'Grandmothers back means test on winter fuel allowance'

I think JSP can be quite amusing and interesting, though she does tend to antagonise a lot of people.

The Gransnet survey does indicate that the majority of Gransnetters support means testing for fuel allowance, TV licence and travel passes, and that annoys me as well as JSP. The survey was, of course, self-selecting and does not necessarily represent the views of Gransnetters as a whole. At the rate energy prices are going up, there may well be a lot of previously financially comfortable people who become less and less comfortable - and their income is, in most cases, set.

I can see why many people who are fairly comfortable would be willing to forego these allowances to enable more help to be given to those in greater need. But I think JSP makes some valid points, particularly when MPs have, I believe, just voted themselves a 10% pay increase and senior managers have had a whopping 14% rise in pay this year.

Also, means testing is a bit of a blunt instrument and can exclude people who are only just over the cut-off mark.

If people feel they don't need it, I think there is a charitable organisation set up for the purpose that they can send it to.

MiceElf As far as I can recall, I didn't see or complete the survey either.

Who did?

I did not !!!!!!!!!!! Never asked !!!!!!!!

Should have put was never asked .

I can't remember

I'm fairly sure I didn't do it, but if I did, I was in a minority.

Ana sorry about that I didn't check the length of the article. I am annoyed about that as I am a subscriber!!!

I thought there were quite a few people who thought it should be included in the normal pension and consequently subject to taxation. Not sure how that is reflected in the result. The threshold quoted in the link is quite high, I would have thought, at £55+k a year.

Sorry, "it" above refers to WFA.

"Shared"a railway carriage with JSP once. She wandered about on her mobile talking at the top of her voice mainly under the sign which has a phone and a cross through it. Glaring did not make any difference. She got out at Northallerton I think thank goodness.her rude behaviour has made me disregard anything she ever says.

As usual, a survey shows that a certain percentage of THOSE WHO FILLED IT IN had a given opinion. A journalist who can't be bothered to look at the posts on the subjects then berates all Gransnetters. Nothing new.

She won't even have bothered to do that; bet her researchers did it. You jus tknow she's one of those people [y'know the sort] that have never in their lives said 'perhaps I could be wrong'...

Who are the traitors who supposedly voted in this survey?. Please remember, the conservatives have successfully engineered the most evil hate campaign against ALL those on benefits. Everybody supported going after the scroungers but now we find that the tories are targeting ALL people on benefits. Look at the plight of the severely disabled who cannot work and have had their benefits cut or removed completely. Forced into destitution and in some cases, death. Do you honestly believe that the tories will stop at the rich pensioners, of course not, they will attack ALL PENSIONERS. Do you know that the evil witch Thatcher, by privatising the power industry, is responsible for the death of over 600,000 people since 1990 and the death toll rises every winter. These people died a most horrible death, they had to choose whether to freeze to death or starve to death.
At a time when the UK is helping disabled and sick children, "Children in need", just remember that disabled children on benefits will grow to become non working adults on benefits, as such are hated by the tories. The tories and their hate campaign has shown the poor, old, sick and genuinely disabled people and children, what it must have been like being a Jew in Nazi Germany in the 1930's.
I am aware that the UK is in dire financial difficulties, but forcing those in most need to suffer by removing or reducing their benefits, thus forcing them into destitution is wrong. In fact it amounts to human rights violations, no wonder the tories want to get out of the human rights act.

And the winner of the most exaggerated rant of 2013 goes to......?

PS. You left out the Daily Mail.

eh? So a small sample of Gransnet members expressing their view about means testing the winter fuel allowance is the cause of all that? Blimey!

Calm down dear it's only a survey

A misspelled flying mouse aka bat! Is amazingly vituperative!

Galen

When was the survey done? I read about it in The Times today but don't remember taking part!

Is there anybody out there who actually did the survey?

Great crossword clue, Galen

Eloethan must have been all those 'silent majority' members - you know, the ones whose sensitivities we must be aware of, and who win all the competitions

To be fair to JSP she does make a point of saying that only 1002 took part in the survey, out of the many thousands of members, whereas Cari's infographic is quoted as saying "24% of Gransnet users think the state pension ..........".

Also, "Our survey shows quite a high level of support for means testing among Gransnet users ........."

This is beginning to sound like Family Fortunes.

Q Name a test that members of Gransnet would like to see forced upon the nation?

Our survey said......ALZHEIMERS

I took part in the survey, and as far as I recall it was posted on the forums, as competitions, surveys, etc. usually are. It may have appeared in the newsletter too. Interesting that not many regular posters remember seeing it.