Middle England

From Cradle to Grave

by Clive Herrington

The story that follows is a depressing reflection on a state of affairs that exists all too frequently these days. It relates to two people whom I shall call of Mr and Mrs X. They are real people and this story is true. They were ordinary people much like you or I.

During the Second World War Mr X served his country as a soldier in Burma and India and on his return he and Mrs X. married and started a family. For the next few years they both worked hard to bring up a family, two children educated to a good standard and instilled with decent standards. They managed to buy their house and pay off the mortgage and in addition were able to save a small amount in private pensions. They listened to government advice and like many good citizens of the time they contributed their dues and demands to the economy of the country via taxes and national insurance contributions. It would be fair to say that Mr and Mrs X. were the epitome of the expression "middle England".

In 1945 the Labour Party was elected to government on the manifesto of the welfare state. One of the slogans was "we will look after you from cradle to grave". The party was elected and the welfare state was launched. Mr and Mrs X in common with the rest of the population believed what they were told by the politicians and looked forward to their retirement believing that no matter what happened they would be taken care of in their old age. They believed that their taxes and national insurance payments would entitle them to free health care and a pension. They believed in the welfare state

When Mr X died some years ago Mrs X. decided to sell the house which was too big for her to maintain on her own and move into a small flat in sheltered accommodation. The money she made from the sale was invested in a new flat and the balance placed in the bank. The interest, along with the income from her pensions helped defray some of the costs of living in sheltered accommodation and she continued to pay tax on her small private pension. She lived there for a number of years her savings gradually dwindling and her health slowly failing.

Recently, by now well into her 80s she made the decision that she needed to go into a Nursing Home. She has never been a burden on the state nor would expect to be and fully accepts that her flat must be sold her savings and her pensions used to fund the nursing home fees.

The injustice arises not only from the fact that (despite government promises and a lifetime contributions) she is now expected to sell everything, in order to be looked after to a reasonable standard in a nursing home, but that the Inland Revenue will still deduct tax from her pensions even though all the money is being used to pay nursing home fees. Tax which is helping to pay benefits for people who chose not to make provision for themselves.

You might argue that it's fortunate that she and her husband did decide to make some provision for themselves and that she should be thankful that she is not having to make a claim on the state. To some extent I might agree except for the fact that had they made no provision she would still be able to stay in the same nursing home, in the same room and have to pay nothing.

Had Mr and Mrs X. chosen to spend everything they ever earned and not to put anything by for their old age Mrs X. would have been taken care of by the State.

Had they been very rich she would have been able to comfortably afford to pay any nursing home fees. The situation that she finds herself in is unlikely to happen to the very rich, nor is it likely to happen to the very poor.

It is a situation that can only happen to the people of a so-called Middle England. These are the people who are the most heavily taxed and yet seem unable to claim any of the benefits of the welfare state. They are the people who contribute to everyone else's benefits and yet seem unable to claim anything for themselves.

The problem is the pool of people who pay is shrinking and the pool of people who claim is growing. Pretty soon there will not be enough left in the pot to go round so what will happen then?

And so here she is, paying her own nursing home fees, whilst paying income tax on a pension she will not see. Tax is creamed off by the government to contribute to the welfare of others who have not been so prudent. It begs the question why?

Why, despite a working lifetime of contributions and taxes from both her husband and herself is she expected to sell all their worldly goods to provide a reasonable amount of comfort and health care in her old age.

As a country we seem to have saddled ourselves with a nation of spongers and welfare cheats who seem to exist to work the system. People like Mr and Mrs X. are becoming increasingly rare.

Frankly, I can see no political party or politician with the courage to tell it how it is, let alone take the necessary steps to remedy the situation. All seem to be too interested in protecting their own positions to risk unpopularity by doing the right thing. Plenty are prepared to talk but none want to act. You have to look very hard these days to find a man of principle in any political party. Where are the politicians of the stature of Enoch Powell, Frank Field, Winston Churchill. Men who said what they thought and stood by it. Men who won't cut and run when the pressure builds up.

They say "cometh the hour, cometh the man". Well, I hope he comes soon otherwise we will all have gone down the pan.