Rise in information requests from council (From Daily Echo)

Its good to see an increase of private citizens searching for information, more that do it the better.

Good to se my taxes being wasted on massaging the ego's of professional malcontents like OAP's and those scroungers in the Taxpayers Alliance.

On the inside wrote:
Good to se my taxes being wasted on massaging the ego's of professional malcontents like OAP's and those scroungers in the Taxpayers Alliance.

Agreed. What the hell have OAP's got to moan about? Let's face it, they have the experience to deal with hard times. Many of them fought in WWII so that everyone is now able to make use of the Freedom of Information act, by securing our freedom. Those who did not fight probably worked in munitions factories, on farms to ensure we had food or sailed on unarmed merchant ships, bringing in food and materials.

After the war, these pensioners were the ones who helped rebuild the country - Southampton being an example of the damage sustained by enemy bombing. This was done at a time when food was still on ration and clothing coupons were needed if new clothes were needed - if they were available.

During the war there was no NHS, and so there was no visits to the doctors at the slightest ache or pain, nor were there regular dental check-ups.

So, with all that experience of having it tough, what have the OAP's got to moan about? They have seen it all before so know how to deal with shortages of cash, food and assistance.

No doubt when 'on the inside' is an OAP he/she will think how lucky they are.

Wrong, Linesman. To have any chance of fighting in WW11 you have to be almost 90. Most pensioners are not that old. The vast majority of pensioners have spent the post war years paying low taxes and continuing to vote for low taxes. Many were still in their 20's when they first voted for Thatcher. Paying under 7% NI to pay for the NHS and a pension never added up and they knew it. Some pensioners have a genuine case for pleading poverty, although even the poorest pensioner gets more than double what a Jobseeker gets. Equally, other pensioners have no qenuine gripe and certainly no justification for the many universal benefits that are paid to very wealthy pensioners thus reducing the amount available to the poorest. Proper and fair means testing of age related benefits would protect the deserving whilst preventing the obscenity of using my taxes to pay Prince Charles a Winter Fuel Allowance.

"The rest came from a combination of charities, students, lobby groups and political parties."

Do students not count as private citizens?!

On the inside wrote:
Wrong, Linesman. To have any chance of fighting in WW11 you have to be almost 90. Most pensioners are not that old. The vast majority of pensioners have spent the post war years paying low taxes and continuing to vote for low taxes. Many were still in their 20's when they first voted for Thatcher. Paying under 7% NI to pay for the NHS and a pension never added up and they knew it. Some pensioners have a genuine case for pleading poverty, although even the poorest pensioner gets more than double what a Jobseeker gets. Equally, other pensioners have no qenuine gripe and certainly no justification for the many universal benefits that are paid to very wealthy pensioners thus reducing the amount available to the poorest. Proper and fair means testing of age related benefits would protect the deserving whilst preventing the obscenity of using my taxes to pay Prince Charles a Winter Fuel Allowance.

You are right, so as they are at such an advanced age, they have no reason to bellyache. Compared to what they did in the war, they are now on easy street and have no grounds for complaint.

Those not young enough to fight have no complaint either. The fact that many of them lost a parent or parents in the conflict or as a result of bombing is just one of those things. A good many of them should consider themselves lucky that they were evacuated to places in the country where all was 'milk and honey' as many of the stories from that period would confirm.

Of course, school leaving age was then 14, with not a snowball's chance in hell of 'further education' unless you were from a priviledged family, so not much prospect of a career, unless you were extremely fortunate.

With war's end, it was these whingers that cleared the rubble and rebuilt the cities, and also took care of the casualties of war, returning to, what they were told was, 'a place fit for heroes.'

At that time there were precious few jobs that had a pension scheme, but they paid their taxes and that is why so many of them are now on hard times - but still, they have had hard times before, so they have the experience to be able to cope.

They belonged to a generation that believed we lived in a Caring Society.

Your comments indicate that they were wrong.