Anna B

True. Being happy is just a state of mind. Do we have a choice, or are we born 'glass half full or empty' do you think? Personally I have the luxury of a choice, I am generally 'glass half full.' I have sufficient income etc to allow me to be contented, and am well enough to get a great deal of pleasure out of life. But I am also aware that not everyone is so lucky, and money worries or ill health, pain, etc can ruin life, and I want to do something about it! I suppose that's why I am regarded as a bit left wing. But I moan on other people's behalf because I can. I see need all around me, in every age group. My volunteering days are mostly behind me, (although I love looking after other people's dogs if anyone's interested,) so I suppose all I can do is 'try to raise awareness' to give it it's modern parlance, (which I hate.) I just call it looking out for people and trying to help if I can.

My words are intended for everyone on SF actually not just you. But I'm coming across all school ma'am ish which I don't want to be. Everybody (including me) needs to sort themselves out, but there's a lot of heat out there making people very angry. Remember 'one can't change the world, but one can change oneself.' (See, I just can't help it..😕) Anyway, I have some ironing to do. 😊)

Yes I agree.

True, but are you sure you're qualified to decide what's ' a silly comment.' You can disagree entirely and still be respectful in your response. I know it's not easy but we all have to try.

Yes that's true to a certain extent, I've seen it, and nearly included his name. But I remember he used to be argumentative (as he's entitled to be) but usually civil. Now I think he's no longer prepared to take the gibes lying down as he used to, and you bring out the worst in him. I too have been provoked into responding in kind once in a while, but it's never helpful. I like Jack's quote and think we should ALL abide by it as best we can That might well be true. I hope Sheffield City Council has learned to be less profligate with our money and get better value for money from it. We can but hope, but I'm not holding my breath....

Our bus system while not perfect was pretty damn good back in the day. Cheap and plentiful, with a major hub in Pond Street, so you could get off one bus and onto another taking you to your destination fairly easily. Now it's none of those things. To get from a to b requires a fairly lengthy walk as Pond Street is no longer the hub it was, and information is also hard to find.

Jack Grey and Rolling J Y'see, you've turned this personal and nasty again. You're not funny and picking on a poster is extremely unpleasant. The irony is Jack's personal quote : 'You defeat bad ideas with good ideas....that's the power of debate' You need to start minding your own words Jack.

I totally agree. Plus all this media coverage that never forgets to emphasise 'all the rich old age pensioners' which most of us most certainly are not. Some of us might be lucky enough to own our own houses, but there is very little suitable and affordable to downsize into, so it's not anything we can liquidise and spend on day to day comforts like heating and eating. OAPs are certainly treated like second class citizens, but then we are considered to be 'just an unproductive drain on the nation's prosperity,' (somebody actually said that to me.) Forget that we have worked and paid into the nation's wealth for upwards of 40 years and got very little back for it. And don't get me started on the cost of care home costs, (average £4,000 per month) for minimal care, and care in your own home even worse averaging £25 T0 £33 per hour or part of an hour, baring in mind that the lovely people who do the work are only on minimum wage and have poor company working conditions as well. Somebody is making a mint at the expense of OAPs and it isn't the workers. Be sure 99% of us we will all need one or the other before the end and still no cap.

That doesn't surprise me at all. Blair was a prequel to Starmer. Unfortunately OAP's don't have much leverage, except they tend to vote. So use it. Imagine what we might get if all OAPs agreed to only vote for a party / person who was going to reverse that, or at least promises to retain the tripple lock.

I agree crookesey, but the trouble is OAP covers an entire generation; and how you enter retirement is not how you leave it. Not wanting to be a doom merchant, but there's a whole load of physical and mental degeneration to go through before you get there. We're not all 'super agers' unfortunately, and we all have to die of something, usually unpleasant and with lots of unforseen side effects. I was skipping about at 65 and into all sorts of fun things. 10 years and a serious illness later, that's just a distant memory, but I survived and happily entered into the next stage. What I'm saying is that decline is all part of the process and you have to roll with the punches and do the very best you can with what you've got while you've got it. Social services (which is terrible at the moment) has a lot to do with this and at the moment it's dire. It needs a serious looking at. I will say this though - mental attitude has been proved to be a lot to do with super aging. Remaining positive, upbeat and interested in the world has a lot to do with it.

I want to see the prequal 'Cliff Richard gets a full size double decker London Bus to the Continent.'

Oh go on then. If that's all he said I don't suppose it's exactly world shattering. From reports I'd thought it was a lot more than that. The papers are inflating it as usual by suggesting he'd well and truly shot himself in the foot. I should have known better without actually reading the small print. He still gets up a lot of Labour supporters' nose,

Starmer, not the most popular man in the Labour party at the best of times, is really pushing his luck with his praise of Margaret Thatcher. What more can this man do to upset half the Labour voters? Either the man is shmoozing the Tory voters into thinking he's got a lot in common with her, or he's telling blatant porkies in a clumsy attempt to ingratiate himself. I honestly don't know which is worse. Politicians are devalued enough without him adding to the mire. In spite of this government being the worst on record, Starmer could still lose if he neglects the core Labour voter. He's spent too much time in London. He needs to come north of Watford gap to find out what the real Labour man thinks of him and his ways. I despise him.

Heaven knows how much all these court cases are costing...

Faith is sometimes all people have to sustain them. Religion on the other hand is just another power trip for men.