Live webchat with Baroness Joan Bakewell: 11am-12pm, Wednesday 7 March

I like Joan Bakewell but I can't remember why.

Hello Joan
It seems that hardly a week goes by on Gransnet without a thread about the latest half-baked idea from a politician, "think" tank, policy foundation, delivery / nudge unit about terrible old people. We are told that we have stolen our childrens' future, should move out of our homes, take in lodgers, lose bus passes because they don't contribute to the economy, feel guilty about our pensions etc etc
Is it inevitable that everyone over 60 should be portrayed as a complete waste of space? What can we do to counter this very negative image of older people?

have just read Joan Bakewell's ' view from here'. Brilliant and have ordered her more recent autobiography from the library

I watched her on the programme about grammar schools which inspired me to read more about her
would have made a better pm than Margaret Thatcher!

Dear Joan,

Has it been difficult, being dogged by the "thinking man's crumpet" tag your whole career? Have you now reached the age where you quite like it?!

Did you resign as the Voice Of Older People because you didn't believe the Coalition would take your advice?

What do you think their record has been on older people?

I didn't know she'd resigned! I didn't hear about her activities much. I wrote an article once on the effect of public toilets on older people and she was asked to give her opinion. She seemed to suggest that she'd never thought of the impact of public toilets on inclusivity in the community - and didn't seem to give any opinions but she got her photo in the article all the same

You have been important in pushing at the boundaries when it comes to talking about sex - I seem to remember you watched a couple making a pornographic film for television. But you have also objected to the sexualisation of our culture and in particular girls. Do you think the two things are related - or not?!

Joan, I have been admirer of your journalism for years. Have you had to use your femininity and your sexuality to survive and prosper in such a male-dominated environment? And what do you think about the fact that although the lower rungs of journalism are full of women, there are so few at the top still?

What was it like to see your affair with Harold Pinter turned into a play and a film? - It is an extraordinary thing to happen (though perhaps only what you have to expect if you have an affair with a writer?)

Joan, I would be interested in your opinion on the rapidly increasing retirement age. It seems to me that there is some misguided thinking going on.
How many nurses or teachers, for example, can go on working into their late 60s?
Although experience is valuable, do employers really want an ageing workforce?
Isn't retirement meant to be a time when you can enjoy the fruits of one's labours? At this rate, pensioners will be too exhausted to do this!

Pedants, pardon my grammar in the last sentence of that post. 'You' should read 'one'.

There are things I quite like about getting older - but many I do not. Sometimes I feel as though society is trying to usher us out of the way as one might an unwanted guest. An example of this (much discussed on Gransnet) is the idea we should give up our homes for younger families. I wondered what your view on this was. Thank you

Actually if I may ask another - are there any things YOU like about getting older? (always good to have some consolations to cling to )

I would like to ask how you are getting on in the House of Lords and what issues you have particularly interested yourself in? Are you in favour of reform of the Lords?

I understand that you are in favour of a Commissioner for Older People. Older people are very diverse and resist being seen as vulnerable - I wondered if you felt confident that someone could do this job without stigmatising older people further, reinforcing the public perception of the old as incapable of speaking for themselves?

What did you actually do as Voice of Older People, Joan? Who is the current Voice and how do we get to whisper in their ear?

What are you like as a grandmother?

Oh hello Joan!

What do you think is the most important issue facing older people in general today?

And what is the one thing we can do to make a difference on that issue?

Were you always determined you were going to be a public figure?

Joan.
Can you offer any hope or support for the many grandparents who are denied contact with their grandchildren.What would you feel if it happened to you?

Further to Maniac's comment about being denied contact with children, can you suggest how Gransnetters can bring this issue to the forefront with politicians/MPs who give lip service to the many letters we send them about this issue. How do we get them to listen? Thank you.