Pensioner Power

jambutty · 02-03-2007, 15:01

Apparently there are some 9 million pensioners in the UK, with more being added daily than there are leaving. So why don’t they get together and form the Pensioners’ Political Party?

For decades both major political parties have only paid lip service to pensioners and the current lot have raided pension funds for billions leaving many pensioners on the verge of destitution.

With a 9 million potential member base the PPP would be a formidable force in politics and would probably hold the balance of power in any Parliament if not actually form a government. Come to think of it if the pensioners who normally vote, voted for a PPP parliamentary candidate they wouldn’t be able to vote for whoever they voted for before so it would be a double whammy against the three major parties (if you can call the Liberals a major party).

Even if only half of the pensioners joined the PPP and donated an annual subscription of just £10 (that’s less than 3p per day) that would realise a working fund of £45,000,000 per year. No need to seek donations from wealthy individuals or for that matter to offer peerages to the donors for their money.

All pensioners have one thing in common and that is in spite of the various governments they have survived for more than 60 years. They have EXPERIENCE in the real world. The experience of budgeting with limited funds and dealing of the many day to day issues that are necessary to survive. Can the same be said for the majority of the current stock of MP’s?

Neil · 02-03-2007, 15:28

There would of cause be the problem caused by all the extra elections as the PPP MP's keep dying from old age.

tadah · 02-03-2007, 16:51

And falling asleep. Hey and what about all extra cleaning bill for all the "accidents" they have? And what would they go for? Lower tax on flat caps and tartan blankets?

Gayle · 02-03-2007, 18:00

I was at a conference the other day - snappily entitled

The changing demographics of the north west and what that means for the arts.

Turned out it was lots of tedious slides and statistics and very little about the arts but the point that I remembered was that 38.8 is the exact middle age in the UK now. Way to make a 42 year old feel really old!

garinda · 02-03-2007, 18:30

I see the point you are making, and I agree to a lesser extent. Main stream political parties do tend to focus on other groups, rather than the elderly people, who fought for this country's freedom, as well as paying a lifetimes amount of taxes.

There are 'grey' pressure groups already in existance, and I think if more people joined, then more power would be behind their lobbying power.

I don't think a political party for any minority group is a good thing. For one thing people within those groups are going to have vastly differing opinions on lots of issues. Some will be rightwing, and some will be left. The only thing that they will have in common will be their age group.

Plus where will it end? Will other minority groups want to form their own political parties, based only on their differences from the majority?

The Sikh Party?

The Afro Caribean Party?

I honestly think it is better to form groups and lobby for your rights from the parties we all have currently in place.

Gayle · 02-03-2007, 19:43

There are already some minority parties

The Green party - presumably for frogs
and
UKIP for dyslexic purchasers of French Connection stuff.

Ianto.W. · 02-03-2007, 22:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by tadah

And falling asleep. Hey and what about all extra cleaning bill for all the "accidents" they have? And what would they go for? Lower tax on flat caps and tartan blankets?

Old age is a disease that even a smarty pants like you can't avoid, when it comes your time I pray that life will be made easier for you, Tadh.

jambutty · 02-03-2007, 22:29

I don’t think that you can call pensioners a minority group garinda.

For as long as I can remember we have only ever had either a Tory or Labour party in office. Note I state ‘in office’ as opposed to being ‘in power’ as new labour like to call it. Calling it being ‘in power’ says it all for me. Also during that time we haven’t even had a democratically elected government but an oligarchy.

With the Tories in office they tend to look after themselves for starters and then the well off, business leaders and professionals and if there is anything left in the pot the working classes get a few crumbs.

With New Labour in office, who have encroached on the Tory ground, they also tend to look after themselves first and also look after business leaders and professionals and if there is anything left in the pot the working classes get a few crumbs although it might be more than the Tories gave them.

Old Labour at least tried to look after the working classes but were often prevented from doing so by the country’s economics at the time left by the previous administration and by the Mandarins in Whitehall. Not forgetting the unions who really messed things up when they couldn’t get Labour to do their bidding.

Mancie · 02-03-2007, 22:48

Jambutty.. what makes you think that even if a PPP party was formed pensioners would vote for that party?... as you have said pensioners are a hefty proportion of voters.. but they are split when it comes to voting.. It will not change anything.. the pensoiners sitting in front of the 2 bar leccie fire will vote one way.. and the ones with a very nice income gained from years of undisclosed fruad/schemes/stock market gains or ex politicans will vote another way.

jambutty · 02-03-2007, 23:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mancie

Jambutty.. what makes you think that even if a PPP party was formed pensioners would vote for that party?... as you have said pensioners are a hefty proportion of voters.. but they are split when it comes to voting.. It will not change anything.. the pensoiners sitting in front of the 2 bar leccie fire will vote one way.. and the ones with a very nice income gained from years of undisclosed fruad/schemes/stock market gains or ex politicans will vote another way.

We will never know until and if it happens.

The only choice pensioners have is what is on offer and all political parties seem to treat pensioners as second class citizens.

Don’t forget that millions of pensioners were not able to save for a pension because of the low wages they received when they were working. There was nothing left to save after paying for food rent etc. It is only in the last twenty years or so that the ordinary working chap had access to a pension scheme at the place he worked. Managers and some foremen had a works pension but the guy on the shop floor didn’t. And that includes women who were even worse off.

However, I’ll bet there are more pensioners who struggle to make ends meet than there are those with a bob or two behind them.

If there was a PPP I would vote for them.

garinda · 02-03-2007, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

I don’t think that you can call pensioners a minority group garinda.

The very fact that you informed us that there are nine million pensioners, out of a UK population of sixty million, makes them a minority group. Just as if there was a political party made up of the million and a half Muslims in the country, they too would be classed as a minority group.

I still think organisations that lobby on behalf of pensioners is the way forward. They should be better organised and raise their profile more, because there are very real concerns regarding the quality of life of elderly people, and they deserve better.

If there was one party soley concerned with 'grey' issues, they face one major problem, mainly that their representatives will keep, er....moving on.

jedimaster · 03-03-2007, 00:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

I honestly think it is better to form groups and lobby for your rights from the parties we all have currently in place.

we're english - we don't have any rights

cashman · 03-03-2007, 00:10

pensioners have always been crapped on from a great height by ALL goverments,that i do agree with. a party formed from em though to me seems ok in theory, but cant see it in practice, pensioners can remain in a union once retired for pennies but either choose not too,or wern,t in one anyway,that or some similar organised thing i think would have a louder voice than any political party they formed,there would be elections/ by elections far too frequently to actually get owt done in politics.

Mancie · 03-03-2007, 00:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

We will never know until and if it happens.

The only choice pensioners have is what is on offer and all political parties seem to treat pensioners as second class citizens.

Political parties do not treat all pensioners as second class citizens.. they treat the pensioners on a limited goverment paid state pension as second class. The pensioners that are lucky enough to have gained a income by whatever means are highly valued.. they sell jam and collect funds at the local grouse shoot for tory party coffers.

steeljack · 03-03-2007, 00:17

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