Frustrated Pensioners

It was a real 'Sun' day, there was a strange light was in the sky, a welcome sight after the recent wet and dreary days. My wife and I took a ride on Torquay's big wheel, great value with a four times spin costing £4 for OAP's.

 

I took a fall on the steps but there was one of the attendants immediately on hand, helping me up, most concerned and asking this old timer had I hurt myself, but I was lucky, bounced back and thoroughly enjoyed the ride, so all was well with the world.

 

That is until we met a neighbour of ours walking along the pavement. Usually cheerful looking and placid she looked steaming about something, the reason; she flipped a newspaper in her bag and was absolutely furious about the headline.

 

"When I lived in France," she quipped, we as foreigners had to pay for medical treatment in advance. The French have it all worked out, none of your stiff upper lip with them, if injustice is the name of the game they quip. And how! Perhaps that is how the French can pay their pensioners a decent sum"

 

She was referring to the weekend news that visiting foreigners manage to get away with free medical care when in Britain saying how much money could be saved if they had to pay.

 

There was also a reference to a quarter of Britain's babies are born to foreign mothers who have recently migrated here, a number of whom return to their homeland after having their babies.

But a crackdown on health tourism is being planned by the Government. Foreigners could be refused entry if they have had NHS treatment or immigration officials discover they intend to do so.

 

I try to pacify my neighbour in mentioning this.

 

"And do you think the government will really do anything about it" she snarled.

 

It is just like the chancellor this week telling the energy companies to curb increases. It all looks good doesn't it, he has probably got shares in them!"

 

It is possibly true. All the energy companies will follow suit along with South West Water who charge the highest bills in Britain, compared with Trent water who pay approximately a third of what we pay!

 

The name of their game is 'growth' and all the excuses come out. It is merely greed and, although they say they are about helping their hard up customers when it comes to the nitty-gritty they give nothing. They care not a hoot for those on low incomes who will really have to suffer trying forever to make ends meet.

 

I have noticed of late, and it becomes more evident all the time, especially with those of us over sixty who become more and more frustrated and confused about how things are going.

Someone suggested a revolution. Stressing that it could be a bloodless one but enthusing that is what we desperately need to show those in Government who just cannot understand the plight of the poor.

 

All the time they blame the Labour Party for the state we are in, never ever suggesting that it could be the greedy bankers who overstepped the mark in the richer countries all over the world.

There are so many ways money could be saved, those of us who remember rationing during and after World war 11 could show 'em how to make ends meet to be sure.

 

We pulled through then but today; the world is altogether different, greed is profuse and somehow we need to approach that, maybe ask those who can afford shares to be happy with a reduction or even a freeze, how's that for a start

 

 

Or at the end of the day, perhaps the only way to put things to rights is a revolution?

Bloodless of course! Like the big wheel what goes around comes around…