We are the Compassionate Party...

[NickP]

lindall 1000 wrote:

That always was the case NickP.. that once someone retires and has the

state pension they are no longer entitled to disability payments that

are paid in lieu of work. This is always the dilemma with raising

pension age. Because generally as people get older, more are likely to

develop long term health problems that prevent them from working, then

as you delay pension age, you increase the need for disability payments

for those of working age. It always was much cheaper for the government

to pay a pension to someone than to pay them disability benefits.

Fine I don't have  a problem with that at all, I don't have a problem with benefits being payed to people who are entitled to them, nobody does. What you left out of your comments; was that when I and everybody else retired we also lost our wages (benefit) and have to rely on a pension. As for raising the pension age, from what I see these days; lots of youngsters don't start work until they're 20/22 so I'm not surprised the retirement age has to go up. 

[lindal1000]

Well it's always a balance isn't it.. you need young people to work and pay in to fund the state pensions of those who are retired. There are lots of factors.. older people make up a bigger percentage of the population and live longer. If they have to work longer then that reduces the jobs available for younger people,.. who need to be working to pay the pensions of the older people..etc. etc.

PatF, the only place I've ever been 'accused ' of being a leftie is on these forums! It reminded me of when I was younger and went to a party with some friends to a flat in East London. As the champagne was flowing the local labour party hopefuls were seriously discussing whether or not fish and chips was a good socialist supper! I realised then that my tolerance for politics was limited!

[chessie]

I remember at one time, when we were younger, working hard, paying mortgage, month longer than money supply having discussion with my Father about his pension.

When I pointed out that we and OH were, in fact, paying his pension he went ballistic.

He was furious;  went to great pains to point out how long he had worked, how he's paid all his taxes, supported us all etc etc - how 'dare' I say that it was 'our' taxes paying his pension.

There was also a bit of 'ungrateful young people' - he'd paid towards his pension - and it was utterly impossible to convince him of how the UK government finances worked.

A topic we could never, ever discuss.

He was an out and out Labour man though;  the Tories were '----';  Bevan, Wilson, Callaghan, Benn, Kinnock were wonderful, etc etc.

Never could convince him that he was wrong about his pension, or the Labour crowd.