I'd be happier to hear of government plans to get younger people into work rather than block up the system with people who need ironing.

The projected life expectancy is either increasing or decreasing depending on which official statistics you look at. The regional variations are also rather marked.

The chancellor said in his Autumn statement that there are more people in work than just before the election. What he failed to say was that despite that, the national insurance take has dropped. Mainly due to lower pay jobs and zero hour contracts.

They are right in asking where the money is coming from to look after the old in years to come, but wrong in proposing the answer.   A healthy economy with well paid jobs, a swing in the manufacturing to service ratio towards the former and an emphasis on getting younger people into work. For me, one of the saddest acronyms going is NEET. The number of young people not in employment, education or training is shocking. Get more people feeding national insurance now and you have less to worry about later.

Basics such as this should be above partisan debate. It is a key tenet of any party who wishes to form a UK government, or should be.....

Still, nice to see Bridge feeling down the side of his armchair for his copy of Das Capital....