The grey vote

Andy_L

Spartacus_Mills wrote: »

Yes Brown did pensioners no favours by stealing £5bn a year out of the pension pot certainly.

Only 3.5b, the rest raised came from other non-tax paying share holders (eg charities & trusts)
http://www.pensionspolicyinstitute.org.uk/uploadeddocuments/PPI_Briefing_Note_22.pdf

Pobby

lemonjelly wrote: »

Not just means tested benefits, but also non means tested.

It is the client group I work with, or have worked with. However quite regularly, once you have gone through the process of ensuring a person over 60/65 is getting a combination of attendance allowance, state pension, housing benefit, c tax benefit, pension credit etc you can regularly have a single person on above £200 p/w with no rent/c tax to pay. I saw an elderly couple recently who now have a weekly income of just above £350 with no rent/c tax to pay. This is before potential tv licence exemptions, travel concessions, free prescriptions, winter fuel allowance etc.

Like I said on one of the threads I linked to, it is currently quite easy for OO's to vacate & sell their home, & claim means tested benefits whilst having £200k+ in the bank.

I just can't buy the arguement that pensioners are hard done by I'm afraid.

That is a revelation. We will, and do, qualify for the heating allowance, prescriptions and bus pass. That`s it. I can see that the attendance allowance plays a part as I believe that`s not means tested. The bit about selling up and claiming means tested benefits quite amazes me. I honestly though that if you had more than, I think, £16k in the bank any benefits you might receive ( with the obvious exceptions ) were means tested.

kennyboy66_2

lemonjelly wrote: »

Not just means tested benefits, but also non means tested.

It is the client group I work with, or have worked with. However quite regularly, once you have gone through the process of ensuring a person over 60/65 is getting a combination of attendance allowance, state pension, housing benefit, c tax benefit, pension credit etc you can regularly have a single person on above £200 p/w with no rent/c tax to pay. I saw an elderly couple recently who now have a weekly income of just above £350 with no rent/c tax to pay. This is before potential tv licence exemptions, travel concessions, free prescriptions, winter fuel allowance etc.

Like I said on one of the threads I linked to, it is currently quite easy for OO's to vacate & sell their home, & claim means tested benefits whilst having £200k+ in the bank.

I just can't buy the arguement that pensioners are hard done by I'm afraid.

Pensioners - They have never had it so good.

The downside is that there is a resentment from those with modest private pension provision, who don't feel any better off than those who have either made no provision or 'bludged' the system for years and years.

Pensioners who are genuinely badly off are often not claiming what they are entitled too (not from principle but ignorance).

wymondham

I think there is a high probability that 'normal' voters may turn to alternatives such as BNP etc as a protest. There's so little between Labour/Conservatives that they have almost merged in many peoples eyes....

Pobby

wymondham wrote: »

I think there is a high probability that 'normal' voters may turn to alternatives such as BNP etc as a protest. There's so little between Labour/Conservatives that they have almost merged in many peoples eyes....

I think so to. Certainly in our family our trusted Labour vote won`t be placed this time. So far I am hearing Lib Dem and Ukip although at one point my wife was shocked when her sister said she was going to vote BNP. She changed her mind.

Talking amongst friends of all ages, many of them Labour supporters, it`s a mixed bag. Liberal in the main and one guy is voting Green. Ukip has also come up.

A very strong Labour supporter friend is actually standing for the Lib Dems in the local. All interesting stuff.

apt

No sensible person is going to vote for the British Nazi Party. Their Fuhrer coming across as a political pygmy on Question Time won't help their vote either.

Old_Slaphead

Andy_L wrote: »

Only 3.5b, the rest raised came from other non-tax paying share holders (eg charities & trusts)
http://www.pensionspolicyinstitute.org.uk/uploadeddocuments/PPI_Briefing_Note_22.pdf

It's says the rest came from individuals and charities - probably mostly individuals (ie those "doing the right thing" and making their own provision)

wymondham

apt wrote: »

No sensible person is going to vote for the British Nazi Party. Their Fuhrer coming across as a political pygmy on Question Time won't help their vote either.

True, but this has been an extrordinary bad period for MP's and I don't think anyone should underestimate how fed up lots of 'quite reasonable' people are at the moment...

Old_Slaphead

apt wrote: »

No sensible person is going to vote for the British Nazi Party. Their Fuhrer coming across as a political pygmy on Question Time won't help their vote either.

Plenty of people will however be voting for Stalin and the "big state"

lemonjelly

Pobby wrote: »

That is a revelation. We will, and do, qualify for the heating allowance, prescriptions and bus pass. That`s it. I can see that the attendance allowance plays a part as I believe that`s not means tested. The bit about selling up and claiming means tested benefits quite amazes me. I honestly though that if you had more than, I think, £16k in the bank any benefits you might receive ( with the obvious exceptions ) were means tested.

Pobby I thought I'd linked to this thread, but can't see it.

have a read...http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2372433