Cameron promises to protect pensioners’ benefits. Do you believe him?

He's dreaming of all the cash he'll take away from the old, after he has hoodwinked them into voting for him again.

He’s dreaming of all the cash he’ll take away from the old, after he has hoodwinked them into voting for him again.

Why should you believe a word David Cameron says?

He has repeated a pledge not to introduce means testing for benefits such as bus passes, TV licences and the winter fuel allowance, if elected (not re-elected; he didn’t get enough support for that in 2010) in May.

This is the man who “looked down the barrel of a camera” (as he describes it) in 2010, promised to protect the NHS, and to tell any cabinet minister proposing cuts to frontline services that they should go away and think again.

He is denying the state pension to increasing numbers of people with a staged plan to raise the pensionable age. Members of Parliament, meanwhile, will receive transitional protection as the pensionable age rises – meaning they won’t miss out. Members of the public fund 60 per cent of Parliamentarians’ pensions.

Firefighters could lose their pensions altogether because of his plan to raise their pensionable age. Iif they don’t serve their full term, they won’t get the pension – but they can be ruled out of service if they fail the fitness tests (and older firefighters are more likely to fail).

What good is the promise to protect pensioners’ benefits if they have to learn how to use the Internet in order to get them? Remember, Francis Maude has proposed this extra hurdle for senior citizens and you won’t see Call-Me-Dave speaking against it.

He has already ended protections for those who receive Pension Credit. From April, 2016, the ‘assessed income period’ system will be abolished and pensioners will be exposed to the same draconian system of monitoring and case reviews as the disabled and jobseekers.

And we have to ask ourselves how safe pensioners’ free bus passes, TV licences and winter fuel allowance really are. Iain Duncan Smith announced more than a year ago that he was considering removing benefits that are exclusively for pensioners, in order to strengthen his benefits cap – and we know that David Cameron can’t stand up to Iain Duncan Smith.

So, do we believe him when he promises now that he will protect pensioners’ benefits in the future?

Not likely!

Afterword: A commenter on Facebook has just pointed out that pensioners will also be subject to the Bedroom Tax under a future Cameron government – yet another backdoor way of penalising people who worked hard all their lives and deserve better in retirement.

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23 Comments

  1. M de Mowbray February 23, 2015 at 12:08 pm - Reply

    David Cameron is the man who, at the time of major flooding, promised that “Money is no object” in preventing similar disasters, then months later cut the budget for flood defences.

  2. Jeffery Davies February 23, 2015 at 12:15 pm - Reply

    Just like all his promises to be deleted

  3. NMac February 23, 2015 at 12:16 pm - Reply

    I just cannot believe that anyone will believe these dishonest and corrupt snake-oil salesmen again.

  4. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) February 23, 2015 at 12:17 pm - Reply

    No No No No No No No No! I would certainly trust him to look after millionaires like himself but not for ordinary decent working folk. Time for change and it can’t come quickly enough.

  5. itsalllies994 February 23, 2015 at 12:17 pm - Reply

    With the real rate of inflation running at around 5%, pensions have technically been cut anyway. As long as pensioners serve their purpose for core votes, I think he’ll continue to appease them.

  6. creatorsnotconsumers February 23, 2015 at 12:19 pm - Reply

    Well said that man.

  7. thelovelywibblywobblyoldlady February 23, 2015 at 12:40 pm - Reply

    Yes the tories have gone after the single mothers, the unemployed, the disabled, the ill, the vulnerable and now it’s time for those pesky old age pensioners … how dare they live so long … but not if camoron has his way. VOTE HIM OUT NOW!

  8. Tony Dean February 23, 2015 at 12:48 pm - Reply

    Cameron could Limbo Dance under a snake.

  9. annak53 February 23, 2015 at 12:57 pm - Reply

    Hear, hear Mike. Does he really think anyone believes a word he says?

    You were right re the state pensionable age – he lied about that too – “We will phase out the default retirement age and hold a review to set the date at which the state pension age starts to rise to 66, although it will not be sooner than 2016 for men and 2020 for women. We will end the rules requiring compulsory annuitisation at 75”. Yet within months the ConDems accelerated the rise to the SPA.

    My petition, that you have kindly raised an awareness of on many occasions, is currently at 44,474. Over 3,000 people have signed it over the weekend. It seems people are waking up to the hypocrisy and lies of this unelected government.

    http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/statepensionlaw

  10. Colin Glazebrook (@Boromoor) February 23, 2015 at 1:06 pm - Reply

    Do I believe the leader of the most dishonest bunch of over privileged, self centered, crooked lowlife scumbags this country has seen in the last 50 years? Guess

  11. jaynel62 February 23, 2015 at 1:11 pm - Reply

    So agree particularly as Harper on Radio 4 today stated “We can’t tell people how to spend their money?!! Tories Only tell you what to Spend if you’re Poor https://jaynelinney.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/tories-will-only-tell-you-what-do-spend-if-youre-poor/ … #Harper Vs #Ids #ToryHypocrisy

    • hugosmum70 February 24, 2015 at 6:25 pm - Reply

      IS it ALL Tory hypocrisy? or is it just the few .mostly at the top. still think IDS has got something on Cameron. anyone else would have been moved or sacked altogether by now.

  12. A6er February 23, 2015 at 1:14 pm - Reply

    If pensioners have been taking notice of Cameron’s broken promises these past 5 years then surely they won’t fall for his blatant bulls**t.
    If they do decide they can trust him and actually vote Tory in the upcoming election, then unfortunately they will reap what they have sown.
    Then we will have yet another vulnerable group added to those that have suffered the most throughout this unelected Tory-led coalition.
    I really dread to think how much worse it’s going to be if the Tories get back into power, be it by default or mandated by the fools that vote for them!

  13. Bookmanwales February 23, 2015 at 1:26 pm - Reply

    It would seem this man is suffering premature senility. One of the symptoms of which is forgetfulness.
    Over the last 5 years he (or some member of his cabinet) has repeatedly stated that pensioners benefits are unsustainable and that they should bear some of the “austerity” inflicted on the rest of us.
    We can only hope that pensioners, being the ones most likely to listen to radio, read newspapers and watch the news, have heard and remembered all these “ideas” to cut pensioners benefits.
    We can only hope these pensioners see through his lies and remember the increases in pension age, and the tory plans to force them to do community work to justify their pensions.

    • Mike Sivier February 23, 2015 at 1:34 pm - Reply

      We can also share this article, anywhere pensioners can see it (if they’re on the Internet).

    • hugosmum70 February 24, 2015 at 6:30 pm - Reply

      like to see em try to make me do community work/ Ive just tidied and dusted 3 short shelves on my bedroom chimney breast and top of my dressing table and since starting to read through the comments on this, must have dropped asleep 4 times so far. not because its boring (its not) but simply…i am shattered.

  14. casalealex February 23, 2015 at 1:28 pm - Reply

    Some of Cameron’s promises before the last election:

    “No frontline cuts”
    NHS nurses, hospital beds, a third of ambulance stations, firefighters and frontline police officers – all cut. CAMERON LIED.

    “no top-down NHS reorganisations”
    At 2.10pm on the afternoon of Tuesday, 27th March 2012…. The Health and Social Care Bill repealing the legal foundations of the NHS in England was given royal assent and became law. CAMERON LIED

    Tories said: “no VAT rise”. VAT increased. CAMERON LIED

    Cameron on Education Maintenance Allowances: “we don’t have any plans to get rid of them.” Nine months later, Coalition announced abolition of EMA. CAMERON LIED

    Cameron on Sure Start:
    The day before the general election, Cameron pledged to protect Sure Start, “Yes, we back Sure Start.” Since then, 566 of the centres have been closed, with over half of those still open no longer providing any onsite childcare.  CAMERON LIED

    “Cameron on child benefit: “I wouldn’t means-test it – “read my lips” pledge: “I’m not going to flannel you, I’m going to give it to you straight. I like the child benefit, I wouldn’t change child benefit, I wouldn’t means-test it, I don’t think that is a good idea.” The coalition went on to abolish the benefit for higher earners in the Spending Review and froze it for three years. CAMERON LIED.

    On the Future Jobs Fund: “no plans to change”
    March 2010, Cameron praised Future Jobs Fund as a “good scheme” May 2010, the coalition announced its abolition (only for a subsequent DWP study to show that it had been an unambiguous success, with a net benefit to the economy of £7,750 per participant). It was replaced with the ineffective Work Programme, later found to be “worse than doing nothing”.  CAMERON LIED.

    Cameron said on transparency in 2007
    “It’s clear to me that political leaders will have to learn to let go. Let go of the information that we’ve guarded so jealously.” CAMERON LIED.

    Cameron suffers from mendacious Pinnochioitis watch his nose lengthen with the LIES coming out in the next couple of months. The above post is just the beginning.

  15. casalealex February 23, 2015 at 1:37 pm - Reply

    http://grahamemorrismp.co.uk/?p=4031

    • January 2, 2015
    • Author: Grahame Morris
    New figures show over 1000 pensioners in East Durham hit by 87p state pension rise

  16. jaypot2012 February 23, 2015 at 5:40 pm - Reply

    I wouldn’t trust Cameron to feed my cat – he spews lies like old chimney factories once spewed smoke!
    No pensioner is safe and I’ve lost out as I would have become a pensioner in 4 years time but can’t get a pension at the age of 60 now!

  17. lesmorgan59l February 23, 2015 at 6:05 pm - Reply

    After working & contributing for 45/50 years a decent pension would be better than having to claim benefits! don`t you think Cameron? you sanctimonious #ToryToff

  18. paulmac49 February 23, 2015 at 6:59 pm - Reply

    NO, and as I’ve said before he will be sending pensioners for medicals just to keep their DLA.

  19. Robert J Eccles. February 23, 2015 at 10:31 pm - Reply

    Tory scumbags have already raised age for heating allowance from 60 to 61 in 2013,then from 61 to 62 in 2014 . I missed out by 1 week ,some by less without any notification whatsoever. Age for bus pass raised to 64 already without notification. What next ?

  20. Mr.Angry February 24, 2015 at 7:34 pm - Reply

    He wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him on the ass, two faced lying tory toff. Arrogant jumped up rat.

    There that feels better now just eaten a snicker.

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