January 21 Letters: Generation gap over attitudes to pensioners

A POLITICIAN recently said on air that we as a country should stop ring-fencing “rich” pensioners and they should take the pain just as other members of society are doing. As a pensioner, or rather retiree, I bitterly resent that sort of thinking which shows the kind of mentality we have to beware of voting into Parliament.

Most pensioners have worked solidly all throughout their working lives – that was the way then, the stigma of lolling around on benefit being abhorrent to most of us, unlike some of today’s society that seem to assume that benefits are their God-given right. It was our generation that has been instrumental in fighting for these benefits and rights, most of the current generation failing to appreciate just what it was like in the 40s and 50s where you could be sacked for no reason, offered low wages, and little or no help with housing.

The constant grousing that pensioners shouldn’t have the paltry heating allowance shows that most critics fail to realise elderly pensioners remain indoors all day in winter and need the heating to maintain their body warmth. Most of these critics are at work all day in nice warm offices, the heating paid by their employers. Maybe if they had to contribute to that cost they would see another picture.