Food Banks and Poverty- was Nye right?

Many people think this way and many people just can't be bothered to challenge this warped thinking any more. You either take the time to extend yourself away from your bubble and look outside or you don't. You either feel some compassion for your fellow human beings or you don't.

It's a total waste of time talking about people with no shoes, no jobs, a bad decision that has spiraled out of control,an illness that has caused a further illness, a person with no bus fare and so on.

Nobody is going to be inspired to take a look outside their fortress. After all, they have worked hard to get it.

anniezzz09 understandable. How many others think in this way. Scary.

A terrible tragedy BB, so many men and so many widows and children without a father.

Annie I have a great uncle still down there. He was never found .

Me neither

Now, Bill Nighy - yes! [ grin]

I obviously know about Nye Bevan, I’m sure everyone does, but I don’t know Bill Nye, I’ve never heard of him before today.

Baggs sorry I don’t know if miners in England did the same,
Nye’s fsther was a miner and Nye too worked in the pits when young.

BBbevan my g grandfather, a Baptist minister took part in
the burials of the victims of Senghenydd, in his journals I read 7 coffins left one house.

Having waded through four pages of this thread after a welcome break from GN over Christmas, I have just revised my decision to return. There are more than a sprinkling of posters who would support the slogan

ARBEIT MACHT FREI

never mind bring back the workhouse. Sickening.

Anniebach Corbyn did in Gateshead 2017

typos!!

It was the coal miners in South Wales who gave the idea’s to form the NHS, they paid their GP a sum every week

That's inrpteresting, anniebach. Do you know if the same hapoened in mining areas elsewhere in the UK?

Exactly Anniebach Both my grandfathers were miners in Senghenydd. I expect you will know about that

Callistemon I went with my father and grandfather to hear his speeches on the hill where the three memorial stones are
placed in his memory.

How many MP’s would stand on a hill to make speeches now ,
not one

I've not heard of Bill Nye, but will look him up.

I thought everyone in Britain knew of Nye Bevan (Aneurin Bevan).
I grew up imbued with his name and his ideals from my father, even as young children we heard all about him.

Our local Healthcare Trust is named after him as he was 'a local boy'.

It was the coal miners in South Wales who gave the idea’s to form the NHS, they paid their GP a sum every week

Possibly Frognan is asking which Nye? It is Aneurin ( Nye) Bevan , a S Wales politician who's ideas formed the NHS. My name suggests my location and my admiration for him.

I’m sorry Frognan, I don’t understand your comment. Could you explain a bit more please?

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Doodledog and MaggieMay, totally agree with you. I must be a WASPI woman as I was born in the fifties and my pension was delayed by three years. I was initially informed by letter that it would be delayed for two years, but had no notification when that was extended to three years, and in fact when I checked on the government site, I was surprised to find it to be so. However, I retired from teaching at 59 and to be honest, I really couldn’t have gone on much longer in that job, but I was able to claim my professional pension, already reduced as I retired a year early and because I was unable to complete a full forty years due to taking some time off to raise my children when they were preschool age. I managed to put in about 27 years I think. However, I’m married and my husband was working, and when he retired a year later, he claimed his professional pension. I finally was able to receive my state pension three years later. I did not suffering hardship due to the delay, but if I had been single, then it would have been a different matter. Nonetheless, women who are not going to receive their state pension till age 66 have been treated badly in my opinion, to suddenly find out that your pension age has been changed by six years, when you’re already in your fifties, is truly a disgraceful state of affairs. I have friends and relatives in this position, sadly.

To clarify, when I said WASPI wants some sort of help for the women worst affected, this is because of when they were born, nothing to do with their finances.

I completely agree with you that any bridging payments shouldn’t be means tested, Doodledog. It’s a small step from that to the idea that all state pension payments should be treated the same way.

My understanding is that WASPI was against means testing of any payments, which I wholeheartedly support, for the reasons I have given. It is simply wrong to decide an arbitrary figure and refuse to pay anyone with more than that.

What would the cut-off be based on, anyway? Husband's income? For women who have paid NI in their own right for decades?? House value? Arbitrary, given the differentials between north and south. Savings? Why should people be penalised for saving to finally do the things they want to do in retirement - visiting grandchildren, going to university, playing golf, it doesn't matter.

I really don't see how anyone can decide who needs a pension most, and it should not come down to need anyway for those who have paid into the system for decades.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

The official WASPI group's aims never changed, even during the difficult period when the breakaway group tried to gain ownership of it. Anyway, I look forward to reading your evidence.

You ask What do you think was meant by a "transitional pension"?

If it's me you're asking, I'd think something on the lines of basic jobseeker's allowance for those who have paid in enough to be entitled to the full state pension at retirement. So around half the current state pension. On a sliding scale for those who wouldn't get the full amount. Others might well have a different sum in mind.

Maybe you yourself have when you say If it had been for some kind of compromise, such as a bridging pension or something based on bringing forward Pension Credit, I would have supported WASPI.? What level of bridging pension would you support?

You're right annep1. My landlord is a sweetie and I don't think I've disappointed him, but the future does worry me.