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Organized Old Brits ...
Here's a Press Association piece in today's Guardian that made 'This Old Brit' feel proud to be what he is.
How's this for a heart warming headline?
Minister booed down by pensioners.
Press Association, Tuesday June 7, 2005
Good on 'em, I say. Power to the pensioners. I just wish I could have been there with them.
Get a load of this.
** Angry pensioners booed and shouted down the government's new pensions minister today as he tried to give a speech.
Stephen Timms had to break off delivering his address at the annual pensioners parliament in Blackpool as hundreds of senior citizens whistled, shouted and slow hand-clapped.
The minister, appointed after the general election, was given a rough ride .... **
Well, wouldn't you feel angry if this was your lot, too?
** The "age audit" taken from the government's own figures, showed one in five pensioners lived below the poverty line - no improvement since Labour returned to power in 1997.
A further 1.5 million pensioners are malnourished or at serious risk of malnourishment, and the same number say their house is too cold in winter, with 22,000 people dying as a result of cold last year. **
So much for Tony Blair and his 'New Labour' brand of socialism. And this, after a full eight years in which to do something about this sorry state of affairs. It's nothing short of a scandal; it should be recognized as such.
** "We don't look after our pensioners in this country at all," said Peggy Runciman, 66, a retired machine operator from Birmingham. "We show no interest, some of these people have been through two world wars for us." **
Too bloody true, Mr Timms. Call yourself a Pensions Minister? Humphh! More like a poodle's poodle.
** .... pensioners attending the convention marched from Blackpool's North Pier, along the promenade .... **
As I said before -- power to these poor old people -- I wish I could have marched with them.
* ( Incidentally, please don't 'nit-pick' the header-illustration spelling. These old folk do their best. )
Here's the link to the full, pensioner piece.
http://money.guardian.co.uk/pensions/story/0,6453,1501247,00.html
posted by Richard at Tuesday, June 07, 2005
5 Comments:
"** .... pensioners attending the convention marched from Blackpool's North Pier, along the promenade .... **"
Beautiful!!
These people haven't forgotten what the world was like before WWII.
I bet it was sight for sore eyes, Cosmic.
What I meant to mention was that lots of these older pensioners left school at the age of 14. Then began their long & hard working lives by slaving [without unions] for 12 hours [plus] per day - for 6 days a week. Some working week, eh? For KIDS!
I bet both Mr Timms and his boss Blair, have forgotten that; if indeed they ever really knew it in the first place.
Right, Elaine! Eventually, every worm turns - just like every dog has it's day.
Woo Hoo, Richard! This is all such good news! The thing that is beginning to encourage me lately is that all these disparate groups are finally getting Fed Up, and standing up and shouting, "We're not gonna take it any more!" No matter how many tanks a government has, or how much money, or how nasty they are (hear that, George?? Tony??), sooner or later everyone they've oppressed starts joining forces with everyone else they've oppressed, and then that force becomes unstoppable. I think we're still at the "separate groups standing up and objecting" stage. I don't think it will be much longer before we come to the "separate groups joining together and overturning the world" stage. Woo!
I think you're right, Phyl; I sincerely hope you are.
If there is a light at the end of this tunnel, I think it's this. After the current & widespread 'righties' are ousted - from all the places they've helped each other hold sway - I believe we'll see a real 'backlash'.
Meaning, that most of us 'westerners' will swing further left than we ever have before.
I don't mean [ by any stretch of the imagination] that they'll embrace communism of course, but rather 'real' socialism. IOW, government that's genuinely 'of the people, by the people, for the people'.
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