Britain is not quite the worst country in Europe for old men, but only just....

A report, at the end of last year, in the 'Daily Mail' was entitled :

No place to grow old: Britain ranks among Europe's worst countries for ageism

It was based on the 'European Social Survey' carried out across 28 countries and involving 55,000 people, it made the following points, that in Britain :

* 36% think old men and women over 70 are a 'burden on health services' and 41% thought that they 'contributed little to the economy'.

* 40% say they have been shown a lack of respect, ignored or patronised because of their age and only in Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are the figures worse.

* more than 50% do not have a single 'friend' over the age of 70 whereas 66% of people in Portugal, Switzerland and Germany have one or more.

* 64% thought age discrimination is a 'very serious or quite serious problem' and only in France, where the figure is 68%, did more people express concern.

In addition, Britons thought old age started at 59, whereas in Greece they thought it started at around 68 and youth ends at 35 and 52 in Greece.

The most apposite response provoked by this article was from a reader in Nottingham who said :

'No place to grow old - not much of a place to be young either, or middle-aged if you're working. No place to be ill, no place to feel safe out of the house and sometimes not even in it. No place to voice your concerns (unless they're PC ones and you're on the 'right' side, no place to exercise choice over how/among whom you live, what you eat and drink, no access to justice, and in many cases no justice - what has happened to this country?'

What a good question.

LIST OF COUNTRIES IN EUROPE WITH THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THEY HAD BEEN SHOWN A LACK OF RESEPCT BECAUSE OF THEIR AGE. FROM PORTUGAL WITH THE LEAST, TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC WITH THE MOST :

Portugal
Cyprus
Denmark
Netherlands
Croatia
Latvia
Spain
Poland
Norway
Slovenia
Switzerland
Turkey
Estonia
Sweden
Belgium
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Finland
France
Bulgaria
BRITAIN
Ukraine
Roumania
Russia
Slovakia
Czech Republic

Britain says "Happy Birthday" to an old film director with London working class roots called Alan Parker

Alan Parker, film director in British and American cinema, is 68 today.

What you possible didn't know about Alan, that he :

* was born into a working class family in Islington, North London, the son of Elsie, a dressmaker and William, a house painter.


* left school in 1962 and worked as a copywriter for advertising agencies and in the 70's and directed the award winning Cinzano Vermouth advertisements with Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirMZGL-0mQ

* in 1970, saw his screenplay for a schoolboy romance, 'S.W.A.L.K. ('sealed with a loving kiss'), produced by David Puttnam and released as 'Melody' : a tale of Mark Lester, a shy boy who meets and makes friends with Jack Wild and falls out when Jack falls in love with Tracy Hyde,'Melody'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb7QKVbxKZI















* had success with the tv play, 'The Evacuees' in 1975, about the experiences of two Jewish boys evacuated from London during the Blitz, winning the BAFTA television award for Best Director.

* found the transition to feature films difficult and failed to attract financing for screenplays he described as "about things that were very close to me... very English, very London, very angry working class" but which were considered 'too parochial'.

* as a purely pragmatic exercise, wrote 'Bugsy Malone' in 1976, a children's musical set in 1920's Chicago, as a pastiche of the conventions of the American gangster movie, which although chosen with the aim of attracting American finance, was mainly funded by the National Film Finance Corporation and Rank.

* collaborated in 1979 with Puttmam in a Heineken Beer tv commercial, ground breaking in its cast of a hundred and use of an elaborate film set.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g--qAt5Ibc








* in 1982 directed 'Pink Floyd: The Wall', which received critical approval and a big audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAyRps-SQ3U

* saw his 1991, 'The Commitments', an adaption of Roddy Doyle's story earn him 'Best Director' BAFTA award.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_aO9pv0Y7I















* with 'Angela's Ashes' in 1999, returned to Irish soil to direct an adaptation of Frank McCourt's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zLpf1XDNko
Screenonline have defined Alan as :

'a deeply paradoxical figure: a film-maker committed to popular, mainstream, narrative cinema, yet whose work is often challenging in theme and distinctive in look; a persistent critic of the British film establishment, yet a man who chaired two of the establishment's major institutions; a working class 'turnip-head' who was awarded the CBE in 1995 and a knighthood in 2002. Nevertheless, he has consistently pursued his own particular vision of film and film-making, and has always been prepared to put his reputation on the line, never taking refuge in whinging from the sidelines. A profile in The Face acutely defined him as 'an outsider with a superiority complex''.
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/467545/

Quotes from Alan :

"I was once described by one of my critics as an aesthetic fascist."

"I'm always afraid someone's going to tap me on the shoulder one day and say, "Back to North London"."

"Every time I've been to Cannes, I've made up my mind never to return. Every time my vanity wins over."

Britain is a country where men say "Goodbye youth" at 41 and "Hello old age" at 59

A recent Government Survey entitled 'Attitudes to age in Britain 2010/11' has revealed that :

* On average, respondents thought 'youth' ended at 41 and 'old age' began at 59.

However, the upside for old men is that :

* perceptions towards those aged over 70 are more positive than towards those in their 20s, unless they are in senior roles.

* older people are viewed as being more friendly, having higher moral standards and as being more competent than their younger counterparts.

So, born in 1953 and 59 years old this year, Britain's old men welcome to their fold screen actors :

* Keith Allen
* Pierce Brosnan
* David Threlfall

and across the Atlantic :

* John Malkovich

Interesting to note that all of these 'soon-to-be old men' already have their grey beards in place.

Britain is still a country for and says "Happy Birthday" to an old Member of Parliament and 'The Beast from Bolsover' called Dennis Skinner

Dennis Skinner who has been Member of Parliament for Bolsover for the last 41 years and is 80 years old today is totally fearless and a wonderful example of what 'democracy' is all about :

Dennis questioning Prime Minister Cameron in May last year :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ER3R0Jg4do

July last year, when he asked of the Prime Minister : "There is a raging inferno around the Government's head. When is dodgy Dave going to do the decent thing and resign?"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z0P8GB5Lxc&feature=related

What you possibly didn't know about Denis, that he :

* was born in Derbyshire, the third of nine children, the son of the coal miner and was educated at grammar school then worked as a miner himself from the age of 17 to 38 and joining the Labour Party in 1956 at the age of 24.

* was leader of the Derbyshire area of the National Union of Mineworkers between 1966and 1970 and studied at Ruskin College Oxford in 1967 before becoming an M.P. in 1970
and has held the seat ever since.

* has taken a liberal stance regarding social issues, voted in favour of adoption rights for same-sex couples and outlawing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, taken a strongly 'pro-choice' stance on abortion.

* in 2003, voted against the Iraq War and later against his Government's policy to allow terror suspects to be detained without trial for 90 days and in 2007, voted against Government policy to renew the Trident Nuclear Missile System.

* usually sits on the first seat of the front bench below the gangway in the Commons, the 'Awkward Squad Bench' where rebel Labour Party MPs have traditionally sat, wearing in a distinctive tweed jacket, whilst most MPs wear suits and signature red tie.

* gained the sobriquet, 'the Beast of Bolsover' for falling foul of the procedures of Parliament, many of which are, in his view archaic and contemptible. In addition he refuses to :

* miss any sitting in the House of Commons, saying that "if you missed a shift at the pit, you would get the sack".

* adopt the pairing system to agree a 'mutual abstention' with a Conservative MP, saying he won't cover for them whilst they "go swanning off to Ascot or to their boardrooms".

* claim excessive expenses or take trips or holidays 'paid for' by others.

* eat alongside colleagues in the Commons dining room or drink in the bar.



Denis traditionally cracks jokes when 'The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod' summons the Members of the House of Commons to join the Monarch in the House of Lords to hear the 'Queen's Speech' outlining proposed Government legislation :

1987 : said, about the Queen and with reference to the 'tightening of belts' in the Britain : "Tell her to sell up!".

1991 : on arrival of Black Rod quipped, in reference to a lager beer advertising campaign : "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label".

1992 : said to Black Rod, referring to the Queen and referring to controversy over the monarchy exemption from taxation : "Tell her to pay her taxes".

1997 : shouted, in reference to Labour's election campaign slogan 'New Labour, New Britain' : "New Labour, New Black Rod".

2000 : shouted out, in reference to the Guardian newspaper campaign to repeal laws relating to the monarchy : "Tell her to read the Guardian!"

2001 : said to new Black Rod, Michael Willcocks : "You're nowt but a midget!!"

2006 : said, in reference to the portrayal by Helen Mirren of Elizabeth II in the film, 'The Queen' : "Have you got Helen Mirren on standby?"

Denis been suspended from Parliament on at least ten occasions, usually for 'unparliamentary language' when attacking opponents. His 'infractions' have included, in :

1992 : referring to the Minister of Agriculture John Gummer as "slimy" and a "wart".

1995 : accusing the Government of a "crooked deal" to sell off Britain's coal mines.

2005 : referring to the economic record of the Conservatives in the 1980's, making the remark : "The only thing that was growing then were the lines of coke in front of boy George and the rest of the Tories" : a reference to allegations of cocaine use by the Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne.

2006 : accusing the Deputy Speaker of leniency towards remarks made by opposition frontbencher Theresa May : "because she's a Tory".

Denis' views about Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher and Myrl Streep as the 'Iron Lady' :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16110230

Britain is no longer a country for an old stand-up comedian called Billy Connolly

An article article in the 'Daily Mail' last week read :

Heckled off stage, is Connolly loosing his edge ?

Apparently, the 69 year old Billy had left the stage prematurely at his show in Blackpool, Lancashire and the same thing a week earlier in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

A member of the audience, said that Billy was getting increasingly frustrated at the number of people leaving and re-entering the auditorium during his two-hour show :

"At first Billy tried to make a joke of it, encouraging the audience to sing when a group of lads returned from the bar during the show. But this seemed to just encourage more people to get up".

Becoming increasingly frustrated, Billy said :

"I’ll tell you one more story", when someone shouted out, Billy then said:
"Well actually, no, that’s it, I’ll finish now".

I think by that point he had just had enough. He took a bow and that was it. He’s an old guy, he’s not young anymore. He was losing his thread as he was telling his stories and getting more and more frustrated. He didn’t show his anger but you could see he was getting frustrated."

Another member of the audience,said :

"He was telling a joke about strokes, explaining that members of his family had suffered from them, when someone in the audience shouted “you’re shite”. He then finished the story and walked off. You would have expected him to come back on and it was a really strange situation because everyone was talking about it afterwards and there was disappointment."

So what happened to the Billy, who :

* in his teens, joined the part-time Territorial Army Reserve Parachute Regiment and later recalled his experiences in the 'Weekend Soldier'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmioXLfTl6w










* as a folk singer in his 20's worked with Gerry Rafferty :
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2011/01/britain-is-no-longer-country-for-sad.html

* at the age of 33 and an accomplished comedian, appeared on the 'Parkinson Show' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slw08b3bHFE

* at the age of 38, in 1980, made Angie Dickinson convulse with laughter :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DcDzJmW6Qg

* at the age of 54, as John Brown in the 1996 film 'Mrs Brown' with Judi Dench as Queen Victoria :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyB3Unj9j_Q&feature=related

Britain is no country for old men looking forward to the beautiful, young Mary-Ann Ochota on a television series called 'Time Team'

In my posting yesterday I related how the 65 year old archaeologist, Mick Aston, had quit the 'Time Team' programme after 19 years, when producers hired 30 year old Cambridge graduate and former model, Mary-Ann Ochota, as a new co-presenter.

Britain is no longer a country for an old Professor of Archaeology called Mick Aston and a television series called 'Time Team'
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2012/02/britain-is-no-longer-country-for-old.html

I went on to say that, like many old men, if it came to a choice, I preferred young Mary-Ann to old Mick.

Oh dear ! What do I read in 'The Daily Mail' today ? :
Day after TV Time Team boffin quits over ‘dumbing down’, former model presenter who sparked row throws in the trowel

Apparently, Mary-Ann has told 'Time Team' fans like me that she will not be in the next series after all, saying :

"I always loved 'Time Team' and was very excited to be working with Mick. He wasn’t so keen. The series didn’t work out quite how I wanted it to either. Needless to say, I’m not coming back for the next series either."


Mary-Ann, who holds a master’s degree in 'archaeology and anthropology' from Cambridge University, mounted a robust defence of her position on the Time Team Facebook page saying that :

‘I was brought in to be a co-presenter, not an archaeologist, so I could ask the questions viewers might be asking.’

Within minutes, the site was abuzz with comments and one said:

'You really have to establish your archaeological credentials first on the show or it looks like the programme producers have employed you purely for the 'totty factor' despite having the appropriate academic qualifications.’

Old Men of Britain say : "Ignore that Mary-Ann. Please reconsider. We need you. Time Team Needs you. Your presence would have been a dose of fresh air after that old professor in a funny jumper."



P.S. Dictionary definition of 'totty' :
(noun] a girl or woman, especially one regarded as sexually desirable.

Britain is no longer a country for an old Professor of Archaeology called Mick Aston and a television series called 'Time Team'

An article in The Daily Mail today was entitled :
'What's she got that I haven't?' Veteran quits as Cambridge beauty joins TV's Time Team

It reported that the 65 year old archaeologist, Mick Aston, had quit the programme after 19 years, when producers had hired 30 year old Cambridge graduate and former model, Mary-Ann Ochota, as a new co-presenter.

Mick :

* is a white haired professor and former academic at Bristol and Oxford Universities who wears a loud jumper and as 'site director', chose where the 'digs' were to take place.

* has said that changes to the programme which led to the introduction of Mary-Ann Ochota and the dropping of some archaeologists had left him "really angry" and compared them to the reshuffle at the BBC’s 'Countryfile' programme, which introduced younger presenters and, said, reduced it to "cliché-ridden pap".

Mary-Ann, on the other hand :

* holds a master’s degree in 'archaeology and anthropology' from Cambridge University and after graduation, did some modelling, including shoots for Kellogs 'Special K'.

* was the anthropologist on the BBC’s 'Castaway Exposed' and has presented a number of other programmes using her 'expertise'.

Executive Producer Philip Clarke said : " We were very sorry to see Mick go, and he leaves an extraordinary legacy. Not everyone takes change happily."

So who would I rather have on the programme ? Mick talking about 'test pits'?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux_kEyWCSbc&feature=related

Or Mary-Anne who gives us a taste of things to come on her 'Show Reel' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrdtcaSmal8

Well, I'm sorry Mick, I know who I would prefer to see on 'Time Team'.

P.S.
Here is one of Mick's old colleagues on the programme, Phil Harding talking about his lifelong friend, his shovel. Wonderfully and unintentionally very funny :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5f0iQVajLA&feature=related

P.P.S.
Is this the lovely Mary-Ann advertising Kellog's Special K ?

Britain, a country which says "Happy Birthday" to an old novelist called Charles Dickens, remains one he would still recognise today

Charles Dickens, Britain's great Victorian novelist was born 200 years ago today and if he returned to the London he once knew today, he :

* would notice at once that the 'great black bulging dome of St Paul's', as he described it, is no longer black.

* see that the fog, the mud and the filthiest slums have gone.















* be pleased by the absence of workhouses, the small number of street children and the lack of blatant prostitution in the Haymarket.

















* would have approved of David Lean's 1948 film version of 'Oliver Twist' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77krUcFYGzU


* see the same gulf between the rich, at ease enjoying their money and power and the poor, relying on out-of-date food thrown out by supermarkets and food parcels from charities and fearing for their jobs.

* with his obsessive interest in prisons, might be daunted by the huge increase in the number of prisons and number of prisoners.

* by glancing at the newspapers, see that his crooked financier, Mr Merdle, has many successors and that Lord Decimus Tite Barnacle and his Etonian friends and relations are still running things.

* note that the present Prime Minister, David Cameron, in the back row and the present Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in the front row, were both members of exclusive 'The Bullingdon Club' when they were students at Oxford University in the 1980's.


* would have read in the Gaurdian Newspaper :
Sharp rise in demand for food handouts from poverty-stricken families
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/01/sharp-rise-demand-food-handouts

P.S.
An earlier posting :
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Britain is still a country which sends very old men to prison at the end of their days to punish them for their crimes
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2012/01/britain-is-country-which-sends-very-old.html

Britain is still a country for and says "Happy Birthday" to an old laughter maker and 'King of the Clipboards' called Denis Norden

The radio and tv comedy writer and presenter, Denis Norden is 90 years old today.

What you possibly didn't know about Denis, that he :



* was born in Hackney, East London, educated at the 'City of London School' at the same time as the writer Kingsley Amis, was 'considered to have a fine academic brain' and was well regarded by his peers.

* left school, worked as a stagehand then moved into cinema management and, by the age of 17, had organised variety shows, then joined the Royal Air Force in the Second World War and began writing comedy for shows for the personnel.









* after the War, co-wrote the radio show 'Take It From Here' with Frank Muir from 1948 to '59 and went on to write many successful radio and television scripts, including 'Whack-O!' and 'Faces of Jim' as vehicles for Jimmy Edwards.

* co-wrote the satirical sketch 'Balham, Gateway to the South' for the BBC Third Programme in 1958 using the voice of Peter Sellers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RTWk9QIKS0

* first broadcast 'It'll be Alright on the Night' in 1977, with out-takes from film and tv linked with his witty comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2w4u_ivJKA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye4z35ymylY&feature=related

* narrated his 'Laughter File', in the 1990's, with spoof and real adverts, practical jokes, live television mistakes and oddities which he said, "tickled our fancies, just when they needed tickling".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdPS9-zbqJc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr1rEFF1-IY

* suffers from macular degeneration and in 2009, joined Peter Sallis and Eric Sykes as a patron of the Macular Disease Society.

Britain is no country for the cold, old men who will die this week

I juxtapose this photo I took in my garden in Kent this morning with an article which appeared in 'The Guardian' in October last year, entitled :

Cold homes will kill up to 200 older people a day, warns Age UK.
Rising energy bills will put millions at risk from 'fuel poverty gap'

Well, the weather this winter so far has been mild, however, it is now February 2012 and the cold weather from Eastern Europe has arrived with a vengeance and I expect that the predictions made back then will be confirmed this week. They were that :

* 200 people, most of them old, will die in Britain of cold-related diseases every day and more than 90% of them will be over 65, because they are more vulnerable and less able to cope with winter and heart and circulatory diseases will be the two biggest causes of their deaths.

* their deaths will follows sharp price hikes by energy companies, credited with driving inflation to its highest level in 20 years and creating a deepening 'fuel poverty gap' with 'fuel poverty', defined as 'spending more than 10% of income on heat and light'.



In 2012 Britain, the fifth wealthiest country in the world, is still no country for poor old men in winter.

Britain is still a country where very old men called judges hold onto their jobs and don't want to pay for their pensions

These were the 11 judges who sat in Britain's Supreme Court in 2010 and their ages were left to right: 61, 66, 62, 71, 72, 68 and 66 and front row : 71, 65, 71 and 73.

They had a collective age of 746 years.

Most of the other groups of judges in Britain follow their example of being old men with few women :

There are :
30 Lord Justices of Appeal with 4 women
17 in the High Court of Chancery with 1 woman
18 in the High Court Family Division with 6 women
74 in the High Court Queen's Bench with 9 women

These old men have been in the news. A headline in the Daily Mail yesterday read :
Judges may sue to save their 'free' pensions after threatening court action unless Government backs down

It made the following points, that they :

* are the only public servants who do not contribute to their pensions and
making them pay would save taxpayers £4million a year.

* are rebelling against an attempt to make them contribute and have threatened to launch an unprecedented court action against the Crown unless the Government backs down.

* say they are a 'special case' because the constitutional need to protect their 'independence' from Government means politicians should never cut their pay.

* have paid into a fighting fund to finance a court case and have suggested they could take their argument to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

P.S.

Their annual salaries range from £103,000 for district judges to £173,000 for High Court judges and £240,000 for the Lord Chief Justice and at present, all they have to pay is between 1.8% and 2.4% of salary towards the pension their spouse will receive following their death.

This compares with contributions as a percentage of salary of :
6% for nurses and teachers
10% for police and firemen
11% for Memebers of Parliament
around 8% for private-sector workers

Britain, a country where many cold, old men die in winter has the antidote in the Met Office 'Cold Weather Plan'

Britain is cold country at the moment with an anticyclone bringing cold air in from Eastern Europe, but 'Old Men of Britain', have no fear :
The Meteorological Office will be issuing 'Cold Weather Alerts' as part of the 'Cold Weather Plan' developed by the Department of Health, the Health Protection Agency and Age UK to help reduce the impact of cold weather on people's health in general this winter and your in particular.





Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director at 'Age UK' said:

"It may have been relatively mild so far this year but the winter can be a dangerous time for older people. Low temperatures raise blood pressure which puts people at a greater risk of heart attacks and strokes and well as increasing the likelihood and severity of flu and other respiratory problems.
We want older people to be able to enjoy the winter and, most importantly of all, stay well. That is why we have linked up with the Met Office to get advance information to ensure that forewarned is forearmed when it comes to winter weather."



Patrick Sachon, Health Business Manager at the Met Office said:

"With the first real cold snap of the winter, 'Age UK' demonstrates just how valuable the Cold Weather Alert Service is to the more vulnerable sectors of the community.
These alerts put everyone in a better position to respond to forecasts of severe weather, inform those who are most at risk from winter weather and what they can do to keep well."

All of this is very laudable, however, news headlines from previous winters throw into question whether the warnings address the real problems of many old men and women in winter in Britain :




Nine pensioners died from cold EVERY HOUR last winter as bill prices soar
24th November 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332343/Nine-pensioners-died-cold-hour-winter-prices-soar.html

Cold homes will kill up to 200 older people a day, warns Age UK. Rising energy bills will put millions at risk from 'fuel poverty gap'
Saturday 22 October 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/22/older-people-cold-energy-bills



Fuel poverty and cold weather: the deaths that shame Britain
November 23rd, 2011

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ianmcowie/100013377/fuel-poverty-and-cold-weather-the-deaths-that-shame-britain/



So old men of Britain, here is today's 'Alert' and those of you who are already cold, this will be of particular use to you :

Current alert level: Level 3
Cold Weather Action in one or more regions of England.
There is a 100% probability of severe cold weather between 10.00 on Wednesday and 10.00 on Saturday in all parts of England.
This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.
Please refer to the national Cold Weather Plan and your Trust's Emergency Plan for appropriate preventive action.

Britain is a country where old men return to the English seaside holidays of their youth

Bad news for old men in Britain over the age of 65 who wish to travel abroad :
Insurers have doubled the cost of your premiums in the last year and experts fear the hike in cost will leave many of you exposed to holiday disasters as the cost deters them from taking cover.

Britain’s biggest insurer, Aviva, has increased the cost of cover for you and your partner going on a cruise by 26 % cent while Direct Line’s rise is 19 %.






Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of 'Age UK' said:
"These figures confirm our worst fears that older people will be forced to risk travelling without protection or forgo holidays abroad altogether because they can’t afford insurance."






James Daley, editor of 'Which? Money' said :
"Insurers cannot say it is because of older people’s deteriorating health, as many people are much healthier than they were before, so these increases are hard to justify."

The report of the increases in the 'Daily Mail' provoked 'Tom' to write in :
'How long will it be before there's an increase because your ALIVE ?'










While Hector Macduff from Auchtermuchty in Scotland wrote :
'I have been looking for an excuse to avoid airport terminals; airport security, being squashed in seats on aircraft and generally being treated like a pleb. We can also save more £££s by not having passports or travel insurance. Margate here we come!!'

So, Old Men of Britain say :
"'Goodbye' Costa del Sol in Spain and 'Hello again' Margate in England!"

P.S.
The American writer, Bill Bryson, extolling the virtues of the English Seaside :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BrqzRrMSCk