[sabrina]

Having worked since I was 13, ( part time job before and after school ) my pension age is now to be 61 years and 9 months. Longer wait if you were born in 1954. when my children were growing up I took jobs that meant I was home when they were or they had there father. I have never had unemployment in my life. My health is not all that great but better than some. As the government keeps moving the finishing line I have decided that what they really want is us all to die and never get any pension. what do others think .

[doganjo]

To be honest I think that has always been the aim.  I am going to do my best to get the most pension out of them as I can since both my dear husbands died before they got to retirement age.

[RUSTYME]

this is the year that people will actually realize that the government really are totally corrupt .
They are pulling the welfare state apart in fact ending it , although the people will still actually continue to pay for it in ever increasing taxes.
 David Cameron is an upper class twat and a complete crook , as are most of his government . He is installing his big society making out that he is doing the country a favour , he isn't . He is ending many social benefits that we all pay for in taxes , making the people who carry out these benefits to society unemployed , and then telling the people of this country to do the work for nothing instead ... a total rip off a complete con .
They have talked about selling off the state pension side of the welfare state  , but they may just end it instead .  
 Every single cut back that the government are making , only affect the poorer people in the country , the people that need what is provided.  The government are all  extremely wealthy people and not one will be affected by a single cut back . In fact they actually benefit by them .
 The whole government needs pulling down , removing , they are corrupt . It isn't just the one in power now ... they are all the same . The people running the country are the big companies , and any government is just the corporations puppet ... they are ALL corrupt .
 As for pensions , grab what you can when you can .. but basically , look after yourself ...they won't !!!!
George Osborne an inexperienced buffoon leading us to civil unrest?
just look at the clip above .. that twat is Chancellor of the Exchequer ....and look at who his bum chums at Oxford were !!!
 I think what is going on in Egypt, is long overdue here now . We need to remove all of these corrupt arsholes from our government , end this elite dictatorship we are stuck with , and get real people to run the country . Sorry for the rant !!!

cheers

Rustyme

[doganjo]

this is the year that people will actually realize that the government really are totally corrupt .  Sorry for the rant !!!

cheers

Rustyme

No you're not    Keep on ranting Russ!  We listen!

[Bright Raven]

I did one of my teaching practice placements at St Paul's Boy's school in Barnes. It was a real eye opener. I followed that by going to Featherstone High School in Southall in West London one of the most deprived mixed race schools at the time.
Every day I went to SPB's I was treated like a dirty skett by the pupils and despite having every right to be there as a teacher I was lampooned and treated as though my place was to lick the high s**t off there shoes.
The only highlight of that experience was when Andy McNabb came to talk during one of the afternoon activity slots in the Atrium and he fended off some really stupid questions with blunt realism that caused a wave of disgust to get right up some very arrogant and ignorant noses.

I have worked in almost every type of educational establishment in my time,  I get very vexed about the endless mill of government change for ill thought out change's sake. The Right Hon Michael Gove would like schools to return to Blazers and ties and two year A level's and an end to critical thinking in favor of dates and learning by rote. I could spit lacework in steel. Bottom line - cuts in public services, cuts in front line services, cuts on the wrists of children I work with and a lack of funding to deal with it. Mental health issues in our communities will grow as people get into debt and more vaccine damaged young people flood into society.
As long as the old boy network functions the next generation of overprotected twerps will be in place to carry on in government.

The finishing line is there to finish us off. I truly hope that this is the year people see through the sham of democracy but I suspect that the control of the media is so tight that the age of endarkenment will continue.

Sorry to rant on with my stygian wings a flapping in your faces.

[RUSTYME]

I lived not far from Southall ... I grew up in Ruislip , but I actually worked sometimes in Southall, at one time in Dormers Wells school ..small world eh ?

cheers

Rustyme

[Sandy]

Old boy networke? I can see only the rich will get richer for the next few years, what a future for the young and as I said on another post, a lot of us will end up loosing are smallholder life unless we live in a remote part with few over heads!! poaching, thieving and crime are the only ways forward unless you are from the old boy network!

[Bright Raven]

Gosh Russ! We are from the same manor! I taught at Bishops Ramsay School in Ruslip for a bit and my mum went to school at Dormers Wells. I was born in Hayes and lived in that bit of London until my mid twenty's. If you ever taught at Mellow Lane Comp in the 80's I could have been your pupil!!! Blimey you might even have been my dealer!!!!!

[doganjo]

Blimey you might even have been my dealer!!!!!

[RUSTYME]

 I really think that things are going to go to pot in a very bad way soon .  The affects of the cut backs are only really just starting to kick in . But petrol is set to hit £8 a gallon later this year , and I have heard talk of £10 maybe even £15 a gallon not that far away , plus the government have already had talks about rationing fuel , but they say they are not going to do it, of course ... thats why they are talking about doing it !!! wtf ?
Once fuel goes up to that sort of price , everything else follows up very fast , food, travel, clothing ...everything . Some very iffy times are literally just around the corner . Fewer jobs , less money , higher bills , less services , higher taxes = recipe for total disaster .
 Just on the rise in cost of food alone , makes it almost essential to grow your own now , if you can . The £5 a loaf of bread isn't THAT far away . Anyone with land I urge you , grow veg and start saving seed . For years people have almost laughed in my face when I have spoken of this situation coming at us like a runaway train , now some of the ones who did actually laugh at me , are now growing their own , as they have lost their jobs and are finding it almost impossible to get by ....and this is just the start .
Thieving and crime IS the old boys network ... they steal from us to make them wealthy .
 
Still , even with 20% vat , rope is still cheap , and there are a lot of lamp posts around Westminster  
  

cheers

Rustyme

[RUSTYME]

blimey it really is a small world .. Wasn't Bishops Ramsey originally called Ruislip Manor school ? that's where I went ... Warrender way , the old building, then on to the new building from the 4th year on . The new building was next to Highgrove swimming pool , which I think may have gone now ? I left about '73 when I was 16
 Anyway , I didn't teach at Dormers Wells , I worked their repairing windows and doors etc, general maintenance ,  and also fitted out the language room with state of the art headphones ..lol.
I worked there on and off for about 3 years I think , my dad had a building firm and had the contract to repair the place .
 I think I remember working at Mellow lane too , but again it was in the early '70's . We did a lot of work in many local schools about that time , Hayes , Harrow , Ealing , Southall , Greenford , Northolt , in fact it was right next to Northolt airport I grew up , although Northolt airport was in Ruislip really . Ruislip Gardens was the estate right next to the airport , my 2 allotments were about 100 yards from the airport perimeter .
 I have lived in Wales since I was 20, '77 onwards.
 
cheers

Rustyme

[tuggers1956]

Rustyme
We could all rant on about something we see as wrong, no matter which party are in power.
We have the coalition in power now because the general feelings of those that made the effort to vote, was that of distrust for all but mainly the Labour Party.
I don’t believe Cameron and Glegg are corrupt, both have enough money to live comfortably without the need of a minister's wages, but are determined to try and turn the country around.
They took over the country when it was both financially and morally corrupt!
Looking after the “fat cats” is not a new issue. Under Labour we had:
Bank Bonuses in excess!
Civil servant pay and severance deals that make your blood boil.
Politicians on the take.
Public sector non-jobs to massage the unemployment figures.
The list goes on.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with you, the country needs a “revolution”.
It will be unpalatable to many and politically incorrect, but:
We need to stem immigration of those who see Britain as a “Cash cow”.
We need to reduce the burden of population expansion.
We need to stop all public sector pension and severance payouts.
Get all public sector employees doing a proper job for a proper wage.
Stop immediately this farcical “Bonus culture”.
Get the youngsters off the dole and into apprenticeships.

We need another “Oliver Cromwell”

[doganjo]

Rustyme
We could all rant on about something we see as wrong, no matter which party are in power.
We have the coalition in power now because the general feelings of those that made the effort to vote, was that of distrust for all but mainly the Labour Party.
I don’t believe Cameron and Glegg are corrupt, both have enough money to live comfortably without the need of a minister's wages, but are determined to try and turn the country around.
They took over the country when it was both financially and morally corrupt!
Looking after the “fat cats” is not a new issue. Under Labour we had:
Bank Bonuses in excess!
Civil servant pay and severance deals that make your blood boil.
Politicians on the take.
Public sector non-jobs to massage the unemployment figures.
The list goes on.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with you, the country needs a “revolution”.
It will be unpalatable to many and politically incorrect, but:
We need to stem immigration of those who see Britain as a “Cash cow”.
We need to reduce the burden of population expansion.
We need to stop all public sector pension and severance payouts.
Get all public sector employees doing a proper job for a proper wage.
Stop immediately this farcical “Bonus culture”.
Get the youngsters off the dole and into apprenticeships.

We need another “Oliver Cromwell”

Not sure about bringing OC back but at last a sensible approach tot eh situation with constructive comments.  Thank you, tuggers, a good first post, I hope you will introduce yourself - welcome to the forum 

[Hilarysmum]

Re pensions (sorry hope this is ok to say)  I retired last year, having worked part time from age 15 to put myself through 5th year (an option in those days) and then to put myself through college.  I had some years off for child raising but have worked full time since youngest was 5.

I paid full stamp for most of those years.  My pension when it finally came was £32.00 per year.  Apparently they have no record of most of my working life.  So far one year of fighting with little response from pensions or tax office, and counting.  If I was French I would have retired at 60 regardless of sex, on a damn good liveable pension and lots of aid from the community - free wood, reduced rates, various help with bills when needed.

God it was good to get that off my chest.  Thanks.

[ellied]

Having been born in 1965 I expect I'll have to wait til I'm 100 before I get a state pension and it'll only be a pittance anyway compared to prices   The way they keep extending I won't hold my breath put it that way

My take on it is that most of the folk that try and govern inherit a bad situation and do the best they can with it, but usually end up worse rather than better   The mindset is all wrong and tho "welfare state" was a good idea in its day to pay for the poorest in society, it's now become so bureaucratic and bizarre a system that some learn to manipulate it to earn more than a minister of state, while others never manage to get enough to pay their bills and continue to live well below the poverty line.

I'm not sure about Oliver Cromwell, but I do think the system needs a revolutionary review that takes on not just benefits and taxation, pensions and salaries/bonuses, but environment, ethics the lot   And because it's too hard, nobody will do it because so many are making a decent living (or millions) off things the way they are

Self sufficiency is an ideal most of us will never reach, but really needing less and making more of what we need ourselves or bartering to share skills, is what I aspire to.  If I don't "need" what the media and society tell me I need, then I don't need as much money to buy it and I will have enough for far longer.  And at the end of the day if I live to get a pension I'll have probably had a lot more enjoyable life than I did when commuting to an office   And if not then, well, every moment will just have to count a bit more won't it