Anna B Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Surely a £137 per week solely for food and clothes is enough? It might be enough for a very basic level of living, but won't cover emergencies like a major appliance needing to be replaced, or a little break at the seaside. And after a lifetime of work that doesn't seem too much to ask. These people have usually paid into a system, paid their taxes etc. all their lives, and just want / need a bit of comfort in their old age. They' might be old on the outside, but if you ask them they'll tell you they feel just like you and me on the inside. Would you fancy living indefinately on that? They've brought up the next generation and done their bit. We owe them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppins Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I'm getting on a bit and I reckon that all the migrant workers should pay 50% tax so old guys like me can retire in comfort. They come over here, lower the wages, draw benefits [family allowance etc] and make it more difficult for older workers to actually find work. They want my job, they can 'buy it'. To save the economy in the US the Governemt is going to have the dept of Immigration to start deporting all OAPs instead of Illegals as OAPs are easier to catch and will not remember how to get back home See you on the bus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Web Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 It might be enough for a very basic level of living, but won't cover emergencies like a major appliance needing to be replaced, or a little break at the seaside. And after a lifetime of work that doesn't seem too much to ask. These people have usually paid into a system, paid their taxes etc. all their lives, and just want / need a bit of comfort in their old age. They' might be old on the outside, but if you ask them they'll tell you they feel just like you and me on the inside. Would you fancy living indefinately on that? They've brought up the next generation and done their bit. We owe them. Buy yet £46.00 per week for working in pondland is enough for a young person to fix a essential appliance? And I never said they didn't deserve this free lavish lifestyle, again read my first post. As said most old people have also enjoyed the benefits such as free education, more choice of jobs with decent pay, even if they' wasstupid and had no communication skills, healthier organic and relatively cheaper food, cheaper energy costs, mortgages available and socila housing if they wanted to rent. All now a thing of the past for young people in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vague_Boy Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 now before you start ranting, I'm not saying old people do not deserve this level of income and support, but compared to other age groups and immigrants they do use a lot of resources and receive a very good standard of living. Poorest pensioners face 'heat or eat' concern Millions afraid to turn on heating You do realize that they've paid into the system for 45 years or more. Maybe they really ought to be getting something back at this point in their lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna B Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Buy yet £46.00 per week for working in pondland is enough for a young person to fix a essential appliance? And I never said they didn't deserve this free lavish lifestyle, again read my first post. As said most old people have also enjoyed the benefits such as free education, more choice of jobs with decent pay, even if they' wasstupid and had no communication skills, healthier organic and relatively cheaper food, cheaper energy costs, mortgages available and socila housing if they wanted to rent. All now a thing of the past for young people in the UK. £46 a week is a disgrace. Don't get me started... but you see the 'it was much better in your day' argument is just a red herring. It wasn't. Some things might have been better but they were cancelled out by a lot of things being worse. Women's Lib hadn't even started so many (higher paid) jobs were out of bounds for women, and advancement in other jobs was very slow or non-existant. Men often insisted that their wives left work when they married as they didn't want to be seen as not able to provide for them. There were more jobs, but not much choice. A biscuit factory is very much like a cutlery factory, and who wants to go down a coal mine? Health and safety standards were poor and many old people are still paying the price with their health today. The idea of an ordinary working class girl going to University was very unlikely as they were expected to stay home and mind the babies. And as for boys it was only if you made it to Only Grammer School by passing the 11+ Exam(approx 7%) that you could take advantage of it anyway, and most didn't. Food choice is far greater today, and many things you take for granted was considered a luxury - chicken for example. Spaghetti was possitively exotic. A far greater proportion of weekly income was spent on food then than today. Central heating was only found in posh newly built houses. There was a huge waiting list for council houses after the war and most married couples started out living with their parents and desparately trying to save for a mortgage, for which you had to pass the most stringent financial rules. Many didn't. The Housing situation was so bad the charity 'Shelter' was started in the 60s to try and provide homes for homeless families. Most working class people were married and bringing up a couple of kids by the time they were 25 and that put an end to any spare cash for nights out or pretty much anything else. From then on it was just a slow long hard grind of work to provide for your family. It was considered a huge disgrace to be on the dole and not be able to keep them, and any benefits you might get were meagre. I could go on... but consider this. Ordinary people should stick together, not be fighting over the scraps. That was one of the good things about post war life. Nearly every working man belonged to a union, and had a political affiliation. There was a strong sense of comradship and people looked out for each other. If you worked in one of the steel works, there would probably be a canteen and a social club, a football team, darts team, tabletennis, friends, a pint in the pub at lunchtime where the old timers would take the young apprentices under their wing and teach them how to behave like real men, ie with dignity and respect. Various governments have done a jolly good job of divide and conquer. Now we're all 'middle class' we've started behaving like them. Of course it's wrong to start a hate campaign against the 'unemployed scroungers' when there are no jobs, and resenting money going to old people, but you've been cleverly manipulatedi nto this way of thinking. I can't understand why there is all this bickering about who's getting what, - like I said, fighting over the crumbs while the rich get richer. It's not about old people bleeding the country dry at the expense of others, but the rich corporations shafting everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMoran Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Many old people, even those who have rarely worked are entitled to full sate pension £137.35 per week, plus £250.00 every winter and £10 for every day it is below freezing, along with priority for social housing, full housing benefit for any almost size property, and many other benefits such as free travel, lunch clubs, free prescriptions, priority dental care, TV License and so on... Yet the average young person is demonized as a no good scrounger, now if they're unfortunate to be unemployed they only receive a fraction of what an old person in same circumstances does, £46.85 per week, no HB unless it's in a shared house which are rarely even suitable for one human, no help with energy costs, no free travel, no free lunch clubs, TV license, prescriptions etc. now before you start ranting, I'm not saying old people do not deserve this level of income and support, but compared to other age groups and immigrants they do use a lot of resources and receive a very good standard of living. No they dont but they should. 'Old' people made this country what it is, its the younger ones who are screwing everything up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthenekred Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 No they dont but they should. 'Old' people made this country what it is, its the younger ones who are screwing everything up. I think you got that the wrong way around. I don't see any 16yr olds sitting in parliament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMoran Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I think you got that the wrong way around. I don't see any 16yr olds sitting in parliament. Who mentioned 16 year olds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthenekred Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Who mentioned 16 year olds? erm...I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denlin Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 No they dont but they should. 'Old' people made this country what it is, its the younger ones who are screwing everything up. I agree with Mr Moran for once, I went straight from school into a job and even in time of high unemployment I kept on working. It's not easy and I have been made redundant a couple of times as has OH but you have to pick yourself up by the seat of your pants and make a job out of finding a job. Nobody is going to do it for you. I have worked since 1966 and in March this year I reach pension age. I will be using all the benefits I have earned over the last 46 years but I will have to carry on working because I can't afford to retire and keep the life I have now ie running a car and caravan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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