This is an issue across Europe now and the East. Japan has a staggering problem with their ageing population.
Comm was on about running my dog over last night the miserable ****. It's okay though, he's just building up to his Unicorns and Fairies thread.
All of those nations have the option of reducing the level of payment, our state pension is already the lowest in the developed World as a percentage of the average wage. https://www.ftadviser.com/pensions/2018/02/13/uk-state-pension-worst-in-the-developed-world/ So they’ve concluded here that the only solution is to up the age at which you get paid it. Despite many paying in their entire working life, and then getting within touching distance of what they’ve paid for, then having the date extended. Meanwhile many of the elderly already getting paid it, are crying about working age immigrants coming into our system, and helping to pay the annual bill.
Another reason why Japan is struggling. They have one of the strictest immigration policies on earth. I actually don't believe immigration will be significantly lower post Brexit. They will find a way around it and I'm sure Europeans will have their papers accepted.
This country relies on immigration. As Tobes has pointed out it's working age immigrants that prop up our NHS, Transport network, service industries and other sectors that not only keeps this country functioning, but also contributes to the tax revenues that pay for pensions etc. Only the ****ing naive and those with a chip on their shoulder think immigrants are a problem.
You only have to look at the immigration stats since the vote in 2016 to see what’s already happening. As EU migrant numbers have fallen, they’ve been replaced by non EU migrants. EU8 migrant numbers are already in negative territory.
I have to help my old fella up the stairs to his seat when we go to St Mary’s - well I would, but he won’t let me help. Takes him an age to get out of the car too, but he won’t let me help with that either. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s life. In my head he’s still the athlete who was running marathons well into his 50s. And the same guy who taught me a couple of simple judo moves when I was being bullied at school (they worked). it’s actually the lucky ones who live long enough to get old mate, though it doesn’t always seem that way. Lucky for us too, to have a chance to say our goodbyes to them.
I'm fully aware of why. My point was that it's because people are living longer, but it does not mean they will be anymore able bodied, so whether contributions can afford it or not, the system in one way or another will still have to pay for it. Generally that will put yet more pressure on doctors, hospitals, so in a sense it's a false economy, because the latter two will cost way more than paying a pension for an individual. Copied from google; Each appointment costs an average of £30, putting the total cost to the NHS at more than £216million pounds on top of the disruption for staff and fellow patients that would pay for: The annual salary of 2,325 full time GPs. 224, 640 cataract operations. 58,320 hip replacement operations.2 Jan 2019. Some of those people may even have to claim statutory sick pay, or even be resigned to benefits if they can not continue to work to the later retirement age. Alternatively companies will pick up the sick pay through their own schemes, then they might well ask themselves why do I want to employ a 66, 67 or even 68 year old once the age rises again. Let alone I don't think it's right, that people that have worked all their life and paid full stamp, should be told, well hang on folks, we haven't got the money now, all you women have got to work an extra, 5, 6 or 7 years. Obviously likewise for mean, 1, 2 and 3 years. Yet we can manage to fund a £100Billion for projects such as HS2. I suppose all they can hope for is people fook off to Thailand like Ginge and don't put the pressure on our NHS.
Presumably somebody did those sums in the government and worked out the cost benefit of raising the retirement age. Not sure whether there is a correlation between working longer and greater health risk (more treatment required). In fact a study in 2016 suggested you decreased your chances of death by ~10% within a specified time period by staying 1 year longer in work although how it affected illness is unclear. I know my Dad's health went downhill much quicker after he retired. Having read the other threads on here today the obvious solution may be to put the pension age back to 65 but send Comm out in his car once a week to try and catch a few pensioners as well during his motorised dog cull.
As someone who was retired from work due to medical issues i can't say that i'm that bothered by the rise in state Retirement age i'm more interested in living that long
I see Johnson has ridden back on the £30k threshold being the level for the kind of immigrant that is supposedly worthy. That’ll please the “I’m alright with the skilled ones honest” brigade,
Oh, immigration won;t stop, just the European side of it, the rest will increase to replace the lost EU workers.
My newest addition was born in a hospital in Manchester last week, the majority of Midwives were clearly born in England and brilliant at their roles. The one who delivered her was a scouser funnily enough. The foreign staff I encountered (meaning clearly not born in the U.K.) were generally of some sort of African descent and thoroughly ****ing stupid for the most part.