DOES Gordon Brown have no shame? Prudent pensioners, who have worked hard and saved all their lives, are among those paying the highest price for his decade of profligacy, and he won't do anything meaningful to help them.
Last week Sir John Major proposed that the first £5,000 of savings income each year should be exempt from tax.
This proposal, called Justice for Pensioners, is deliberately aimed at protecting those who have prudently made provision for their reti
rement through saving and who have been particularly hard hit by our record low interest rates.
The proposal has been met with broad support from all but the Government.
Quite apart from being the decent thing to do, it would also be the right thing to do.
Part of the reason we are in Gordon's mess is because he encouraged debt, not saving.
We will need to save more in the future and it's not just pensioners; we should be encouraging our youngsters to save, too, and penalising savers now will do nothing to encourage this.
To answer my own question then, Gordon clearly has no shame.
Having presided over the train wreck that is now our economy for 10 years as Chancellor, and the last year as PM, he will do anything to stay in power, including penalising the prudent to protect the profligate.
Please support the Justice for Pensioners Campaign. Log on to www.justiceforpensioners.com.
Karen Allen,
The Kingsway,
South Shields.
* Published: Tuesday, 30 December 2008.