“Chris in Gloucester, Bankrupt the country my foot.

Our government will remain the savour of the world as we continue to send billions round the world, propping up banks ( Northern Rock )

But when it comes to looking after our own people, suddenly we cannot afford it. And we put up with it all, because we are "British".

Michael Thompson
Link-Age/Countrywide & member of The Devon Pensioners Action Forum.”

“Have I got this right? you can not get a pesion untill you are a 100, what ever will this government think of next. Hope I can make it for another year!”

“Giles in Gloucester, It is not the fault of the unemployed that pensioners are in poverty, it is no wonder we have the politicians we have, with postings like yours.

The state pension is low and means testing is in place because the state pension is being phased out and no other reason, so young unemployed, and working people arent going to have a state pension when they are old, think on that one, mate.

You clearly have a chip on your shoulder about Britain's unemployed people.

In a free market economy there will always be unemployed people while monetarist policies are in place, monetarism creates unemployement to drive inflation down.

Michael Thompson
Link-AgeCountrywide
& member of The Devon Pensioners Action Forum.”

“Anne Dursely, You need an education into pensions and means testing.

The fact is that the Pensions Credit means test system that pensioners must adhere to if they want more money, is costing tax payers 10 times more money that it would cost to restore the state pension link with national average earnings.

Also this Government are sitting on a National Insurance "surplues" of around £40 billion, not forgetting the billions our government spend around the world in the name of "Great Britain".

Anne Dursely you also make the gross error of asking why should richer pensioners get more money ?.

Well the answer is Anne Dursely, that richer pensioners with other income have also paid into the system all their working lives, 30, 40, and 50 years, they are just as entitled to a decent state pension as their poorer counterparts.

Anne Dursely, you are right about one thing though, we need a proper debate about this issue, because the British are largely ill informed, as your letter proved.

Incidently, Im not a pensioner, but have been capaigning on behalf of pensioners for 20 years, so I know what im talking about when I say that Britain does not revere it's elderly people. Full stop.

Michael Thompson
Link-AgeCountrywide & member of the Devon Pensioners Action Forum.”

“Let's have a proper debate about pensions (which was after all what the article asked for) rather some people just having a moan. Can we afford to give everyone a very high basic pension - and is that the right thing to do, given that a third of pensioners are extremely well off. People tend to base their arguments on having lumped all pensioners together into one big group. But pensioners' incomes are as varied as the rest of the population. Pensioner does not necessarily equal poor, though you'd never guess this from most of what we read. I know lots of people in their 60s and 70s who have never had so much disposable income but you'd think they don't exist according to the discussions on pensions we normally read. We've got to provide more help for poorer pensioners, but why should richer pensioners get more money? And if someone starts off about having to provide all their information for means testing - well so do people in the higher tax brackets - they have to give every detail of their lives to the taxman! it's only people in the middle who don't have to do this.”

“Chris is spot on in this country spend the lot go on the nick like the Johnsons and get looked after by the state in jail free tv no licence ! free sports facilitys no memborship fee ! bliss who said this country has gone to the dogs just work the system like the scum i,m paying for every day of the week .”

“It's all going to be fine soon. I heard that more than 50% of the voting population is over 50. That means that the power to make things better is potentially with "grey voters". If we have the sense to use that power of course? If democracy ever returns to this country of course?”

“Whose bright idea was it to marry the ministers,MPs and the fat cats pensions to the basic one to impress Europe how well off the pensioners are in the UK.If they are really interested in statistics,how many pensioners are under the two hundred and fifty seven pounds a week.What is the poverty line now.Even now this government are fiddling with the widows pensionable age,slowly increasing it until it cannot be claimed until the widdows are sixty five,so it will dissapear.Every pension they will try to rip people off,EG: the Gurkhas,the part pensions for ex servicemen,pensions for full time served servicemen in Hongkong who served in the armed forces,and forced retirement on exsisting members of the forces.You can go on and on, the MPs who has had their pension payed in by these people will be able to afford to live well along with the fat cats and ministers,while the rest will just exsist.N.S.Miles”

“The pension o.a.p get are far to low to live on weather your single or a married couple even with help from the goverment it is still to low.
if the pension was the same as when a person retires then there would be no need for fule alloyance free bus passes etc etc thats if they do not have a private pension as many do not have.
i agree about stopping the payouts to people who do not work, theres quite a few who do not want to work and proberly will never work even if you stop there handouts so what happens to thease when they retire do they get more money then or none what so ever.”

“Dee Gloucester/ I wholeheartedly agree those who provide for themselves are penalised in lots of ways for being thrifty and in the days when you could have done with more money to bring up the family youwent without to contribute to a pension scheme and have to sit back and watch the spongers and scroungers of today get everything dropped in their lap.”