Mike Priestley: Who's Counting?

The chorus of voices protesting about the folly and sheer wrongness of writing off all that experience grows ever louder.

This week's major contribution came yesterday from the Carnegie UK Trust, which called on the Government to do more to get older people back to work and end age discrimination.

Richard Worsley, director of the Carnegie Third Age Programme, said the Government should give a "very clear and inequivocal pledge" to introduce legislation in the next Parliament against age discrimination, and called on the other major parties to make the same pledge.

He said: "With early retirement now estimated to be costing the country £16 billion a year, we believe this will help to get many of the 2.8 million people aged between 50 and retirement age back into work and contributing constructively to society, harnessing untapped skill and experience."

It's a good move to quote that figure of 2.8 million. That means 2.8 million votes to be won or lost. It should give the political parties some pause for thought. And it ought to remind middle-aged people of just how much clout they have, and give them the confidence to use it to their advantage.

Here are a few statistics which have been worked out by the Carnegie people. I'll have to take their word for it, because I'm something of a duffer when it comes to statistics and economics. That's nothing to do with advancing years. I was a young duffer, too, in such matters.

They say that if men aged over 50 were now employed at the same level as 20 years ago, there would be another 600,000 people in work. And if women aged over 50 were getting the same job opportunities as their younger sisters, there would be jobs for another 200,000 of them.

And then they add: "If employment patterns for the over-50s were the same as 20 years ago, Britain's economy would be ten per cent larger - creating more national wealth to improve health, education, transport and other public services."

Which sounds reasonable enough to me. Let's hope it sounds reasonable enough to the politicians, too, and that the parties start competing against each other with anti-ageism packages to offer the "grey power" voters.

The over-50s aren't calling for positive discrimination. All they want is to be able to compete for jobs on equal terms with younger people instead of having their application form dropped into the bin on account of the number they've put in the little box marked "AGE".

Meanwhile, the TUC has published a new leaflet, sponsored by the Department for Education and Employment, explaining the New Deal 50-plus scheme - a package of advice, grants, training opportunities and tax credits.

The scheme is open to anyone over 50 who has been out of work and claiming benefit for at least six months. And it's voluntary, so those who decide not to sign up to it won't lose their benefits.

For free leaflet, ring 0870 600 4882 (lines are open between 8am and 10pm every day, with calls charged at the national rate).

*Any perk to look forward as the years roll by is to be welcomed. It's nice to know that in a few more years not only will I be able to travel on buses and trains for a token fare, and buy cheap tickets at the cinema, but I'll also be able to visit Britain's national museums and galleries free of charge under a scheme announced the other day for the over-60s by Culture Secretary Chris Smith.

Such little treats are not to be sniffed at - but sniff we must. I suspect that, if asked, most over-60s would say they'd prefer a decent level of State pension and better community care if or when they become infirm to free entry to the York Railway Museum.

I Don't Believe It!

The world's full of people trying to undermine the constructive efforts of others, isn't it? Jack Mawson has been a victim of them recently.

"One of the things retired people are encouraged to do is to take up hobbies and activities, not sit and vegetate," he writes in a letter to the Editor of the T&A which has been passed on to me. "One of these hobbies is painting and drawing pictures.

"I am a member of the 'Anchorage Over-50s Art Group' and we derive a great deal of pleasure from expressing ourselves, from trying to create original works of art.

"From time to time we exhibit at Shipley Library and now and then manage to sell an 'art work'. This boosts our ego and also enables us to pay for art materials, which are by no means cheap. However, this is about to come to an end.

"Some miserable thief has made several raids on our current exhibition, stealing a dozen of our pictures. To insure them would be too expensive for many of us, and we just cannot go on giving time, money, effort and, yes, not a little love into an activity that merely feeds some drug addict's craving.

"It does seem that, in this proud new millennium, people like us are not to be allowed to continue a pastime that hurts no-one and perhaps inspires some.

"I wonder how this squares with all the talk about Bradford becoming a centre of culture?"

A good point, Jack. You shouldn't have to hire security guards to protect the work of amateur artists, should you?

Cyril Quinn (63) and his wife Dorothy (60) have been robbed as well - but officially, by the rules of the DSS. Cyril hasn't been able to work for the past 15 years because of serious heart problems, and Dorothy was advised to give up her job to look after him.

She's been receiving an Invalid Care Allowance of £39 a week - little enough, you might think, given the amount it would have cost if she hadn't been able to do it and the State had had to provide care instead.

However, the time came for Dorothy to start receiving the £32-a-week pension she's earned over the years so they thought things would improve.

Not so. The Invalid Care Allowance book was called in and sent back amended - to £7 a week, the difference between the previous allowance and Dorothy's pension.

"Someone has advised me to get our daughter to care for me instead, so that we could get the full £39 and my wife could still have her full pension," says Cyril. However, that isn't a practical option.

The Quinns are yet another example of how this country gets its care on the cheap by exploiting those who show themselves willing to look after their loved ones.

If you have a gripe about anything, drop a line to me, Hector Mildew, c/o Newsroom, T&A, Hall Ings, Bradford BD1 1JR, email me or leave any messages for me with Mike Priestley on (44) 0 1274 729511. If you've already sent in a grumble and it hasn't appeared yet, don't worry - it will do.

Yours Expectantly,

Hector Mildew

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