Social Market Foundation

The Social Market Foundation is proposing that pensions for the elderly should be disconnected from the triple-lock, because the financial burden of saving the lives of thousands of pensioners should not fall onto the working age poor. Pensioners should therefore pay for this intergenerational generosity.

Hold on a second. Anyone over 70 is now effectively under house arrest not just to save their own lives but to stop the virus infecting the younger generations. Hundreds of thousands of pensioners do not have gardens so house arrest for them is more like a prison sentence under solitary confinement. It is punishment for nothing. How do you count the cost of this suffering? Thousands of pensioners are being left alone to suffer for the effects of Covid-19 and if they don't die they could be left with long term illness. What is the cost of this?

Even in the best of times the state pension is not exactly a King's ransom especially if you do not own your house with a paid-off mortgage. Pensioners in this situation must pay rent which will take up a substantial amount of their meagre income. Who will take over the financial burden of looking after cash strapped pensioners if these recommendations are taken up? I suggest that it will be their cash strapped daughters and sons. If you are a pensioner on your own, then hardlines.

Many pensioners do voluntary work. How do you account for this Mr Social Market Foundation think-tank economist? What happens if the pensioner can't afford to do this work anymore? Who will take their place and how much will it cost?

How much more do you want to patronise the elderly? Do you want them all to be herded into care homes to be looked after by the poor? The carer and the cared for have been denied personal protection equipment so are they all part of the herd ? Will they all have to sacrifice their lives to keep the economy going? There could be no-one left to the buy the products of the economy which could die just as quickly as a Covid -19 victim.

It is time to put some thought back into the think-tank not remove it. Time for the financial burden to be put onto broader shoulders than the working age poor, perhaps?

http://www.smf.co.uk/press-release-scrap-pensions-triple-lock-coronavirus/