Rant alert 😡

The Conservatives pandered to pensioners because older people tend to become conservative and Conservative And they actually turn out to vote, unlike a fair proportion of younger people.
We pensioners have had a pretty good deal out of the Conservatives. Pensioner poverty is less common than previously. But we seem to have forgotten the generational divide, the resentment expressed by younger people who are struggling.
I think this government should be given time to improve the public services on which we all rely.

I agree with everything said on here
I am beginning to question Keir Stamer's sanity now
What on earth is he doing to us now?
I am 80 years old and worked as a nurse till I was 64 so I could build up my NHS pension.Because I have this pension I am denied WFA.I have COPD and also cancer of the red blood cells.But we just have to go on suffering.

DH’s job had us moved from York to Bristol where house prices were nearly double just as the 15% mortgage rate arrived and we had both children at university with no grant though fees were paid. We had to manage our finances very carefully for several years especially as I left a fairly senior university admin job to be told I would have to go back down the career ladder. Like most of us, our wealth is in the current value of our house and do not feel we had it particularly easy. For much of time there was more month than money!

Coincidence Grunty, we moved in six weeks before our son was born in 1975. Off topic, but we wrote to the building society to say we couldn’t now afford the new house when I became pregnant (it was being built). We were called in and the lovely elderly manger (ooh, must have been 50s 🫢) handed back the letter and said I didn’t see this. You’ll need a house more than ever with a baby, and you’ll manage somehow, even if you take in a lodger. And manage we did. That was so kind and wouldn’t happen now I’m sure. My husband did two part time jobs after the day job to make it work.

Anyway, I filled up my car this afternoon, just in case, as predicted, petrol taxes go up.

And sometimes Sasta a good old moan does us a world of good. The trouble is, it doesn’t pay the heating bills, or any other bills come to that.

I remember the 15% mortgage rate I had my baby son I gave up my good job after maternity leave to look after my baby.
The one income we had at the time was sufficient but after the interest rate rises it just didn't cover the cost of living. I had to pratically beg for help with my baby son and get a horrible job. It was such a struggle juggling everything but it paid off we managed the bills.
I continued to work after my dd was born until retirement five years ago. I get sick of hearing how pensioners have had it good. After a long working life we are entitled to it.

fancythat

The lady is having a rant.

I ranted once on this forum about something or other.
Felt much better afterwards.

I might rant, op, if I was in the same sort of position as you and some others are.

Thanks Fancythat. I’ll fess up that I don’t look at any of the other forums, just chat and AIBU, sorry if it’s irritating for members who use it correctly.

BlueBelle

Shouldnt this be in then politics forum

Very possibly, but I’m not looking for a serious debate on the rights and wrongs, just an old moan really.

Thank you BevSec. When you resurface M0nica, you’ll think you’ve had a bad dream…….

The lady is having a rant.

I ranted once on this forum about something or other.
Felt much better afterwards.

I might rant, op, if I was in the same sort of position as you and some others are.

Shouldnt this be in then politics forum

Why don't you report it and get it moved if it's bothering you?

The mortgage interest rate went up to 15% not long after we got our first house. That was no fun on one salary and a new baby.

Eurgh I remember it well. We moved house 8 weeks before I had DS1, so on one wage. 4 weeks later the interest rate went up to 16%. Baby was in and out of hospital for months so no hope of returning to work full time, so I went out cleaning factory offices from when DH got in from work until 10 o'clock at night. No such thing as working credit then, so just had to get on with it as best you could. Just like we'll have to do now. But I'll damned if I go back out to work; they've had over 50 years out of me and it's done me no more good than if I'd sat on my chuff and claimed benefits. Actually, it's done me less good.

Shouldnt this be in then politics forum

Thank you for all your responses. It’s a sad state of affairs and I completely understand how you feel Babs03. There’s a GIF going around about that, I’ll see if I can dig it out. It’s quite amusing, in a way, if wasn’t so close to the truth. I know many younger people think we’ve had it ‘easy’ but we struggled so much in the early years, and thank heavens for cheques that took ages to ‘go through’ as we were always juggling. The mortgage interest rate went up to 15% not long after we got our first house. That was no fun on one salary and a new baby.

We voted Labour and still hate the Tories but are beginning to think that we should have made absolutely no effort to save any money or buy property, we could have just lived fast and loose and said to hell with it, because we are not poor enough to get any assistance and not rich enough to avoid the sting of measures the Labour Party will inflict upon us. Losing WFA will affect us. We are already tightening our belts in order to put the heating on and only put it on occasionally. Also we try to help our grown family and GCs some of whom are also struggling. We used to have savings that we thought we would set aside and not use unless absolutely necessary but we have had to dip into it many times over the past few years. Is very much depleted. 😣

Grunty, yes they can and are doing!

We can only hope they will only have the one term in office.

They can do a great deal of harm in one term; just think what damage Liz Truss did in 49 days.

Sasta, thank you for your post, it was well put and I agree with every word. We can only hope they will only have the one term in office.

This government do not even know what a working person is. The definition that was given this week was as full of holes as fishnet stocking.

In an interview this week KS did not seem to know the difference between tax avoidance (legal - having an ISA is tax avoidance) and tax evasion (illegal - payments in cash, that go straight in the pocket)

It was the same over the WFA, they did not think it through and how it would affect those whose income is on the margin just above PC.

One of the reasons I have never voted labour is because they are economically incompetent, and always have been, but at least Gordon Brown did manage to hold it all together while he was chancellor, once he became PM it all went to hell in a hand basket.

This time we have a PM with a senior legal career behind him, including, managing a major legal entity, yet no sooner does he become PM than he starts taking pot shots at his feet. i doubt he has any toes left - all gone in 4 months.

I think I will spend tomorrow in bed with a blanket over my head.

I paid taxes all my working life. I worked nearly 2 years past my pension age for a little higher pension.

Ditto. I shot myself in the foot there. If I'd retired when I was supposed to have done, I'd be eligible for Pension Credit now and would receive the WFA. But I'm listening to the Starmer harkies who assure us that my loss is for the greater good, we're all going to be making sacrifices and that we're heading for those distant days of utopia. standing aside for the expected stampede to wade in

I paid taxes all my working life. I worked nearly 2 years past my pension age for a little higher pension.
What did I get in the post on Saturday?
You guessed, a tax bill for £200.
To say I'm disgusted doesn't do my feelings justice!

What makes me mad is the government think the raise in the pension rate will offset the loss of winter fuel allowance - they are different things!

This new Labour government has certainly riled a lot of people. If we go on like this we will have the Tories back in 5 years.

👏👏👏👏….quite agree. We are superfluous