Benefits for all?

Quite a sensible suggestion from lapdancing bar owner Peter Stringfellow about the British winter fuel allowance. He said from his home in Majorca (yes, they are quite happy to send it to pensioners living in Majorca) that he had been trying to give it back without success. He is, of course, a multi-millionaire and doesn’t need it, but they send it to multi-millionaires as well.

The answer, says Stringfellow, is to get you to tick a box saying if you want it. Simple.

Let’s now hear from Mr Duncan Smith.

Universal Benefits

Here is where we are in British politics. Everyone, or rather most people, understand that there must be reductions in spending budgets (as I have mentioned before there will not be public expenditure cuts, public expenditure will rise in each of the next five years, each year more than the previous) but as soon as the Chancellor outlines a reduction everyone complains it is too horrid.

It is perfectly ridiculous that we pay child benefit to people who are comfortably off, and it is perfectly ridiculous that we should give them free TV licences, free bus passes and a winter fuel allowance (which they even receive in their flats in Marbella).

Poor people are paying taxes to give money to the rich. Surely, recession or no recession, the age of universal benefits must be finished with.