This last week has been dominated by Prime Minister Stammer’s decision to scrap winter fuel payments for older people, except for those on pension credit.
It has been the subject of ill-informed debate and rank hypocrisy. Plus large measures of pontificating and abject cowardice. Only a very few come out of this saga with any decency.
Who could deny that this benefit is not needed by millionaires, nor perhaps by those who have retired to sunnier climes? But they are only a tiny fraction of the 12.6 million elderly people who receive this universal benefit.
Introducing this cut is supposedly to begin to address the £23 billion black hole in Government expenditure. The £1.4 billion forecast to be saved will only make a small dent in the shortfall. But I suppose you have to start somewhere, so why not with old people who probably didn’t vote for you anyway.
And after all Mr Stammer is protecting the very poorest by keeping the payments for those on pension credit. Although sadly many people don’t claim it — 800,000 in fact. However,g strenuous efforts will be made to improve the take up. It’s only 250 odd questions to answer. What’s difficult about that when you’re 80 years old?
There is another problem, however; neither Mr. Stammer nor his Chancellor, Retched Rivet are very good at arithmetic.
If their heartfelt aspiration for all 800,000 pensioners to claim the benefit they are entitled to were all claimed, it would cost an extra £3.8 billion. This far exceeds the saving and makes the black hole bigger.
An alternative more clinical possibility is that they can add up correctly and the have calculated that most people still won’t take up the benefit and a few thousand extra deaths will probably occur each year, but that is a small price to pay.
This new age-friendly protector of the vulnerable can always bury them in the BLACK HOLE.
GrumbleSmiles 
BRR!!!! What a read, i just wish for a little comfort in my dotage!!!
what a minefield you have opened ‘Dear JOHN’ I have read the attached blogs, and I see I have madesome remarks.
I now address todays blog, and I am at a loss!! I have attempted to read the governemnt papers, information on ld age and pensions in the UK, and i come out not confused but ‘baffled’ as to what i may do in this modern world to eat, keep warm, live in an abode and be safe???
I note form todays released 2021 national survey the population in the uk over 65+ is some18% of the nations total poulaton, The working population is some 375 OF THE NATIONS POPULATION [AGED 19/65years]re again if I read correctly 9% of the uk population are non domiciles, but live/work in the UK.
what does mean to meout of a total population of some 67 million persons. ??? I ask politely.
WE or I as a pensioner pay tax on anythink over£12,570, which is my state pension up to a limit of £37,500, at present taxed at 20%, so I must be careful and frugal on how I spent my llife in retirement?? It is all a blurr.????
note not 375 but 37% of the population. If I am not confused the percentages of the UK Population [18+9+ 37] adds up to roughly 65/6 of the uk population, I ask who or whom are the rest, under 19 years of age, or migrants, who supports this , these groups of the UK POpulation, us as the pendsioners, by denuding our savings, saved with honest to help pay for food, support and housing in ones old age? I just wonder. What is the average age of the present Westminster group of parlimentarians.
inflauance, how does one influance the policy makers within parliament,??? Go for a general election, or they offer and we discuss a budget we can all accept, or again accept life as it is.
The policies of government where made recently in the latest ‘general election’, now we wait with bated beath for the forcoming budget policy, and with this how does a hard working nation of its citizens benift, or do we give it away, this time not the monied investor, but the immigrants who have our dreams of stability, and an honest livlihood, for ones family, or do we encouarge mass imigration from ones remote and elder members of the family? Perhaps in place of working. support ones immediate family and forwarding savings back to ones country of origin, to help support ones other family members. It is a minefield, and requires some very clear thinking, for the existing prior to the general election poliices of what a british Nation may offer its prospective residents.
You may state I am predjudice and smallminded, possibly true, but then I have lead my life and proud of it as a UK Citizen and resident. I just hope the forthcoming budget is fair to the majority of the UK POpulation, and not as the media suggest based upon predjudices of envy for the nations past hardworking population, and not the continued support for the misfits whom have not, will not work for a living, paying society back.
The prison release scheme is one such case, why are not the prisoners pardoned and employed of social acts of work and toil, so they can prove that they can be trusted to help and support those in society who need physical help with care and compassion.
I see from the web if one runs a chat bot, it is to influance readers to perchase goods, as well as ideas and useless rantings. If the politians each one of them have a Chatbot site then we are paying the equivalent of a supertax, and opinionated and one sided arguments. a Load of ‘Bolulder dash”’ as my grandparents would say to me as I learnt new ideas at school, and discussed them at the teatable.
Labour Party Conference this year! Full of excitement, labouring to develope new ideas for the voting citizens of the UK.
CHATBOT, may have the ideas????