So the chancellor...

[Malabus]

Can protect foreign aid but not our poor pensioners bus pass and winter allowance.

[Joey]

Can increase budgets to the snoopers and means to fight wars but keeps public sector pay increase at 1% while inflation is at 2.8%.

[asl]

Can protect foreign aid but not our poor pensioners bus pass and winter allowance.

A couple of things: do you really, really believe we get nothing out the overseas development budget? Yes, there's a certain amount of speculation and long-term views involved - but I bet that's one of the few expenditures that actually creates wealth for the exchequer.

And the 'poor pensioners' comment comes a mere fortnight after it is reported that pensioners incomes are rising faster than any other demograph over the last three decades and the over-60's are the only group that has become better off since 2007-8.

[sits back and awaits a beating from walking sticks and thermos flasks]

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Every pensioner who takes a free bus ride to their yacht and holiday home is an insult to the unemployed youth.

[Joey]

Every pensioner who takes a free bus ride to their yacht and holiday home is an insult to the unemployed youth.

Free bus passes have nothing to do with unemployment, if they were taken away it wouldn't change anything most likely.

[Malabus]

Surely taking bus passes away from the pensioners is breech of EU citizen rights.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Every pensioner who takes a free bus ride to their yacht and holiday home is an insult to the unemployed youth.

Free bus passes have nothing to do with unemployment, if they were taken away it wouldn't change anything most likely.

That wasn't my point - my point was if young people are subject to such strict rules and vilifaction about scrounging for benefits if they are unable to find a job despite trying, then it's a bit unfair to give universal benefits to all pensioners, even those with great wealth.

Just means test it so those who don't need it don't get it - like we do for most other parts of life.

Then, make buses a bit cheaper, so rather than having over-priced fares for paying passengers subsidising a bus full of pensioners, make it more affordable to everyone.

[RTT]

Sometimes means testing costs more than it saves.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Sometimes means testing costs more than it saves.

Cost and effort is no excuse for unfairness.

[RTT]

Sometimes means testing costs more than it saves.

Cost and effort is no excuse for unfairness.

This is all about cost, since when has a government been fair to everyone.

[Joey]

Sometimes means testing costs more than it saves.

Cost and effort is no excuse for unfairness.

This is all about cost, since when has a government been fair to everyone.

That doesn't mean they can't bloody well try.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Sometimes means testing costs more than it saves.

Cost and effort is no excuse for unfairness.

This is all about cost, since when has a government been fair to everyone.

I know - been unfairly pandering to the OAP vote for years.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

One pensioner is quids in with a 5% pay rise:

"The Sovereign Grant, which funds the Queen's spending as Head of State, will rise in 2014 from £36.1m to £37.89m."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23065599" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How many bus passes would that buy?

[Malabus]

One pensioner is quids in with a 5% pay rise:

"The Sovereign Grant, which funds the Queen's spending as Head of State, will rise in 2014 from £36.1m to £37.89m."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23065599" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How many bus passes would that buy?

You Communists are the evil ones and not the Nazis.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

One pensioner is quids in with a 5% pay rise:

"The Sovereign Grant, which funds the Queen's spending as Head of State, will rise in 2014 from £36.1m to £37.89m."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23065599" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How many bus passes would that buy?

You Communists are the evil ones and not the Nazis.

Republican, not Communist.

Why do communists only drink decaf and fruit tea? Because proper-tea is theft...

[RTT]

One pensioner is quids in with a 5% pay rise:

"The Sovereign Grant, which funds the Queen's spending as Head of State, will rise in 2014 from £36.1m to £37.89m."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23065599" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How many bus passes would that buy?

You Communists are the evil ones and not the Nazis.

They are both evil

[Joey]

One pensioner is quids in with a 5% pay rise:

"The Sovereign Grant, which funds the Queen's spending as Head of State, will rise in 2014 from £36.1m to £37.89m."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23065599" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How many bus passes would that buy?

You Communists are the evil ones and not the Nazis.

I didn't know not supporting the monarchy made you a communist.

[Shade]

Communists aren't inherently evil (although some obviously have been in the past, just like many capitalists). They're just deluded.

[asl]

"All animals are equal - but some animals are more equal than others."

Like most political theories, I imagine that, if everyone played by the rules, communism would work rather well. The fact is, unfortunately, they don't. People lie, people cheat, people put themselves ahead of others.

[Malabus]

Communism will never work because we are all different albeit the same species we have our own individual nature.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Communism will never work because we are all different albeit the same species we have our own individual nature.

I don't believe communist theory tries to dictate that people cannot be different - just that there is no profit motive (to be crude).

It is usually fascists and those against sharing space with different cultures and ethnicities who promote for homogeneity. Though obviously tyrants like Stalin etc were very nationalist - just as nationalistic socially as Hitler in some respects, just with a different economic policy.