Elderly pay the price for political incompetence and greed

CARE of the elderly has recently featured prominently in most newspapers and on the television. Threats of the withdrawal of benefits from the older generation, such as winter fuel allowances and means testing, have been making headlines.

I totally disagree with Tim Mickleburgh’s comments (Yorkshire Post, July 13) when he suggests we ignore those protecting their financial inheritance. Didn’t we all pay for our NHS care and social care over many years of our working life?

Representatives of the aged from many organisations deplore the fact that we have to sell our homes to pay for our care which we have worked hard and paid for over 20-30 years enriching the banks and the coffers of Whitehall. The mandarins there are quite happy to squander this money as they please, especially in the support of immigrants from the rest of the world who had no input into our medical or social system.

Perhaps Tim doesn’t have such worries and is sitting comfortably but come the day he is faced with this situation he may change his mind! The issue of standards cannot be ascribed purely to cheap labour but on training and selection and management too.

Your Editorial (Yorkshire Post, July 12) sums up my view and no doubt many other elderly people’s views on the Government’s attitude at the moment. Overseas aid increased by £1.4bn – why?

I suggest that not many bankers, politicians, insurance, CEOs, to name but a few, will have to sell their lifetime’s work to pay for their elderly care!

One wonders what on earth we are paying for when one sees our thespian politicians performing at Prime Minister’s Questions – one of the few occasions when you can see more than a mere handful of elected representatives in the Chamber. The most recent PMQs made you wonder if they were all aiming for an Oscar. The shouting and screeching from our legislative body was deplorable. The sooner this body of people is drastically reduced the better. Savings could then be directed towards the proper priorities.

For far too long we have been ripped off by dishonest, greedy political and business leaders of all persuasions. Don’t they realise the social unrest being stirred up at the present time?

The next election, when it comes, will see many of these self-styled defenders of democracy looking for new jobs. Beware: “All is not well in the state of Rome.” We should be shouting “care – not condoms!”

From: Roger Crossley, Fall View, Silkstone, Barnsley.

CONGRATULATIONS to BJ Cussons for bringing to our attention the seemingly insidious issue of world population growth and its effects (Yorkshire Post, July 15).

She is right to bring this up because I feel it is a subject which is too often viewed as too sensitive by politicians and one that is too easily swept under the carpet. And yet, it could be argued that the majority of social issues and problems are in some way linked to the unrealistic demands of too many people, whether it be for more housing, cheaper food, transport, jobs etc.

There is a clash between sustainable resources and population growth rates.

Interestingly, Mrs Cussons and Father McNicholas in his article (Yorkshire Post, July 13) focus on Third World population issues, but with opposing views. Father McNicholas objects to an attempt to restrain population growth by means of “artificial contraception”, with the use of his money, through taxation, and his “religious sensibilities”, especially when there are more needy causes at home.

I think though that people in the public arena like Father McNicholas should also try to take a more long-term view of the impact of population growth and make it part of their thinking because to ignore the long-term repercussions of continuing population expansion is short-sighted and irresponsible from people with influence.