PENSIONERS who have worked all their lives, have served their country in times of conflict or did two years' National Service, paid income tax and contributed to the National Health Service.

Now, during the years when they are most likely to need medication, this Labour government is looking at making them pay for prescriptions.

This is added to the fact that their homes must be sold to pay for residential care if needed. So who can blame people for choosing not to work and allowing the state to keep them and their large families?

They can afford to smoke 20 cigarettes a day and have umpteen pints of beer or lager. And when they come to pensionable age they will get extra allowances for heating and housing, plus free prescriptions.

We poor fools sit at home worrying over how to budget with what is left after the tax man has had his 24 per cent and the Council Tax has been paid, plus heating and water bills.

We have five or six items of medication which are essential to cope with a condition which has not been brought on by any fault of our own.

I don't recall there being any mention of this prescription charge in Labour's manifesto, but I do recall them criticising the Tories for increasing the charges and even hinting that under Labour they might be reduced!

E M EASTHAM (Mrs), Milton Close, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.