Human righfs

Hi everyone,
These are very hard times and are only going to get harder. We know that we all have to make savings and sacrifices for the good of society. However I believe we are being taken for ride by the government, the media, the eco party and the greens. Surely we as citizens of the United Kingdom have basic human rights. We find ourselves having to eat or heat. We should be able to heat our houses, eat hot meals, wash our selves with hot water and use the washing machine. All of these things are what my wife and I, both in our seventies, have got to stop so as to try to get by this winter. My question to you all is this, how come prisoners get all of these things and if they were not allowed to get them smart solicitors would fight their case all through the courts.Yet no one fights for the poor disabled and pensioners with such zeal.

agree, also those on ltd income such as legacy benefits that are not means tested seem to lose out too. We all realise austerity really is here now, but somehow some are eligible for more.
I am cross that pensioners who also may have a very small private pension lose out as they can be just a penny over the threshold but miss out on tax credits etc which is a gateway to extra money.
I think a tapering effect would be better not just for pensioners but for others too, rather than a cut off amount or because you have, a b or c.
We are paying for those who have solar, heat pumps etc , who are rich and should not get all that extra money, the cashback agreed many moons ago should be abolished, it is time it was stopped and maybe utility bills again looked at properly as it seems as you say we are well and truly being taken for a ride.

Hi,
Before I write what I`m going to write, I`m not in a privileged position and I, too, am dreading the coming months (even more so because I provide for my ex-wife).
"Taken for a ride". I`m sorry, but I have to disagree.
Being taken for a ride is a deliberate action by someone against somebody else; with the exception of one or two disgusting profiteers, I doubt that anybody is purposely making everything more expensive. There may be a lack of action from immoral organisations like BP (immoral because of their bumper profits but not reducing the cost of their product), but it`s not the same.
I have solar panels and, I can assure you, I am anything but rich; because of this, according to pusscatsmum, I should receive no help. Why not? My solar panels generate very little in the 6 months of winter and I still have to use gas for heating; this is when the changes to the gas & electricity price cap will be felt.
I agree with your comment on 1p over the limit (pusscatsmum), but a line has to be drawn; unfortunately there will always be someone "1p over the limit". Even with a tapering approach, there will still be someone "1p over the limit".
Prisoners and their "perks" have always been, and always will be, a bone of contention (Mike1950). This will never change because, as you say, there will always be a smart solicitor there to fight their side.
The only "good" (probably not the right word to use) thing to the current rate of inflation is that CPI linked pensions "should" go up by the rate of inflation in September. Unfortunately that won`t be applied until April next year; that is if the government doesn`t find an excuse to avoid applying it.
Pusscatsmum - I`m confused with the cashback you mention.
Andy

Cashback meaning , those who received the solar panels when they were free, or reduced to be fitted, received money for the solar they produced sold back to the utilities. We have been repeatedly informed that is part of what we all pay to our utility companies.
Taken for a ride, meaning the overwhelming tax etc paid to the govt and all the utility companies, oil etc.
Looking at the problem in all its facets I think we are being taken for a ride, we are paying for the war/covid etc etc and the lower end of the income bracket pays the highest price.
The govt failed to look at what was occurring and the costs one and all must pay and is extremely difficult for many and will impinge on normal life in the continuation of these utility increases. It will be very hard for those on low incomes to pay the increases due.
I fear for those very disabled who are on low incomes along with families and the elderly who are to proud to ask for help or are denied assistance. Fuel poverty is fundamentally in itself immoral.
No one seems to be out there looking to see what can be done to assist those on low and fixed incomes and with the winter coming , the use of food banks will increase and far too many will live in freezing and damp conditions.
Most on fixed utility bills prior to the increase were paying £80 on average per month, it rose to an average of £190 a month and is due to rise to £270 a month in October and again in January to £380 and who knows afterwards. This cannot be paid by so many, no doubt either yourself or by myself and countless others.
I tried to word my 2 replies without anger or on any one side or another, just purely explaining that life is becoming more unbearable for so many.

Dear Mike1950, through some checking out [anyone can read 'Inside Time' newspaper online free] and other trusted info, I can tell you that in many prisons while a hot meal is provided, this is only once a day and is not always very hot plus cooling off by the time it is carried back to the cell [maybe up several flights of stairs] to the cell to be eaten. This is often before 12 noon and may be the only hot food every 24 hours as sandwiches or something like a cold pastie for the evening 'meal' plus a cold breakfast 'kit' are all issued in a plastic bag at the same time. There is no access to a fridge in general, so the milk kept in the cell may be borderline by next morning. Anything such as a cup soup to feel warm in the evening must be paid for by prisoners themselves at corner-shop-high prices. Many prisoners willing to work to earn money for such 'extras' are not able to access a job as there are not enough jobs. Even access to chapel services is often stopped due to the total crisis in staffing.
Access to showers is far from every day in most prisons, and often there is a choice between having a shower OR going outside for fresh air. And most prisons are not heated to a very comfortable temperature in winter.
All this is whatever some sections of the press might say to work up rage against those who are unable to tell the truth or defend themselves from lies while serving their sentence.