The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland

Author Archive


Don’t cut universal services for the old 63

Posted on February 16, 2013 by

Let me declare an interest. I am old enough to get the £200 tax-free winter fuel payment and free local bus travel anywhere in England. As I live in London my travel Freedom Pass extends to local bus and tube travel throughout London 24/7, and local trains from 0930. I guess the whole package is worth £700 a year to me, tax-free. Though in truth if I paid for London travel I would claim back much of it from clients and customers. So that’s that out of the way.

Well almost. I do not in the slightest need that money. If it disappeared tomorrow I would shrug and say “So be it”. It would not leave me freezing in the winter and cut off from family, friends or the local library. Or, come to that, work. So: I get it; I do not need it; and the amount is small enough in my personal financial affairs that whether I get it or not is neither here nor there.

So that leaves me uniquely able to say unequivocally that it would be complicated, counterproductive, and wrong to stop winter fuel payment and free bus travel for those over state pension age. Here’s why.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags:
Category analysis

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)

    Stats: 6,709 Posts, 1,213,203 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

    and finally and firstly arithmetic fail braveheart klaxon britnats captain darling cartoons Chris Cairns confused cringe crybabies dateline debates Devo Nano Douglas Daniel Federalists Unionists and Devolutionists flat-out lies foreigner watch from the archives fundraisers galleries Greg Moodie hamish hypocrisy liars light-hearted banter lizards memogate misinformation one nation perspectives poll project fear project feart qft Scott Minto smears snp accused soapbox the positive case for the union The Vow toldyouso too wee too poor too stupid unionist of the day vote no get nothing

  • Recent Comments

    • George Ferguson on The Zone Of Interesting: “Cui Bono from these constant malware attacks? A great article posted by Stu designed to instigate discussions.” Feb 21, 23:03
    • George Ferguson on One simple question: “So I am getting malware on the newest but not this thread. A sure sign this thread is clean. Give…” Feb 21, 22:22
    • Dunx on The Zone Of Interesting: “I wouldn’t pay too much attention to what the bookies say. They set the odds to guarantee themselves a profit…” Feb 21, 21:29
    • Chris Downie on The Zone Of Interesting: “While I don’t discount the possibility that what the Rev is saying here may well pan out, we need to…” Feb 21, 21:26
    • Sven on The Zone Of Interesting: “Gosh, Sam, I know I’m a dozy old duffer, but have I really missed the run up to Scottish elections…” Feb 21, 20:56
    • Hatey McHateface on The thickness of blood: “Hmmm. Aidan does know to always spell Scotland with a capital ‘S’, so that puts him one up in the…” Feb 21, 20:32
    • Hatey McHateface on The Zone Of Interesting: “News to me Scotland has no control over taxation. I’ll write to the relevant authorities pointing this out and demand…” Feb 21, 20:21
    • George Ferguson on The Zone Of Interesting: “Or we can speak to people on the street. And their information is more relevant than AI which is a…” Feb 21, 20:00
    • Hatey McHateface on The Zone Of Interesting: ““Liberation Scotland has taken the first step to gain international recognition of Scotlands status as a colony of England” Cool.…” Feb 21, 19:59
    • sam on The Zone Of Interesting: “So, is Scotland a colony or not? I suggest this is an irrelevant question because it hands power to academics…” Feb 21, 19:49
    • sam on The Zone Of Interesting: “Saville-Smith: Is Scotland A Colony? The Western Cognitive Empire And The Rhetoric Of Colonialism https://journal.thenewpolis.com/archives/1.1/Saville-Smith.pdf” Feb 21, 19:38
    • Ian Brotherhood on The Zone Of Interesting: “Here’s Grok again. (It answered the question in less than half a second.) Q: ‘Why would it make sense for…” Feb 21, 19:37
    • Ian McCubbin on The Zone Of Interesting: “Definitely taking on the SNP carrots for votes mantra. I would trust Farage and Co not very far at all.…” Feb 21, 19:18
    • Ian on The Zone Of Interesting: “‘Scotland is valuable to the UK, but let’s not kid ourselves about the magnitude’. This begs the old question of…” Feb 21, 19:18
    • Billy Carlin on The Zone Of Interesting: “Greece never had any “Brexit” and look at what the EU did to them re destroying them with massive debt…” Feb 21, 18:33
    • Corrado Mella on The Zone Of Interesting: “When the political landscape becomes stale and stagnant, people always vote for the outsiders and disruptors. That’s what the SNP…” Feb 21, 18:29
    • John McGregor on The thickness of blood: “I wonder if any of championing this Deviants charter has young/older daughters getting showered then in pops the trans!!!! buck…” Feb 21, 18:23
    • John McGregor on One simple question: “Why is everybody in power scared to say IF you have male genitals you do the toilet in a MENS…” Feb 21, 18:14
    • twathater on One simple question: “This “BE KIND” mantra will always “BE ABUSED” by those who want everything their way, 10 years of this lunacy…” Feb 21, 18:12
    • Andy Ellis on The Zone Of Interesting: “No other process is necessary than securing 50% + 1 in plebiscitary elections (or if it was feasible which it…” Feb 21, 18:09
    • Insider on The Zone Of Interesting: “Oh… Gawd !!! Stop playing primary school games about word definitions!! Anyone over the age of 10 knows the word…” Feb 21, 18:03
    • Andy Ellis on The Zone Of Interesting: “We won 56 of 59 Westminster MPs on just less than 50% of the vote. It was specifically billed by…” Feb 21, 18:03
    • twathater on One simple question: “Sam apart from the stress and severe anxiety that Sandie Peggie has been subjected to by the ongoing actions of…” Feb 21, 17:58
    • Hatey McHateface on The Zone Of Interesting: “Certainly, Andy, it’s instructive to see the true relationship between coloniser (the USA) and colonised (Europe, including the UK and…” Feb 21, 17:48
    • Cringe on The Zone Of Interesting: “After indyref I always said the easiest means of achieving independence is through English nationalists. If you believe Scotland does…” Feb 21, 17:41
    • Bobo bunny on The Zone Of Interesting: “It’s not a union, we are a colony. If England wanted to leave, they would not seek our permission.” Feb 21, 17:34
    • Bobo bunny on The Zone Of Interesting: “Dinnae haud back big man!” Feb 21, 17:32
    • Hatey McHateface on The Zone Of Interesting: “I entirely agree, George. I voted for Brexit on the understanding it would make me financially poorer and based on…” Feb 21, 17:29
    • Bobo bunny on The Zone Of Interesting: “You are joking, right!?” Feb 21, 17:27
    • Bobo bunny on The Zone Of Interesting: “Whose side are you on?” Feb 21, 17:24

  • A tall tale



↑ Top