Quote Originally Posted by Dorcus View Post
I agree completely. Jim O'Neill is just an advisor to Labour, he's a Tory through and through and served as a minister under George Osborne.

I think most people understand many pensioners have no other source of income so I think it fair that they should receive special treatment. However, I think it also fair to ask why the giveaway is not means tested because many pensioners have other incomes and are often obtaining more than working people in pension benefits. I think it fair to suggest that the increase should be on a sliding scale with the most needy getting the largest payouts and some getting nothing at all.

I also cannot think of one good reason why people on benefits should not receive the same financial protection.
The politics of envy rears its ugly head again. Penalise hard working people who have paid their National Insurance in full all their working lives, many at higher rates and have had the foresight to save, or pay in to private pension plans as well, to help in their retirement years are told ‘sorry you cant have any state pension because we have to give it all to people who couldn't be even bothered getting a job or haven't contributed anything into the scheme or didn't bother to have the foresight to think ahead and save a bit’. Spongers charter I would call it. Anyone who introduced a stupid scheme like that wouldn't last five minutes.