It's Insulting The Way Pensioners Are Being Grovelled Over.

If you don’t want to vote at least bother to turn up and put a cross through the paper. You can’t comment on politics if you don’t bother to vote. Make it a legal requirement and the people that refuse to vote fined then use that money for the NHS
Be glad you get a pension people like my mother and husband paid into all their lives until dying before getting it., my mother started work at 14 my husband at 15. I am positive stress at work caused them both to die early. I worked all my life so at least I get one.

I must be in a tiny, tiny minority, and I realise many if you will rant and rave against my viewpoint, but I have to say, as a pensioner over 80 years old, I have never experienced state pension increases as high as the ones given for the last two years, nor do I ever remember any government giving me a one off cost of living payment of £600! Was I the only one to get these payments, or am I just the only one that remembers them with gratitude? I admit I was slightly miffed when I realised my increase in my state pension was almost swallowed up by the increased amount of income tax I paid on my private pension, but am pleased to see measures are now in place to correct that. Do I feel patronised or bought? No, I just feel grateful for being treated fairly, even though I have no doubt the majority of you will now consider me to be a niaive simpleton, which I am not, btw!

You are one of the few who remembers these payments with gratitude, and I thank you for mentioning them. You are not a naive simpleton. Most seem to have very short memories and conveniently forget the help received when criticising the current government and the economy. The latest announcement to limit pensioners’ tax liability is criticised here as an insult. However, remember which party has made it. Not Labour.

maddyone

Cossy I was in hospital with Covid in January 2021. I was looked after in an exemplary way. I was given nine different medications and I was made well and I am eternally grateful for my life.

With regard to Care Homes, many managed to care for their residents without losing any, or many, to Covid, but it entailed very careful management. My mother was in a care home after the worst of Covid was thankfully over, but still precautions were taken whilst she was there. They had outbreaks of Covid while she was there, but no deaths, thanks to good management.

Do you call discharging patients with Covid to care homes looking after the residents? I don't. Far too many died unnecessarily as a result. I understand they needed the beds, but so did the people who were discharged.

Sparklefizz

I think it should be law that everyone eligible has to vote so that at least a true picture of the country’s wishes is arrived at.
I believe this is the law in Australia?? Perhaps someone in Aus can correct me?

But if forced to vote, people could hand in a blank vote or one that had ben wrongly filled in or disfaced, so that it would have to be discounted.

I doubt a true picture of the population's wishes could be arrived at, or would be taken seriously.

The fact that an increasing number of adults don't bother to vote these days apparently does not worry politicians. So why do you feel they would be interested even if we could give them a true picture of what we wanted?

I’ve been a Head teacher under Labour and the Tories. They are not the same. Labour started Sure Start, Reading Recovery, Numbers count and so much more. I had a capital budget of £20,000 to enable me to look after the buildings, grounds and infrastructure. Under the Tories I received £3,000. The budget reduced year on year, and by the time I retired we had cut to the bone. There is a big difference between the parties and I have lived it. How many Tories send their children to state schools or struggle with Special Needs Funding.

Do you remember how much Labour borrowed?

Pray tell us Germanshepherdsmum, and how much the Tories have borrowed too. Thanks.

I’m sure you can find the figures without asking me, and please consider the extraordinary events of the last few years - but huge sums spent on education which were borrowed is surely not something to brag about?

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m sure you can find the figures without asking me, and please consider the extraordinary events of the last few years - but huge sums spent on education which were borrowed is surely not something to brag about?

I can, but I’d like everybody to see what they are, and how what you say backs up your claim?

Perhaps you would care to research and post a link to the results?

No, I wouldn’t do that, because I know you’ve already done so, or you wouldn’t have said what you did. All I’m asking is for you to share the work you’ve already done, which isn’t unreasonable,

I am disgusted with my private pension not big by any comparison but tax office say because had a good state pension rise my monthly extra on private pension is £7.00 a month £94 tax paid tax office say because personal allowance not gone up for years feel pig sick

Casdon

No, I wouldn’t do that, because I know you’ve already done so, or you wouldn’t have said what you did. All I’m asking is for you to share the work you’ve already done, which isn’t unreasonable,

I wouldn't bother arguing the toss, Casdon. 'Borrowing' is just people's and institution's savings and investments. Investing and saving with the government is the ultimate safe place to put your money as there is a guaranteed return because governments can't run out of money, they create money all the time.

The 'borrowed amounts aren't really very significant. What is more important is how the 'borrowed' money was spent.

Labour spent a great deal into the domestic economy by way of funding public services.

The tories have spent 14 years cutting state funding. One has to ask where did the money go if it didn't fund public services?

MORTONGARDENPEAS

I am disgusted with my private pension not big by any comparison but tax office say because had a good state pension rise my monthly extra on private pension is £7.00 a month £94 tax paid tax office say because personal allowance not gone up for years feel pig sick

I don’t quite follow what you’re saying but it sounds as though you should be pleased with Jeremy Hunt’s announcement?

Some reading for the who left the biggest debt competitors

The author, Malcolm Offord is tory peer. His career was in banking and finance. The article dates from 2021.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-sterling-plan-to-save-the-union/

I am just glad I have a pension big enough to pay extra tax.

Monica: Agreed! It was my dads life time ambition (never achieved,) to pay income tax, but he worked in an era where you got tax allowance for children, he had a total of nine and never earned sufficient to pay income tax!

It doesn’t need to be big to push a pensioner into paying income tax because the state pension is only a couple of thousands below the tax free allowance. Pretty well any private pension will push a pensioner into paying tax! However small that private pension maybe.

Whitewavemark2 I would challenge the claim that the 40 'new' hospitals' have not materialised. They have .................. except not as we know them.

In the area I live in three 'new' hospitals have been built. Two are standalone units built in the grounds of existing hospitals. They offer one diagnostic specialty only, but are still considered 'new' hospitals.

The third is the conversion of our Nightingale hospital into a long term therapies, diagnostics and day surgery facility.

So if anyone envisaged 40 brand new hospitals on the scale of large general hospitals, think again!!

They want our vote that's for sure. Our MP is a tory, I have never voted Tory and never will but I am one of his/her constituents so I have no compunction in asking for help if I need it. It's their job to look after each and every one of their constituents.

SuperTinny

Whitewavemark2 I would challenge the claim that the 40 'new' hospitals' have not materialised. They have .................. except not as we know them.

In the area I live in three 'new' hospitals have been built. Two are standalone units built in the grounds of existing hospitals. They offer one diagnostic specialty only, but are still considered 'new' hospitals.

The third is the conversion of our Nightingale hospital into a long term therapies, diagnostics and day surgery facility.

So if anyone envisaged 40 brand new hospitals on the scale of large general hospitals, think again!!

I challenge this!

My "catchment" hospital is in a dire state and was earmarked for a complete rebuild many years ago. Plans have been in place for years and my understanding is that most of the funding had been agreed. The legal and financial implications of a project such as this are mind-boggling, but everything was progressing well. The hospital was one of six which had been promised a rebuild. There was general optimism that the "promise" meant that work could finally start.

However, since the promise was made, nothing has happened - nul, nada, zilch.

I have no idea where you live SuperTinny, but in this area specialist units and walk-in minor injury units have closed, rather than opened. Facilities are worse than ever and queues are ever longer. There has been a population explosion (not immigrants, by the way), but woe betide anybody if they are ill. GP practices are creaking at the seams and even in pharmacies, the queues are getting longer (despite more people ordering repeat prescriptions online).

The hospital I mentioned above was supposed to be a priority with nearly everything ready to start. Millions has already been invested in planning, so goodness knows what's happened to the lower priority cases.

The conscientious Conservative MP with a healthy majority for the constituency where the hospital is situated, is not standing at the next election. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the seat returns a Labour MP. People don't like being taken for fools.

The general hospital a couple of miles from where I live was almost completely rebuilt over the last decade. It is now mind bogglingly huge, and quite difficult to find your way around. However it still has no MRI scanner as far as I’m aware, as I had to go to the next city to get my scan. Nonetheless the money it must have cost to extend and update on that scale must have been eye watering.

So do you have to pay tax on pensions? What ? That’s not right. Double dipping because you have already paid during your working lives. Tell me I am wrong. I can’t get my head round it.

Nanna8 you’re not wrong.