Older people and poverty

09/01/2008

I belong to a generation older than Mr Brown and was born in 1944.

Many of the books refer to the aged poor and older people have tended to live in poverty.

 

There was a group of older people who pressurised the Liberals and David Lloyd George in particular into granting the first old age pensions. I realise that the Thatcher Government has kept the pension artificially low and it is not expected to increase dramatically. There are various moves to increase the basic pension, but so far our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

 

I realise a lot of people are working past retiring age as many are told to defer claiming the state pension. There is to be a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament on October 23rd, but I do not expect much to happen in the way of an increased State Pension. My parent’s generation lived through the Second World War and had to endure shortages and I realise many young people are not very interested.

 

David Thomas, London.