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Thursday 27 January 2011

Reorganise local government? - response from Eric Pickles

From: fred turton [mailto:brain37@live.co.uk]
Sent: 11 October 2011 09:10
To: dave
Subject: RE: Letters

I got a reply from Eric Pickles or from his department, who said that there are no immediate plans to reorganise local government. The way the economy is going I have a feeling that they may come back to my suggestion as they are desperate for money. The cut backs we are getting and the general attitude is identical to the Thatcher period. I have the book 'Dancing with Dogma' by Ian Gilmour who was in Thatcher's Cabinet and reading it is like reading today's newspapers. During her time we had that magnificent bonanza of North Sea oil and gas, which was wasted on the unemployed, unlike Norway who invested theirs in their infrastructure. At the time I was studying Industrial Relations at a high level and could see through their arguments.

I wrote to Duncan Smith about the State Pension. I also wrote to a previous minister a good few years ago on the some subject. They keep telling us that they cannot to pay pensions at the same rate. I said that everyone who pays NHS contributions is entitled to a pension. I asked the questions, how many people die before pensionable age, a year after or by the age of 70 years? I was told that a third of women and two thirds of men die before this age. How many women actually draw a full pension? I said instead of talking about the cost they are in fact saving £millions. As it is we have the worst State Pension in Europe with the next lowest being Holland where the pension is twice as much as ours. I said that its not a case of can't afford it but more that they don't want to afford it. Unless people die everyone is affected. I am still waiting for a reply.

Fred
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