free to scroll on by.

Is that a joke?

Free childcare costs the UK government £8.7bn per year, pensioner support costs the government £177.7bn per year.

So I don't care that pensioners get a pittance to live on.

Source?

The triple lock is costing the UK an estimated £12 billion a year. This money would be saved if pensions were linked to earnings alone.

This money could be used by a range of government departments. Some would directly impact me but others would have a direct benefit on others that I believe would be better for society. Social care, NHS and education are obvious candidates in my opinion.

Do you think those departments shouldn't receive more money?

Do you SERIOUSLY not believe this? 🤣

You choose to have children. You don't choose to get old.

You do choose how to fund your retirement though.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-guidance-and-methodology/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-information-and-guidance

“Around 55% of social security expenditure goes to pensioners; in 2025-26 we will spend £177.7 billion on benefits for pensioners in GB. This includes spending on the State Pension which is forecast to be £146.1 billion in 2025 to 2026”

https://ifs.org.uk/education-spending/early-years

“Spending on the free entitlement stood at £2.3 billion in 2010–11 (46% of total childcare spending). By 2025–26, free entitlement spending of £8.7 billion accounts for 83% of total childcare spending.”