£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?

No it's the law. SMP and Maternity allowance are less than half minimum wage.

Never going to happen. Remember the outcry when pensioners lost £150 winter fuel allowance? Start taxing them another 8% and the shouting would be heard in outer space. And the government that did it would have committed electoral suicide.

But this 25% with assets over a million are presumably in London and the South East?

I live in a poor socially deprived Northern area, so yeah. I do know lots of pensioners and would categorically state that none of them are rich.

oh I agree @Blossomtoesbut I do think constantly pandering to policies just to appease pensioners and Daily Mail and Express readers is a big issue

They think there is a magic money tree.

They'll keep doing it though, shamelessly at that, because it buys votes.

It wasn’t pensioners who kicked up a stink. I certainly didn’t. It was everyone who wanted to put the boot into the government. Whatever government did it the effect would be the same. If a Tory government did it all the other parties would cause mayhem too - the Mail, Express and Telegraph would be flummoxed as to how to respond. It’s politically impossible.

Vast generalisation here.

I won't be a wealthy pensioner in a few years but I still think that is a ridiculous number to request as it's more than average working people get usually.

Not much today other than DW and swish and swipe. Watched the eclipse though that was fun.

Ooops wrong thread

Same in 91 with my eldest. Slightly longer with 2ng ( 6 months) as was made redundant

It seems it's ok for everyone else to have their little 'luxuries' but woe-betide a pensioner wanting them.

The average life expectancy for a 60 year old is 84 years. So that's 24 years at 13 hours per week longer than the average full time worker. Why did they say 48 hours a week?

I just get a feeling that the person who wrote this petition wasn't working 48 hours per week in his/her heyday.

Another who can’t believe people think all pensioners are rich.

Hmm I have about £1500 a year more than that working. And I do have a car and go on holidays.

Who gets their pension at 60?

Yes, “these types”. The type of people who can’t string some logical thoughts together before loudly declaring the fact to all.
If you thought I was referring to my parents generation as a homogeneous glob of the same type based on their age alone, that’s on you.
As it happens, my original comment made no reference to anyone’s age, merely that the usual main arguments on state pensions are highly contradictory and people should at least try to be consistent. 🤷‍♀️

I personally think state pension should be based on 37hrs x minimum wage per week for everyone (scrap pension credit, everyone gets this, especially those who’ve paid in!) and if people then have private or occupational pensions this is a bonus.

id love it to be age 60 but sadly I don’t think that will ever happen but I feel nearly 70 is to old, when in red the local obituaries very few people are kicking into real old age, like they are claiming people are.

I think as the max years in for NI and Tax for pensions is 40 years it should go on that feom proper fill time employment after education

so if you graduate at 22 + 40 years you can retire at 62

if you have gap years and spend longer not working etc and start work at say 25 + 40 years you can retire at 65

if people have done their 40 years and have full contributions to my mind, that is when they should be eligible for state pension.

Don’t forget if you spend any of that time with out a job but are claiming child benefit then you get your NI paid for

If that’s the type of retirement people want (holidays, car and regular meals out), then there’s 40+ years of working life to prepare for that.

Being wholly reliant on the state doesn’t & shouldn’t come with “little luxuries” for anyone.

Yes, most pensioners I know are living VERY comfortable lives. They had successful stable careers, free higher education, low house prices and goldplated pensions my generation could only dream of. They often have much more disposable income than working people and are enjoying life, which they're perfectly entitled to do. It's just a shame that younger generations will never have it as good as they have.

Well obviously the pension demand won't go anywhere, but this is what happens when you have a PM on a spending spree with no budget. People start thinking anything is possible.

Everyone doesn’t get pension credit!

Good thing it doesn’t then.