Jeremy Paxman says 'no votes for pensioners'

I’ve been following this thread for ages (and even contributed earlier) but it’s quite ridiculous to be arguing about whether or not over 65s should have the vote. Democracy demands/expects everyone to have a vote. Simple. Though I fully expect plenty of you will tell me it isn’t.

Ah, I see, for city trips.

Yes rich people do collect and use their bus passes lemon I know a few who do. They tend to use them to avoid costly parking charges in the city. Can't say I blame them really after all they are free to everyone, rich and poor. The same rich people who get a winter fuel allowance too. Its mad.

Hard to believe that rich people do collect their bus passes, even harder to believe they actually use them!
Also hard to believe that a woman travels around on a bus all day every day to avoid using the heating.

I can't quite understand rich people collecting their bus passes - Surely such people can pay their own bus fare and leave this benefit for people who genuinely need it? Not to do so seems to me to be excessively selfish. D.H and I are certainly not well off, one of Mrs Mays JAM's in fact, but neither of us have even thought of collecting bus passes as we can manage without and will continue to do so. Perhaps one day we will need this help, but until that day arrives ours will stay firmly with the local authority.

ninny If you are referring to me then you quite obviously haven't been reading my posts.

Well I agree with Durhamjen as well. Our state pension is one of the lowest in Europe and now you want to take our bus passes as well.

Everyone can take snatches of this and snatches of that and use it to their own advantage as seems to be the case here no one knows the true status of this lady and of her circumstances. When I said options about using bus passes I meant the government should take the lead on this. It needs a cross party debate but sadly I see zero chance of getting one as all parties try to use them to their advantage.

No one is suggesting pensioners (rich or poor) should pay the fares that young people are forced to pay OldWoman70. Just a token £1 per trip or even 50p would be fairer.

Giving her the benefit of the doubt then perhaps instead of parading her on the radio, someone should have done the decent thing and helped this lady out with her benefits.

So just because a couple of GNs know some rich people who use bus passes, free bus passes should be taken off everyone - where is the sense in that. It isn't compulsory to use the bus pass! Perhaps a lot of GNs are comfortably off and so paying for bus travel isn't a problem for them, however, there are many pensioners living on just their state pension and the free bus pass enables them to travel to shops, even if they can't afford to buy anything -they are at least out of the house. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. This is something I actually agree with dj on!

You do realise that Gransnet is supported by AgeUK, don't you?
I wouldn't have known anything about Gransnet if it wasn't for AgeUK.

Do look at fuel poverty on their website.

You have no reason to disbelieve a pensioner who travels round on a bus pass all day because she cannot afford to heat her home.

I am “all heart” actually dj I never put myself first over anyone else ... ever .

You don’t know me and have no reason to be so bloody nasty .

I think someone is trying to move the debate onto the wicked Tories and the good Labour.

Here's a response. That's about as subtle as a dustcart.

You are all heart, gillybob.
I do hope you are never in the position of being on your own and not being able to afford the heating.
So you haven't heard of fuel poverty?
Aren't you lucky.
Over 3 million pensioners are in fuel poverty.
2 million in financial poverty.

Personally, I thought the woman who gave that story was very inventive. It was on the local radio some time last year.
She was asked why she didn't get off and go to the pictures or get a coffeee, and she said she couldn't afford to.

I’m not sure I believe it dj although I don’t think that was the response you were looking for .

There should be a cross party debate about bus passes to sort the problem out but I fear with the state of things in parliament this will not happen, which brings up the problem of first passed the post, but that's another problem.

YOU DO have the option of not taking your bus passes.
You don't have to go to the council offices and collect them in the first place.

Anybody got a response for the woman who rides around all day getting on and off buses as she does not even have enough money to put her heating on during the day?

It’s easy to take things off the young though.

There is no way my very rich relatives ( and people like them) would give their passes up . They would think they have a right to them and sod the fact that youngsters on a small fraction of their income can’t afford to use the buses . It has to come from government and no party would dare . Pathetic isn’t it ?

I think first off people should be given the option of giving up their bus passes ( not so silly as it sounds ) there are many people I know do not use them and also don't claim their winter fuel allowances. As for a vote loser the financial benefits of doing so should be carefully explained to the people and I think we may be surprised. It should not be forced on to people as that would be a vote loser. The financial benefits for doing so to me is indisputable.

My very rich uncle and his lovely wife have 2 very expensive cars (they change them every year) they live in a £million plus property but take the bus for free into the city to save paying to park. There are plenty like them . I can’t see the problem with a £1 or even 50p per trip .

Exactly ninny that’s what I said up thread. They all know it makes sense to introduce a nominal fare but no one will dare upset the oldies .