'Red Ed' and Pensioners

[Chrisjay]

In view of the strong political vein that has run through this forum particularly in rhetoric I have followed closely the the leadership 'contest'.  I have patiently waited for someone to mention the pensioners the 'grey vote' but needless to say I have been yet again disappointed.  In the new 'leaders' speech and I use that word loosly in view of the union vote Mr Milliband used the term 'new generation' no less than 30 times in his address to the party, some party!
He achieved two things in his speech his ability to turn the support he got from the unions which gave him money and muscle into by the way you do not own me and he sacked the grey vote.  The same people who tend to turn up and vote on polling days.  He told the older generation that the younger generation was now taking charge and the only reference in this leadership contest to pensioners was his reference to Jack Straw as 'being in his 60's'.  The rest of his speech did not contain a word about his plans for the state pension, the NHS and even anti social behaviour which is a major issue for older voters was not mentioned.
He want to raise the minimum wage to £7 per hour while reducing the working hours it is hard to see how paying people more for working less is going to get us out of the mess 'new labour' left us with.
Was his speech one of an election winner?  Yes if he were running for president of the student union.
We are obviously swinging from one extreme to the other with the politics of this country and it does not look good for the welfare of the pensioners.

[Ivanhoe]

Chris Ward, I could not agree more.

I rang Ed Milliband's London office and left a message, I received an email this morning, supposedly from Ed Milliband, I am in the proceeds of replying.

[Ivanhoe]

Chris Ward, I could not agree more.

I rang Ed Milliband's London office and left a message, I received an email this morning, supposedly from Ed Milliband, I am in the proceeds of replying.

I have replied and have received no answer yet. 

[Chrisjay]

I hope you will let me know when you get a reply and what the reply was

Chris

[Ivanhoe]

I hope you will let me know when you get a reply and what the reply was

Chris

You can bet on it.

[Papaumau]

Let's be realistic here shall we !

Firstly I WILL admit that I am an Ed Miliband supporter - just to get that one out of the way......

Then I will give my view of his maiden speech to the faithful at the Labour Party conference:

As Far as I am concerned this speech was a very neutral one so that he did not start his tour as leader by alienating anybody. It seems that he HAS nevertheless alienated you Chris by not saying enough about the pensioners and by talking about the "new generation" Labour Party.

I feel that his "New Generation" badge is one that can be grabbed onto by people who are sick of the "New-Labour" tag and who want the Labour Party to take a new direction. He is not saying by this that this"new-generation" party is going to be filled up and run by the YOUNGER generation as "new-generation does not necessarily mean "younger" generation. ( I think you have got the wrong end of the stick here ).

Like all politicians I am certain that he is aware of the needs of the pensioners in Britain and he is also aware of the voting power of this "grey-vote" and as such I am also sure that we will hear something from him about this in the not too distant future.

He would be a fool to ignore this demographic and whatever this man might turn out to be I don't think he will turn out to be a fool.

I say, do not burn the legs from under him until he has been given a fair chance to show his worth.

[Chrisjay]

Unfortunately regardless of whether you like 'Red Ed' or not the fact remains he is unlikely to be in a position of influence for another four and a half years if then.  So what he says will have no influence on the current difficulties pensioners are facing.

I appreciate you have a view on this man but as far as I am concerned he has not enough experience of either life or hardship to be anyone I would contemplate placing my future in the hands of.  The fact that he is taking so long to even reply to your email says the man does not feel he should value your enquiry.  However, I do wish we could focus on the plight of pensioners and not the cause because of the mismanagement of all parties.  There is only one party who can do anything and that is the elected government of the day.

As I have said before, pandering to any politician of any political party is not uniting the pensioners which is what needs to be done to make any government aware we are concerned at the quality of life in our retirement and the erosion of our benefits even if that is indirect.

It has already been discussed on this forum that reducing the housing allowance paid to pensioners on Pension Tax Credit is forcing pensioners to leave the houses they may have rented for years up until their retirement.  The changes in how private pensions are to be paid errodes that income, low interest rates does the same and the increases in fuel duty and VAT put additional nails in the coffin.

The government of any party needs to be made aware before pensioners are living on the streets or in tents and caravans that not excluding pensioners (and the sick) from the current round of benefit cuts and not bringing the state pension in line with the rest of Europe is unacceptable and they will answer for it at the next and any future elections.  However, we can only pack this punch if we unit as one voice.  A prime example of people power was Joanne Lumley and the Gurkers and Help the Hero's both of which grabbed the public imagination.

We seem to do a lot of talking about what is going on and what is wrong but the one thing we do not seem to do is unit.  So I am putting it out on this forum.  Please start replying and getting involved again - without the political rhetoric of the past so we can actually find ways of bringing the issues that affect us into the public forum before it is too late and pensioners start giving up and dying through lack of money to pay their bills which has always been a matter of pride for our generation.

Chris

[Ivanhoe]

Yes, I totally agree with everything you say.

So when "you" figure out how to utilise the "uk's" pensioners, ( this is something ive been trying to do for 20 years where I live ), you tell me, okay.

[Papaumau]

Chris......

I found it difficult to read on after your "Red Ed" epithet as as soon as I see such terms used my eyes glaze over.

My favourite tabloid also used a similar epithet when they reported what Scots Tory-leader Annabel Goldie said when she attacked Alex Salmond - The First Minister of the Scottish Parliament - as "Red Eck".

I would have thought that the modern Tories were better than that as to me when attacks get down to THAT level this proves to me that the Tories really have nothing to say that many people want to listen to, especially not in Scotland.

Incidentally..... The Tory party in Scotland has 16 members out of 129 seats and they needed the help of the Proportional Representation system that they despise in order to get those numbers here. In the UK parliament they have only ONE miserable seat from Scotland; which I suggest tells us a lot.

We in Scotland did not vote the Tories into power in Scotland or in Britain so they have NO remit to govern here.

[Chrisjay]

Thank you for your lecture now what do you suggest we do to unite pensioners in one voice to get a sustainable living pension and recognition that we should be listened too?

I am really not interested in who did what when, I am only interested in bringing pensioners issues and concerns into the public arena and how we accomplish that and frankly looking back over your postings I have not found one practical suggestion so maybe two heads are better than one in matters like this.

I joined this forum and albeit I am a 'newbie' because I am not only interested in pensioners issues, they also directly affect me.  If this forum cannot get more forcused on the issues facing us now I will have to do like everyone else, look from afar, then I will find somewhere more receptive to forming a lobby group.

BTW I headed my post "Red Ed" as it was current in the media then it is dated now!

[Ivanhoe]

///////Thank you for your lecture now what do you suggest we do to unite pensioners in one voice to get a sustainable living pension and recognition that we should be listened too?//////

Okay, What we should is ring each others local radio phone ins, giving each others phone numbers for further contact re- forming an apolitical pensions pressure group in each others regions, but under one banner.

What do you think about that ?

[Papaumau]

Thank you for your lecture now what do you suggest we do to unite pensioners in one voice to get a sustainable living pension and recognition that we should be listened too?

I am really not interested in who did what when, I am only interested in bringing pensioners issues and concerns into the public arena and how we accomplish that and frankly looking back over your postings I have not found one practical suggestion so maybe two heads are better than one in matters like this.

I joined this forum and albeit I am a 'newbie' because I am not only interested in pensioners issues, they also directly affect me.  If this forum cannot get more forcused on the issues facing us now I will have to do like everyone else, look from afar, then I will find somewhere more receptive to forming a lobby group.

BTW I headed my post "Red Ed" as it was current in the media then it is dated now!

If maybe you were to take an interest in what is going on around you on the internet and on the streets of this country you might find that such lobby-groups already exist.

Many of the pensioners of this country, including myself and my friend Ivanhoe have been working long and hard for this cause on and off the internet since even before we WERE pensioners.

Sometimes it take a bit of effort to get out and around the groups of elders in towns and cities and in clubs in order to find just how organised we really are.

While a lot can be done from within this electronic medium, ( and a lot is already being done in this way ), a lot more can be done by people getting together with that cause in mind.

You are not the first to think of this idea and you will not be the last.

[Ivanhoe]

///////Sometimes it take a bit of effort to get out and around the groups of elders in towns and cities and in clubs in order to find just how organised we really are.///////

Actually this is exactly what is needed from my point of view, because I know I could motivate every pensioners group in Britain to band together, because I would not mince my words on why they dont, having had over 20 years experience.

Pensioners groups get bored, get devided by political differences, many pensioners are illiterate on their own issue, blaming immigrants / single parernts by way of benefits for taking money from their State pension.

Pensioners need to hear the political truth about why their state pension under the last two government's were kept low, and means testing applied.

[Papaumau]

I don't think it's so much about "hearing", I think it is more about actually listening. ( Paying attention ).

Many elderly folk get into a sort of time-warp where everythings stops for them and these folks should really get educated so that they know what is available and what is NOT available out there for them.

The more active of them already do know this but I don't really know how to switch on the rest.

[Ivanhoe]

/////////I don't think it's so much about "hearing", I think it is more about actually listening. ( Paying attention ).

Many elderly folk get into a sort of time-warp where everythings stops for them and these folks should really get educated so that they know what is available and what is NOT available out there for them.

The more active of them already do know this but I don't really know how to switch on the rest. /////

Im assuming you mean benefits and means testing ?