We British have the politicians we deserve. But our elderly peop;le should be receiving the support of their country

[ivanhoe]

The Pensions Credit means test for pensioners is costing £54 per person per pensioner.

The restoration of the earnings link to State pensions, would cost £5 per person per pensioner.

The Government are sitting on a National Insurance "surplus" of £40 billion.

The Government have a war chest of £50 billion.

The Government are sending £40 million a day to Europe.

There is no way on this planet any Government running this country cannot pay all our pensioners a decent State pension with increases linked directly to British prosperity via an earnings link, but Government's since the 80's have ruled it out, and why ?

Because the right wing in politics do not believe in the role of the State, they are market obsessed.

So lets make no mistake here, no Government of any political pursuation in this country is incompetent. All party's have political ideoligies.

It is the British who are largely politically uneducated, and politically docile, which is why we British have the politicians we deserve.

But the elderly dont deserve to be treated so badly. They should be receiving the support of their country.

.

..

Many are receiving the support of their country Ivanhoe, and don't need to claim pension credits so are not means tested. Many have fairly generous public sector pensions too. I know one pair of pensioners who get £3500 per month from a Forces Pension, a private employers pension and the state pension. This is before her teaching pension is taken into account. Do they need help? If they have a full NIC record then they will be getting the maximum anyway.

I agree that those pensioners on the bread line should receive more help, but some don't need it.

If you were directing your ire at the fact that some women were misinformed and only paid married woman's stamp and so don't get pensions, then you would get more support I expect.

scaryteacher, Im not looking for support, im just putting up what I know.

There should be no pensioners on the breadline, but there are mllions, and we as a nation care largely nothing about them, I would definately say that is a fact.

You know one pair ??????

There are actually 12 million pensioners in this country.

Ivanhoe. We pay the EU '45' million a day, in fact over 16 billion a year. To my knowledge we get nothing back. Certainly our pensioners have never benefitted from us being members of this disgraceful 'club'.

Why don't we leave?, because many are on the EU gravy train and don't want 'out'.

Perhaps some of the money that is now spent on the 'foreign office' of the EU, at present paying for accomodation schooling and housing for MEPs and staff in the Caribbean, (and other 'warm'climes) could be spent on them instead?
(Why are we there? who knows!)

AS as long as there are greedy bastards, unaccountable to those they are meant to represent and doing well out of the EU, it will exist. Unless the people of this country say we want 'out' and have the gumption/balls to stand up and be counted.

Comp, I dont believe we should come out of Europe, I believe we should be fully in Europe.

And again, no matter how much extra money came back to Britain, this would mean zilch to our own people, because it would not be spent on them.

Read my posting again.

Ivanhoe. Why mention the 40 million if you don't mind paying it? If you agree with giving the EU 16 billion, why mention the measly 45 million?

If you DON'T want out, then we are forced
obliged to pay it.

My ils and my mum are pensioners as are their friends. They are all retired public sector or professionals who have paid into their pensions and don't need the help. How many of the 12 million you quote actually do need the help?

You can't say that all 12 million need helping, as several will be millionaires, or doing very nicely thank you.

Why raise the canard of how much we spend in funding the EU if you feel we need to retain our membership? As to the 'war chest' - shame it isn't being spent on HM Forces as the MoD is broke.

Everyone is missing out, except the super wealthy
children with SN are missing out on support
carers are missing out
the young are missing out

the elderly are missing out too

but there is not a bottomless pit of money, i expect in another 10 years the idea of a state pension for all will be laughed at

no-one deserves to be treated badly, but most families and households are being squeezed somehow

My Mum is just about to start recieving her state pension (which is her only pension) and she is will be better off than she has been ever in her working life.

I don't understand the problem.

The problem is that ivanhoe is, in reality, a campaigner for pensioners and he's treating the MN boards as his private soap-box. Debate is good but ivanhoe brooks no debate - instead preferring to repeat the same tired message time after time hoping to browbeat MN members into submission. Spamming us, basically. If you're fed up with his posts I recommend people hit the 'report' button.

Chil, who are you, the censor, if you dont like Ivanhoe's posts then dont read them.

Even as a Tory I gave you credit for better.

Even as a tory? LOL!.... I just don't like repetitive bullies.

Chil, FGS it's a poxy message board who the hell is being bullied.

Chil1234. I don't think Ivanhoe is a bully, he is just infatuated with our dear old lady Thatcher,(I'd say stalking her memory!) and as he is near retirement age is obviously worried about the pensioners plight.

I've seen real bullying on here and his posts are knowhere near them.

I feel we all have a right to post what we like, (within reason) and so does he. So le'ts all show a little kindness to each other, especially in these austere and rather harsh times!

To be fair, the posts are rather repetitive and non specific

What is the pensioner obsession?

""What is the pensioner obsession?""

You have clearly been living on another planet since the 80's.

"The Government are sitting on a National Insurance "surplus" of £40 billion.

The Government have a war chest of £50 billion"

The Government doesn't have a surplus or a war chest, it has a deficit. What is this money that you are referring to.

huddspur, Believe what you like.

can you explain why the elderly are any more deserving than say, children with SN who need 24 hour care?

am also that there is £90 billion floating around aimlessly...

The point im making, but which you are missing by a mile is that there is no shortage of money in Britain in the general sense.

There is more than enough money to help everybody, but Britain doesnt work like this, a vast amount of our taxes are spent overseas.

While the ordinary people of Britain are left to fight over the crumbs, which we do so easily because we are an easily devided nation.

Ivanhoe. Divide and rule! Yes that's what' it's about. Thought along these lines myself

""Thought along these lines myself""

For how long ?

I've always thought along these lines, you can see this here on MN "you're a Tory so your a so and so" You're Labour so you are so and so'. IMHO all the name calling is divisive and a total waste of time!

In December on Panoram Paul Burstow stated that there was 8.2 Billion pounds being put into the care and treatment of people with Dementia, He also said that by November 2011 he would expect to reduce this by 2 thirds by stopping the indiscriminate use of antipsychotic drugs used in people with dementia. What is he going to do with that money I ask put it into the war treasury!!

Save it for tax bribes before the next election.