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Words you would not hear from Cameron, Osbourne or any of their ilk

Very true. I've always believed if you are big enough to voice an opinion then you should be big enough to admit mistakes and be prepared to have you mind changed with the right argument.

I always find it amusing when people moan that 1p off is meaningless.

But stick a penny on and there's OUTRAGE!!!!!eleven!!

and £10 for a cab to find a pub that's still open

Why the moan about pensioners? Everyone is going to be one some day, well those that make it anyway. Personally my tax allowance has gone down so to me that's proof that it's not all one way. Give with one hand and take away with the other, nothing changes.

Because people should have a works pension, if they choose not to invest in their own future that is their choice and they can expect to live on the poverty line when they retire. However with the numerous increases the pensioners consistently get has put the state pension way above the poverty line and is costing far more than their effective nett national insurance contributions.

This discourages people from having a work pension, then the pension guarantee can also effectively penalise people with lower works pensions which also discourages them.

The words "poor pensioners" keep cropping up when there are many people living on half of what pensioners get and yet they are called scroungers.

In the past not everyone had the option to invest in a works pension. In an ideal world people will have a living wage and be able to afford such pensions making your point possibly valid. This government states that people in employment has increased, they fail to state the increase in low hour contracts, for example the likes of Argos are only offering 12 hour weeks so how on earth can you expect those on poor wages to contribute to a private pension? Yes, some pensioners are comfortable but there are a heck of a lot who are not and contributed for decades.

Pensioners contributed over forty years (now 30} into this compulsory government pension scheme. People who begrudge them the poor return received on this investment need to bone up on the reality of the payback.I have a works pension which entitles me to a £70 a week COD (contracted out deduction) from my state pension. It is all smoke and mirrors and more fool you for falling for it (DD).
"Another scapegoat created" does no harm to spread it around and take the pressure off the others who have SFA.
I Never been out of work from age fifteen.

Bloody hell Dusty, you're rolling in it !

And to think, I had to pay £30 to have a pair of curtains cleaned last week. That should have been for food ! Once we retire, strangely enough our utility bills also go up. Yes, abolish the 'winter payment scheme', We spend more hours trying to keep warm and less time being able to eat out. I only pay £160 a month on gas and electricity from my £500 .
The tiny private pension I have is less than my council tax, but I have to pay full council tax because my income takes me over the threshold of any benefits by minimal amount.
So I've already spent over £260 in a month, out of the £500.Doesn't leave much left for water, insurance, brown bins x 2, bt landline rental, tv license, or any other thing to be honest.

Hi Granny, £160 for gas and electric per month sounds a lot, we pay £109 for both. Have you done a comparison recently. I do every year just to be sure.Mind you, you have 2 brown bins which suggests a big property.

A jolly cold property. Too old for cavity wall insulation, not the right way for solar panels, tiled kitchen floor. All goes towards freezing and wind and rain that blasts the full side of the house. It's actually warmer outside on some days. That's being serious.

Sounds like some of the properties i know of in Neston. They look lovely and were built with great aspects but were also built in a time when fossil fuels were relatively cheap. If I were the owner of one I would be too torn to move.

Sorry, I should have qualified that, by works pension I meant donate to a pension scheme while working.



Likewise dm, my pension was always contracted out which means I am still entitled to the full basic state pension (subject to number of years) but I am not entitled to the full additional state pensions. You had reduced National Insurance contributions, if you don't pay in the full amount, you don't get the additional out.

The new scheme, invests the reduced NI payment into the works pension and so the work pension was increased as an alternative to the additional state pensions.



Granny, "only £160"!!! you seriously need to reduce that either by energy saving measures or better contracts, my gas and electric are less than £40 a month.

DD, a lot of your assumptions relating to paying for your pension assume that you are able to pay for your entire working age life, hopefully you will be.
A woman giving her life to her family may not have paid sufficient contributions to get a full state pension and those hardworking single parents in low paid employment stand absolutely no chance of being able to afford a private pension.
That is just two examples out of the countless variables of those unable to contribute. There are not enough full time living wage jobs to go around.