Loosing winter fuel allowance

durhamjen, Thank you, I am not the best to doing maths.

It isn't so much the maths for me Norah (although I am happy to have other do them) but all the little fiddly bits that I suddenly find I either didn't know or I hadn't seen the implication.

for gods sake ,dont keep wondering how it will hit and who...VOTE the Tories OUT ,they are destroying lives and not just a few ,thousands and tens of thousands every single week .People dying because of their cuts and sanctions ,you need to be pretty damn heartless to want to vote them in again

I wasn't going to paddyann.

Well the Tories have already hit as many people in need as they can, the disabled, those on benefits, widows etc seems absolutely logical that they should now target pensioners.

Trisher I have put a link to a petition on a thread called 'Dementia Tax'.

Perhaps you, who can damn someone else's post in this way would like to tell everyone else where I was going with this. After all you do not make silly posts do you

I'm not sure what you are talking about here GGm2 ?

I haven't damned anyone else post, I have just said that we (DH and I) feel guilty for getting WFA when we are both working and there are many others so much more deserving than we are.

I really can't see the problem with saying that.

Nor can I and you are entitled to your opinion one would think.

Opinion without fact is just prejudice.

I will answer later when I get back in.

for gods sake ,dont keep wondering how it will hit and who...VOTE the Tories OUT ,they are destroying lives and not just a few ,thousands and tens of thousands every single week .People dying because of their cuts and sanctions ,you need to be pretty damn heartless to want to vote them in again

THIS^

I was confused before, but now I am just more so.

Fact: DH got his WFA for the first time last year.
Fact: Both DH and I still work.
Fact: We both felt terribly guilty for taking it/ getting it etc.
Fact: We decided to get it and donate it to our DS and DDiL who with three children struggle far more than we do to pay their fuel bills.
Fact: If we had not taken it, it would not have gone to a good cause (we looked into that).

These are actual facts GGm2 not opinions.

Oh and for the record, (not that I owe you any kind of explanation), Many years ago (over 20) DH contracted out of SERPS. That part of his pension seems like it had disappeared into thin air as despite using the pension tracing service etc. It is yet to be found. His state pension is therefore so poor that he decided to defer it whilst he is working in the hope that it may increase slightly if/when he/we ever get to retire.

gilly, I am more confused too.

It would be helpful if someone would explain precisely what is to happen.

GracesGranMK2, yes, the fiddly bits do confuse as well as the maths.

Well norah that would need a Tory spokesman to explain their non-existent costings. They'd have to come clean about what their plans entail but have said they won't do that before the election.
There's a lot of experience and wisdom on GN but no-one can analyse and explain facts we haven't been given.
We have to vote on the basis of what we know and what we've seen happen in the past.
So that would be not tory then.

No gillybob - because you did not understand (or ask) what my post was leading to you said it was silly. It was not silly, it was intended to be the start of a conversation and you could have been polite and asked where it was leading but your 'opinion' based on no knowledge, was that it was 'silly'.

Your facts in your post are fascinating but nothing at all to do with what I asked.

(You don't owe me any explanation. Some things are over-sharing)

Do you mean to the WFA if the Tories win the election Norah?

I cannot see why you need to tell us about your act of charity Gillybob.

The reason I asked if people would return their pension is that I do not believe they would return it if it had been included in the basic pension. If the government just put that up by £200 a year and put the tax down to ensure it was taxed back no one would bat an eyelid.

The Pension amount is determined by each government and they could determine it be £200 higher.

GracesGranMK2 I mean the WFA, pension credit, tax threshold, the dementia tax. All of it.

Norah you're not alone. Some posters have opinions (well-informed or not) and can express those opinions clearly and intelligently but noone actually knows the full story. Please don't beat yourself up about this - just join the confused club along with the rest of us.

I hope things will become clearer and that good discussions here, on tv or radio and in newspapers will inform us so that we can each make a conscientious decision.
We can do no more!

Andrew Neil interview with May at 7 pm. BBC1. Perhaps we'll find out then.
At least it will be more incisive than the One Show interview. Can't imagine Phil will be brought along, either.

Oh I don't think I could bear to watch it!!!

Well don't then.

I am going to. I want to see her squirm.

I presume it's live. It would be a waste of time if it wasn't.