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.

.

..

my IL's are on pension credits and they are much better off than when he was working. they give us money every so often or they have too much savings. its my children i feel sorry for as they will leave college with around 50k's worth of debt

my 3 retired neighbours are also rolling in it - 2 of them have several houses.

There are a couple of pensioners who are rolling in it - the Queen and Prince Philip. They've got several houses. But there are lots of pensioners who aren't rolling in it. We have a higher percentage of pensioners living in poverty than Romania.

We hve more elderly people than ever before and the numbers are growing. Many will live into their late eigties and nineties.

Yes, that is why we are seeing an attack on people's rights. That is why Harriet Harman started off the increase in pensionable age. That is why the same thing is happening all over Europe and the world. That is why more old people will end up living in poverty. That is why the state is being cut back. The elite won't end up paying for these people.

Bnakers will continue to be bailed out, but pensioners won't.

You can't keep taxing working people to the hilt and ask them to make proviion for their old age at the same time. The taxes we are paying today are paying for todays pensions.

We tax working people to pay for the NHS. Of course we can reform the system and solve the problem. But is there a will to do it?

They have known of the impending problem for years. This is the reality of the povery of our pensioners

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5912603/British-pensioners-among-Europes-poorest.html

Many pensioners are ripped off when companies go bust and their pensions disappear

www.dailyfinance.co.uk/2011/01/27/oldies-strip-naked-in-pension-scandal/?icid=main%7Cwbml-DESC%7Cdl1%7Clink5%7Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyfinance.co.uk%2F2011%2F01%2F27%2Foldies-strip-naked-in-pension-scandal%2F

Where did they find the money to bail our bankers out? Where did they find the money to pay for the Olympics? We all know how important bankers are. How important are our pensioners, who have spent their whole lives contributing to our society?

Do you think that Harriet Harman's and Labour's policy of extending the retirement age is the solution? That is the solution that the rich and powerful want, they want us to work till we drop. They will cut our pensions and our health treatment, while they drink champagne in the Bahamas.

The majority of the monry lent to the banks was borrowed and is being repaid.

my ILs are on pension credit, they have 1 holiday in the uk and 1 abroad each year, run a car, have new clothes, redecorate, their house is hot and they give money away to their children and grankids. where is the poverty in that? admittedly they live in pretty cheap area.

The retirement age is being extended in other countries too.

Of course the retirement afge is being extended worldwide. The rich and powerful are in this together. progressives carry out their policies for them.

'The majority of the monry lent to the banks was borrowed and is being repaid.'

yes and the people of this country are liable for the debt. That's why cuts are being made, people are being laid off, the economy is suffering and companies are closing. That's why the Governor of the bank of England said we face the biggest drop in living standards since the 1920s. Banks won't suffer, it is ordinary people who will suffer. Just wait until the number of elderly increases, then you will see who will be made to suffer and who will have to endure cuts. You've been spun, this is ideological.

dreamingofsun, you know some well off pensioners. But read the Tory Daily Telegraph to see the real situation of our pensioners. Why do you think they are worse off than pensioners in Romania, when we are one of the richest countries in the world? You've been spun, it's ideological and it's only just begun.

Claig

are the rich and powerful responsible for the ever growing population too ?

No they're not, and they don't like it. That's why they will start making cuts.

Influential greens like Sir Jonathon Porrit, educated at Eton, are already saying that one day it will be considered socially irresponsible to have more than two children. They will spin people with their low growth, cuts, sustainability, anti-human agenda. They will tell people to change their ways because the destruction of the planet is imminent. They will talk of tipping points, sustainabaility, the envirinment and global warming, and many ordinary people will believe it.

claig actually my IL's are not well off. they live in a deprived area of the country and money has always been very tight. i agree they are better off now that he has retired and my MIl is no longer on incapacity benefit. They are on pension credit, so logically cannot be that well off.

agree my neighbours are rolling in it. though they have worked hard and taken risks. seems a joke that they qualify for free buses (not that there are many where we live and they actually take longer than cycling)

many older people have benefitted from retiring in their early sixties and having bought very expensive houses when they were cheap. and free university education. it will be a lot worse when we and our children retire.

Again I write a fact for the knee jerk brigade here, re- a so-called ever growing elderly population.

Means teating pensioners is costing £54 per person per pensioner.

Restoring the State pension link with earnings would cost £5 per person per pensioners.

There now you all work that one out ????????

perhaps they should look at how they means test someone and make the process more efficient. ivanhoe - to me this shows how inefficient and wasteful the gov can be.

I am from a country where there isn't any means testing, as benefits are only available to the unemployed or disabled, so no WTC or CTC for example

I don't know much about the system here, as I have never used it

what I don't understand is why we should means test some benefits (CTC, child benefit, WTC, hb) but not pensions?

can anyone explain this, I genuinely would like to know and I am asking in good faith

chibi, I would like to know the country you live in ?

Regarding your question, people pay taxes for Child Benefit, even the rich shoud get it because its about protecting children of a certain age.

State pensions are not means tested, but benefits are.

The big problem is that the State pension at £97 a week is not adaquate to live on in this day and age, people need the state handouts, but even they arent much money.

I have never believed in means testing pensioners for State handouts, this generation have paid into the system all their working lives, they should all be receiving an adaquate state pension.

I am from Canada but have lived in the uk for the last 10 years

chibi - you get a basic state pension. on top of this some people have more, because they have paid NI through working or they have saved into a work or private pension scheme. Pensioners who are very poor, and have less than 16k in savings (I think) can qualify for pension credits. this means that they don't have to pay full council tax and they get some extra money. they might also qualify for help if they have a disability, eg payment towards a car.

so everyone is entitled to the basic state pension - it would be unfair to remove this from the wealthier pensioners because they have probably paid NI all their working lives on the promise of getting it.

ivanhoe - my mother hasn't paid into anything most of her working life as she never felt the inclination to work - along with many other women of her generation.

whatever does 'per person per pensioner' mean?

""chibi Sat 05-Feb-11 12:26:39
I am from Canada but have lived in the uk for the last 10 years""

Does the State pay a decent pension in Canada ?

Many millions of pensioners here in England, dont like being means tested for handouts, and why should they like it ?, they have largely all paid into the system through a working life.

i have no idea what it is

everyone pays like an ni type thing during your working life, and everyone is entitled to receive the state pension as a result

i don't think that there are as many 'top ups' as we have here, in terms of pension credits, free prescriptions etc, the system here is more generous in comparison

but i could be wrong, i only know the pensioners in my own family, and have never really discussed it with them

also things may have changed over the last 10 years since i left (but i would be inclined to say if anything has changed, it will have gotten stingier!)

""chibi Sat 05-Feb-11 13:58:03
i have no idea what it is""

Could you email and find out please ?