Vince Cable Pensioners should go back to work

Vince Cable was my MP for quite a long time. I remember being aghast at his campaign leaflet prior to losing his seat where he stated something along the lines of "I've been your MP for, however long it was, so you might as well stick with what you know" That level of complacency rarely ingratiates anyone and he was no exception. I think he retired soon after.

I didn't see the programme in question but maybe VC should have a word with Mark Ryan whatshisface, who sounds so typical of a certain type of thrusting, full of themselves, ego driven individual beloved by The Apprentice, about taking up some gainful employment, if he hasn't already done so.

I'm in two minds about it. I do resent the fact that I can't draw my pension until I'm 67, whereas my bloke hasn't worked since the age I am now. It isn't fair and it has created an 'us and them' society with current retirees having it much easier than younger generations will have it.

However, I cannot imagine wanting to totally give up work. It gives my life purpose. My GS will be grown-up by the time I retire, so no ongoing granny 'duties'.

In addition, one of the organisations I work for actively hires older women, so I can foresee that I will be able to work for them indefinitely. My team leader in the last batch of work I did for them was 70. And it is a gruelling job.

Teaching is a different story. I'm not sure I'll be able to continue teaching/tutoring when I'm really elderly. Schools weed out older teachers and even for private tuition, being older is not favourable.

So there needs to be a re-think about minimum wage jobs and possibly insurance schemes to pay for child and elderly care.

GagaJo I'm 66 and turn down requests for tutoring work. I don't envisage the situation changing over the next few years. The key is to keep up-to-date with curriculum changes. I also earn a little money from writing teaching materials.

It gives my life some purpose too. I can't imagine being fully retired.

That is really helpful to know growstuff! Where do you post your teaching materials? TES?

I don't need to do that right now, but it might be useful for the future.

I DO miss being in the classroom with students. Some of my online ones are so lovely, I'd love to teach them in person.

I am 60, semi retired at 50 and retired at the age of 57 and have no intentions of going back to work as Mr. S. retired 3 years ago and we are enjoying this period in our lives.

We are financially independent despite the fact I wont get my state pension until I'm 68. We have lazy days and why shouldn't we?

I'm in two minds about it. I do resent the fact that I can't draw my pension until I'm 67, whereas my bloke hasn't worked since the age I am now. It isn't fair and it has created an 'us and them' society with current retirees having it much easier than younger generations will have it.

I ten to agree, Gagajo and think the pension age needed to be equalised for men and women, what that should be is a moot point.

However, present retirees are on a lower rate of state pension than those on the new pension rate. My pension is approximately £50 per week less than someone who contributed for the same number of years who is on the new rate.
It's all rather a shambles.

I too did childcare so both parents could work.
The other point is that, if retirees were to become as lazy as this young man imagines they are, then the voluntary and charity sector would collapse.

I don't know who he is, but he sounds like an ignorant troublemaker.

I'm retired. I had two separate careers the first lasted 25 years and then I retrained and worked in a different field for 20 more. I loved working, always worked full time and paid my taxes and NI like everyone else of course.

Then a day came when I had just had enough of it. I'd had an absolute basinful of work and I didn't want to do a day more. I retired and am as happy as a pig in muck doing my own thing now. I get up every morning and do as I please and I feel like I've earned that. Who knows how many mornings I will have and I'm blooming well going to enjoy them.

Bugger work!

Schools weed out older teachers and even for private tuition, being older is not favourable.
Years ago our local primary got a new head and he did just that - older, experienced teachers were somehow forced out - they were more expensive than newly qualified teachers, weren't they!

there is a labour shortage at the moment, especially in the care sector, so if it wasn't for all the voluntary care provided, those receiving it, they would get no care at all.

Mark Ryan Parsons

Just looked him up - yes I remember him.
I'm surprised they gave him airtime

I tend to think like LauraNorderr in that it would be taking a job from a young person/ school-leaver.
At the same time and turned 80, I could well do a secretarial job and as someone said, so long as it involves sitting.

Was it Lincs who'd said about all the lifting, always on your feet as a hospital worker ? I know all about this which is why in my latter years of employment I switched to working in the hospital offices and not the wards---since 1956, ouch !

Fortunately I still feel able to offer some experience in administration etc. appointments and clinic work. I probably would if the hospital wasn't ten miles away ! So maybe that fact alone told me enough was enough as I used to get the 7.30am bus every morning ! Took nearly an hour

I’ve got to pop out for a BP check and blood test in a few minutes, so haven’t time to read all the thread now, but will read it later. My own mother is paying over £1200 a week for her care. I’m fed up of people trying to pit the young against the old, and that is what this young person is trying to do. Who paid for his education and any medical needs he had as a child? It was the old people who were then working of course. He sounds like a nasty, entitled upstart. He should take a few lessons in mindfulness and empathy in my opinion.
Rant over, and to the GP’s I go.

Retired people do work - they look after elderly parents, spouses and GC. What a mess we would all be in if they did not!

There are unemployed young people - let them have the jobs, while we continue to prop society up with our valuable contributions.

Well, I couldn’t wait to finish work as my last job was in an old fashioned engineering company with bullying and male superiority rife. Junior staff were always blamed for anything that went wrong.

On finishing work I did a degree, supported my daughter with twins and post natal depression and went up and down to Bristol for further childcare duties. Of course the normal household tasks still needed doing which fell to me.

The childcare has decreased but DH is needing more support now so it’s never ending. Had my parents been alive, I would no doubt be doing that as well.

Lazy, I don’t think so. This sort of accusation makes me very cross.

Ryan-Mark Parsons is a British media personality, columnist and commentator.

Not exactly onerous, is it!!

If he was a builder, plumber, doctor, nurse, teacher, police officer etc (ie something useful) would he still want to be working at 80?

Calistemon

^Ryan-Mark Parsons is a British media personality, columnist and commentator.^

Not exactly onerous, is it!!

If he was a builder, plumber, doctor, nurse, teacher, police officer etc (ie something useful) would he still want to be working at 80?

Exactly! And I don't know about the rest of you but if I needed rescuing from a burning building I'd prefer someone very physically fit and under 70 to be doing it!

Oh yes, firemen, paramedics- I could go on.

Vince Cable is a wibbling old fool, he will say anything to get noticed.

Blossoming

Vince Cable is a wibbling old fool, he will say anything to get noticed.

But they still pay him to waffle.

Perhaps waffling might be a good profession, you could carry on until they wheel you out of the studio feet first.

Given that some are of the opinion that older people should not still be driving, how are all these aged workers going to get to their jobs? In fact, given that there are plenty of older people doing driving jobs, how are they to do that work, if they shouldn’t be driving?

Good point!!

Someone has tweeted to R-M Parsons:
Telling the elderly to get back to work, what exactly do you do sunshine?
Another has asked if he's the new Katie Hopkins

He's a bit famous for being a bit famous but not for doing any work.

You have to laugh. ???

Calistemon The pension age is the same for men and women.

What Mark Parsons is doing doesn't sound like work to me.
He should try being a nurse on a 12 hour shift or a teacher trying to impart knowledge into unwilling children, or anything useful.
He sounds like a waste of space.