I note your comments, and valid as they are I seeno comment so far as the present 11 million or so old age pensioners are concerned. What about them and their immediate needs? The present basic State-Pension is not enough for them to live on with any level of dignity, and even where those who paid SERPS are concerned, given that its worth was halved by the last Tory government, are still not paid enough. A few, like my self, have a small private pension but even that does not suffice. I own my own house, a 2up-2down terrace type, which I would like to leave to my daughter, but fat chance of that should I have to into care. I am seventy four years of age and therefore had two live through most of the Thirties and the depression with a father to ill to work and a mother having to look after him ad three other children. Then along came WW2 and all the attendant difficulties associated with that,rationing, poor educational standards, no Health Service. In 1938 my family and I were removed under the Slum-Clearance Act and put into better accomadation, hot and cold water on tap, inside toilet, a bath,mains electricity, what luxury. This,however, was not provided by the State
but by a private philanthropist by the name of William Sutton. He built many house through a £1.000.000 legacy for the poor of Stoke-on-Trent in particular. Where was the State during this time – trying to appease Adolf Hitler. After he had been sorted out at much cost of blood and treasure, came the Election of 1945 at which time we, who were young then, were promised many things which the then Labour Government strove to bring about much to Clement Attlee’s credit and others.But the one thing that did not, and has not, improved commensurate with the effort that was put into bringing about a succesful end to WW2,the beginning of the Welfare-State by my generation and the previous one – was the State-Pension. You talk about how present young people should prepare themselves for their old-age and how they pay for it. For those who are in work the less they are payed, the less they will be prepared. There is no point in talking about private pensions when the cost of them, like mortgages, are beyond their means.Of course, the better paid should provide for themselves, but those who are not so priviledged will have to be provided for by the State, but who pays? and where does the money come from? Taxation is the the only answer But how do you persuade an already over-taxed nation to do that. One source of contention has always been and will always be the banking system and those who work in it, more particularly those who run the banks and are responsible for the obscene profits and bonuses that are paid accordingly. When that activity is controlled by Goverment and the are regulated accordingly then no doubt a lot of Renenue will be available there. Off-Shore banking activity is another area that should be controlled and it should not be beyond the wit of any Government to devise methods of doing it without bringing the economy crashing down. I could go on-and-on. but I will bring my diatribe to an end inthe hope that someone takes note.
