Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Where do we draw the line on who 'deserves' support?
Ryan Cooper says Labour should look to cutting the state pension rather than disability benefits because many OAPs can afford to live without it (MetroTalk, Tue).
One might as well ask whether those who can afford to should pay to go to a private hospital rather than be a burden on the NHS. This sort of talk leads to a very slippery slope. Roger Smith, Witham
I saved for retirement – why should I be penalised?
I had a low-paid job and chose to pay into a company pension that would top up my state one, while some of my colleagues chose to opt out and spend the money rather than save for old age.
And now you think I should give up my state pension. Why? It was their choice.
Also what do disability benefits have to do with it? I’m pretty sure if we can find billions to help Ukraine, there’s money in the government pot. Jane Smith, Islington
Should the state pension go only to those who need it?
Ryan raises an important debate. The state pension should be means-tested so that, in addition to reducing the welfare bill, the money is targeted at those who really need it.
And to those who claim the state pension is a ‘right’ because they have paid national insurance all their lives – ‘insurance’ is the operative word here.
People could reflect on the fact that we pay house and contents insurance, motor insurance and holiday insurance most, if not all, of our working lives – but don’t expect anything back if we don’t need to claim.
The welfare state is there to protect those in our society who really need help through no fault of their own so that they can live fulfilling worry-free lives. Julian, London
Yes, I deserve my pension and I bet you’ll claim yours too
How dare Ryan suggest cutting the state pension? Whether we need it or not is of no concern to him.
When we were younger, we saved when and where we could, supposedly for a rainy day. Do our youngsters do this today? I think not.
I would suspect a huge chunk of money is thrown at people suffering from ‘mental health issues’, these apparently over-diagnosed by doctors.
Some of these people are teenagers capable of a day’s work. We pensioners who might have a bit put by are entitled to our pension, never mind whether we need it or not.
Yes, I certainly deserve my pension ahead of benefit claimants. It’s my guess many are disabled through lack of exercise. We have ‘earned’ our pensions so, Ryan Cooper, however old you are, be sensible about this.
I can bet you’ll be claiming yours when you are entitled to it. If you are of the age to receive it, have you declined it? Mary T, Halifax
Australia mean tests pensions – but it’s not that simple
Australia does have a means-tested state pension (actually a benefit paid to the less well off).
However this runs in tandem with a compulsory superannuation scheme, to which the employer is now obliged to contribute 12 per cent of salary. I imagine this, and the accompanying tax breaks on both the employer and employee contribution, mitigate the resentment from those feeling they are being punished for saving for their old age. Jonathan Bagley, Todmorden
Is society teaching kids to be bullies?
One in ten parents living in poverty say their children have been bullied as a result, according to a poll (Metro, Mon).
As much as financial struggles may affect children’s behaviour, I don’t think it’s the major factor.
We are living in a culture of bullying from top down. Bullying rulers, bullying managers, reality programmes endorsing bullying and giving guidelines on who and how to bully. Some examples include Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, The Apprentice and other competitive reality TV shows.
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TV dramas such as 13 Reasons Why and Adolescence give you an idea of what I mean. It’s not surprising it’s trickling down to the children. VSL, Secondary School Teacher, Inner London
The White House leak shows what America really thinks
The scandal of White House security advisor Mike Waltz leaking war plans to a journalist on a messaging service and which showed US leaders describing Europeans as ‘pathetic’ (Metro, Wed), gives a glimpse into the American psyche.
They are scared of liberalism as it destroys their power. Europe needs to hold to its values. Neil Dance, Birmingham
Solitary confinement? Tommy Robinson should count himself lucky
Tommy Robinson is challenging being held in prison isolation (Metro, Fri). He should think himself fortunate – the luxury of his own cell, separated from all the noise, arguments, stains and odours of shared cellular accommodation.
He should be grateful prison authorities are trying to keep him safe – they say a ‘lifer’ had threatened to kill him.
I’d prefer to serve a sentence in solitary, so long as I could obtain books, magazines and a radio and if kind-hearted prison officers were to bring in copies of Metro.
And as someone who hasn’t watched TV for 40 years, I’d regard it as some form of torture if I had to share a cell with a telly blaring away all day.
Not too bad perhaps if it were Talking Pictures TV, BBC and Sky Arts but I suspect they would not be available. Michael Zehse, London
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