Mr. Johnson live on GMB 8.30 today

Callistemon21

Elsie is popular as a girls' name and the only Elsie I know now is about 4.

Yes, it’s a lovely name, my dog was very nearly an Elsie

That was in reply to FannyC

Elsie is popular as a girls' name and the only Elsie I know now is about 4.

I eschew the Times and Telegraph because as far as I'm concerned they are tainted, possibly only slightly, by their owners. I suspect that I'm not the only one.

Remember the News of The World phone hacking scandal? That paper was owned by Rupert Murdoch and at the time there were many suggestions that the culture in the newspaper office spread down from its owner. No suggestion that Murdoch actually told the staff what to do but that they all understood the Murdoch ethos. The same could be said of the culture at No Ten.

I had my qualms about Elsie.
Her name seems all too perfect for a fictional hard done by older person (about two or three decades ago).

I can’t imagine that there are too many Elsies about now.
Far more likely to be a Pat, Wendy, Alison, Sue etc

I read about Elsie in quite a few places and simply do not believe she spends her days on buses to keep warm. She is described by people who investigated her situation that she is quite well known as an activist. She seems to be connected to Age UK

I did wonder if Elsie was a specific person but then realised that "Elsie" may well be a generic term being used for all those older people who are struggling, especially now that heating costs will rise so dramatically. Yes, it has been reported before that retired people in that position travel on buses in order to keep warm, it's not unheard of.

If the person in question is an activist for Age UK then that is surely a good thing - they are there to help and if they bring attention to the plight of all the Elsies out there that that is excellent.

Albertina what a jolly good idea!?
I can’t imagine how happy day a day it will be! ?

I have promised myself that I will buy a really posh bottle of champagne the day the removal van pulls up outside Number 10.
That interview was almost as bad as Prince Andrew's. It certainly equalled it for arrogance and lack of empathy.

For me, anyone listing their sources of news as including the Telegraph, the Spectator, a pressure group run by Toby Jones, and Guido Fawkes (for heavens sake!) is not projecting a balanced news intake. ?

AgeUK never mentioned Labour, that must have been a hallucination.

Maybe Elsie got "rich" by collecting some of the cash that fell out of Sunak's pockets as he stood next to her. ?

Sorry, Anniel but I had to laugh. You castigate people for reading the Guardian then reel off a whole string of the exclusively right wing sources you take your information from.

So, you're not exactly 'balanced' yourself, really...

Whether you believe Elsie or not ( and there’s no evidence not to believe her other than your own prejudices), Johnson had NO answers to how anyone whose energy bills had risen three- or fourfold- are supposed to cope when other bills are still rising and pensions and benefits are being cut in real terms. A loan or one off council tax rebate, which not everyone will get, are not the answer. A windfall tax on energy companies, cut in VATon energy, an effective cap on energy price rises, a return to the triple lock, raising UC, income tax being raised for higher earners instead on increases in NI, there are loads of ways people could be helped but this government aren’t interested in helping anyone apart from those who are already well off.

Annie1 I don't read the Times or the Telegraph because I won't pay for them (I can't afford them), but I do read about 20-30 other online sources, including some foreign ones. I definitely don't just read the Guardian. I assume it's your way of accusing people of being "woke".

If you scroll back to the beginning of this thread, I said that I was surprised by her situation too, so I'm not totally naive. I actually wish people wouldn't use people such as Elsie to highlight problems because there's always somebody who will pick holes. The fact is that there are people who are suffering real hardships from cost of living increases and Johnson showed that he really couldn't care less and has no solutions for them. The fact that Elsie volunteers for Age UK is irrelevant. It probably gives her some purpose. Since becoming eligible for a free bus pass, I've met people who spend most of their day on buses. That's quite an achievement where I live because there aren't many buses, so I can well believe that there are people who spend more time on them in a place like London.

For your information, I am not a Labour supporter and never have been, although I voted Labour once.

There have been many discussions on GN about people living in properties which are too big for them and I suggest you search for them. I have no idea where Elsie lives, although it can't be that big if she manages only to spend £80 pm on fuel. She's receiving Pension Credit, so her income must be quite low. The point is that she's probably already made all the economies she can and Johnson had no idea how she could economise further. She probably doesn't have any spare cash. There are thousands - if not millions - of people currently in that situation.

BTW I don't really care what you think of my manner. I get a little weary of people who don't like being challenged and can't see how rude they are themselves. It seems that claiming to be a victim is quite fashionable.

Growstuff I read The Times, The Daily Telegraph and listen to UK news. I also read the Spectator, The Free Speech Union, Silver Voices, Guido Fawkes, Twitter ( particularly political commentators. I do not watch daytime TV but I listen to radio all day.

I read about Elsie in quite a few places and simply do not believe she spends her days on buses to keep warm. She is described by people who investigated her situation that she is quite well known as an activist. She seems to be connected to Age UK.

Now her financial position. She lives in a Council flat graded as band F which means that this is a large highly valuable property. There is nothing wrong with that, However, it does mean that the energy bill for a large property would be high. Also Councils are very short of family sized properties and often do offer financial incentives to tenants prepared to move to a smaller home. That makes sense financially and morally as Councils have families living in overcrowded conditions. I do know about Council housing as I spent the latter part of my career working on housing estates in my own inner London borough. My remark about the Guardian was because most people who dislike the Conservatives tend to read that paper. Wherever I have worked many Labour supporting colleagues read that organ. Many of my left leaning personal friends do so.
Re Elsie and pension credit I do not recall making any definitive remarks other than to think that it makes financial sense to downsize if we live alone. I am sure that Elsie is probably very intelligent and with her link to Age UK she would know of any state entitlement. I understand from stuff Age UK wrote she does enjoy being active for Labour. I saw her described as a superwoman….good on her. It seemed that the presenter was describing Elsie as having no alternative but to ride on buses all day to keep warm. I don’t believe that because this is an intelligent woman who could downsize if she needs to.
I would remind you that I will be 88 next month and I know only too well about the increase in energy costs and other other services. I have recently had a serious fall and cracked my skull and consequently have spent time in hospital. I can no longer live alone so I have been forced to decide to sell my flat which I have lived in since 1984. I will leave UK to live with my youger son who is single and has enough room for me.

I feel that most people writing on this thread dislike Conservatism with a passion, but there are some of us with a different opinion and as free speech is still allowed in UK we can and will express our opinions.

I find your manner quite rude and hectoring but I am prepared to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

Do yo have any idea how many contradictions there are in your post Annie1?

How patronising to claim that people only read the Guardian! What do you read? What's the source of your information? Are you saying that Elsie isn't eligible for Pension Credit? How does volunteering for Age UK make her "not poor"? What kind of activist is she?

Who's the "you" who doesn't like anybody else having a different point of view? How did meeting Rishi Sunak make her wealthier?

Are you denying that Elsie and thousands of people like her haven't had huge increases in their heating and food bills?

Couldn’t bear to listen to that awful interview
Why do they constantly talk over one another ?????

Do any of you read anything other than the Guardian. It was soon discovered that Elsie is not really as poor as you think. She does not ride around in buses all day at all. She is an activist living in a large Band F council property.. I admire her being an activist but she cannot be as poor as she makes out.if she lives alone in a property so large. She has options to downsize. Elsie volunteers with Age UK and says
how she has met Rishi Sunak. There are large numbers of people who have offered to pay Elsie’s energy bills but there is complete silence from GMB. Strange how people are all there to criticise the Govt. They accept what presenters like Susannah says and so if she is lying and brings in someone like Elsie who is a plant most of you believe her. I find that mystifying. The MSM seem to tell porkies just like politicians do.. But it is no good just a few of us disagreeing with the majority here. You don’t like anyone having a different point of view! I accept that the Tories are the authors of their own misfortune but my fear is that this generation of politicians are comparatively poor. Most have little experience of the lives of ordinary families as many are quite young and have insufficient experience of real life. Sir Keir is a decent man but his problem is that Labour like the Tories has lost a lot of good MPs. I will just wait and see and feel generally discouraged by the current political world.

Daftbag1

I'd be surprised if Elsie will get the £150 being paid to those paying band a - d council tax. If, as I understand, Elsie is in receipt of Pension credit guarantee, she will not be paying council tax. Those pensioners of us not paying council tax due to being on the lowest income, won't be entitled to this £150 credit. Obviously because we can ride on buses all day to keep warm!

Anyone who is in council tax bands A-D will get the £150 - even if they get full council tax rebate. I have a copy of the government document for councils which confirms this. It will however take longer as we (I am in this category) do not have direct debits set up with the council so each individual council has to work out how they are going to pay us. I believe "Elsie" is in a higher council tax band - which begs a question in itself - there is a discretionary fund for councils to help people in that situation who are in genuine hardship. I'm a little sceptical about "Elsie" myself - the media always seem to manage to drag up some apparently awful case to demonstrate whatever political point they are trying to score and her case sounds particularly suspect.

Boris Johnson is absolutely hopeless at interviews. He avoids them which is about the only thing he is good at. I thought she did her best to keep him on track. Reminded him all facts he uttered would be being checked and still he lied. What a disgrace to the UK he is.

Brownowl564

OakDryad
Reid’s faux outrage is pathetic, if you ask a question have the good grace to allow someone to answer.
Elsie is a made up load of rubbish, someone in a F band house does not ride the bus all day to keep warm , if it was a council house, no way would they allow a single person to stay on a family home and a smaller place would be more practical and a lot cheaper and if she owns it then sell it and downsize or equity release

Sorry Nadine, you have got it all wrong again.

Johnson is disgusting and so are most of his self-seeking Cabinet, defending the indefensible. I'm not surprised he thinks it's OK for a pensioner to stay on buses to keep warm. If Tory MPs had an ounce of decency they would depose him now.

kjmpde

it was a waste of time and effort as no real answers.

Not really - more people will have seen what a lying toad he is.

A pretty modest terrace or flat in inner London can easily be in band F.

There have been series made where rich young people were paired with much less well off families so they could get an idea of how they managed in their daily lives. With most youngsters it had a profound effect on them, making them realise how privileged they were.

Although I wouldn't foist any of them on a family, perhaps a dose of reality for the PM and some MP's might enlighten them too. Give them a very limited budget for a week or two and see how they cope; with strict rules that they couldn't get money or help from anyone else. I think many might flounder.

So are you all not very keen on Boris?