Stella Kyriazis: Tories for Older People

In the second of ConservativeHome's occasional series looking at specialist membership groups within the Conservative Party, we have invited A-lister Stella Kyriazis to introduce the work of Tories for Older People.

Within 20 years the number of people over the age of 65 will expand by 200%. This will have enormous implications not only on our healthcare and pensions systems, but it will revolutionise the entire political approach to old age.

Three years ago, as a small contribution to this political issue, I set up the group Tories for Older People (TOP), with the aim of aiding the Conservative Party to develop comprehensive, integrated and long-term policies relating to the affairs of older people (aged 60 and over).

TOP do not have all the answers to the ageing crisis, but raise questions and matters for discussion. It is a political awareness group supported by all ranks of the party. The last three party leaders (Ian Duncan Smith, Michael Howard and now David Cameron) have supported us by being Honorary Patrons. Nigel Waterson MP, is the chairman, and Simon Burns MP is the president.

Current issues:

* Health: Old age does not begin with the arrival of a certain birthday, but with the decline in physical and mental abilities. In the UK, 90% of the entire health care budget is spent on treating age-related diseases such as arthritis, dementia, stroke, and cancer. An effective preventative programme is not only feasible but also essential in reducing the spiraling costs of treating chronic disease.

* Pensions: Scientists tell us that today there is probably someone, somewhere, who will be the first ever 150-year old person. A nightmare scenario based on the current pension arrangement would involve increasing numbers of people who retire at 65 and then go on to live for another 50-60 years! The whole pensions culture needs to be radically revised to avoid a situation whereby older people cannot afford to retire, ever.

* Transport: The travel needs of the over 60s do not necessarily correspond to those of younger age groups. This has not been fully appreciated by policy-making groups, leading to a situation where policy decisions about inner-city transport or long distance travel are wholly unsatisfactory for frail older people.

* Re-education and re-employment of older adults: On average, people who retire at 65 can expect to live another 16-19 years, and a substantial minority can expect to live another 30 years. There is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in this age group, which is not being fully utilised. Many older people feel that they have a lot to give to society either through voluntary re-employment (part-time or even full-time), voluntary work, re-education and life long learning, and offering their expertise for the benefit of others.

Other diverse issues such as the implications of an increasing life-span upon society, long-term care, and scientific research into ageing are also on the agenda.

In this respect, the TOP group organises specialist seminars, open debates and policy discussion meetings. It is a focus point where people interested in older age issues can meet, exchange ideas and information.

Membership is free for Conservative supporters. For further details please contact me at stella@topgroup.org.uk.

For the past 100 years the real division was between rich and poor. For the next 100 years the real social divide will be between young and old.

Other recommended links: America's AARP, The Methuselah Foundation and Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence.

The first entry in this series was written by Roger Baker - about the Conservative Animal Welfare Group.  If you would like to write about a group that you are involved with please email tim@conservativehome.com.

Comments

[Tam Large]

Good to see what TOP are doing - I hadn't heard of your group.

I am concerned than once the membership increases to £25 next year we may lose many of our stalwart helpers who, being on pension / fixed income will no longer be able to afford to be members.

[Denis Cooper]

I'm not sure that "crisis" is the right word: it's more of an emerging problem. Also, harsh though it sounds, I have to say that it will be to some extent a self-limiting problem. When we as a society can no longer afford the exponentially increasing costs of adding a few more months to life expectancy then it will stop rising. And of course if people stay healthy longer, through healthier lifestyles or preventative medicine, then they will be fit to work longer and may well want to do so. With more years spent on education and training at the beginning, on average working life would both start and finish later.

[David Banks]

Well as most older people are small 'c' conservative, witter on about discipline in schools and regurgitate improbable myths of a halcyon age in the past when 'we were poor , but we were 'appy!'i had assumed they mainly voted for the most right wing party on the ballot paper anyway. As long as we can tempt them away from the BNP , victory is assured

[John Coles]

Any party with your mindset, Mr Banks, will be hard put to tempt anyone, let alone older people. Your comment is utterly offensive.

It's a great pity, Mr Editor, that you do not see fit to stamp on the ageism and sexism now becoming all too much a feature of this site.

[malcolm]

I don't think much of your comment either David.
I'm only 45 and have already started to suffer from age related discrimination in my professional life.Almost half of males aged 55 plus are 'ecomically inactive', what a tragic waste of the nations talent base!We are also starting to see a very real crisis in pensions where increased longevity has put an insurmountable strain on company schemes irrespective of Browns raid on dividend credits. Those retiring now will undoubtedly be recieving significantly reduced pensions than those who retired even 5 years ago,a very real problem for any incoming government. I wish you every success with this group Stella.

[David Banks]

Oh for Gods sake!
I'm sorry for any offence caused by exercising my freedom of speech( what was i thinking!). When the nanny state has gagged all dissidents i hope you are all very happy.

[David Sergeant]

Most local authorities are producing "strategies" for addressing the problem of older people. Party members must be on some of these forums, I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned.

As a thought of how older people could have an input there is this talk of vastly increasing the tax on cars. This may well make it impossible for pensioners to own a car and a car to most pensioners is almost the difference between living and just existing. Public transport may be a good substitute in London and big metropolitan areas but eleswhere, and I don't just mean "rural", it is very poor.

[David Banks]

Speaking of strategies, how about mono-rails in built up areas ( quiet / relatively eco friendly) and buses for more out of town transport / door to door services for peoppe with poor mobility , chartered out to regulated operators?

[Patsy Sergeant]

This thread interests me a lot. I joined the U3A about six months ago, because I was intrigued by its concepts. I now do Chinese classes (when I can) for FREE, this being one of the commitments of U3A in order to make classes in interests more affordable to hard-pressed old people.

Through this group I am going for an interview just before the Conservative Conference, for a one off voluntary job! This is (as far as I understand it) to be a guinea pig and 'take' course that is being constructed - under the auspices of the EU no less, called eLSe (e-learning for seniors). I feel passionately about this, and if I am accepted for the job it will take about 16 weeks of about 4hours work a week, and then afterwards (I believe), one might be on stand-by so that one could offer advice if the e-learners needed it.

I feel so strongly that older people should be enabled to be computer literate, I believe they still have a lot to contribute to the community. At the moment through the governments stupid policies, Adult Education classes are becoming priced out of the range of most older people, which is disgraceful, but maybe if they are enabled on the computer they can find suitable interests there.

[David Banks]

Best of luck in interview Patsy.

[Sally Stewart]

Delighted to hear about this group. The Party needs to recognise that active older people are the backbone of many local Associations - they definitely are in our Constituency! Efforts to persuade younger people to be more active are needed but not at the expense of devaluing the contribution currently being made by the GLAMS (greying, leisured, active, middle-aged - and older).

[Denis Cooper]

David Sergeant @ 19:11 -

"... there is this talk of vastly increasing the tax on cars. This may well make it impossible for pensioners to own a car and a car to most pensioners is almost the difference between living and just existing."

This is a special reason why the increased tax should relate to car use, rather than to ownership. I guess that many pensioners need to have a car, but clock up relatively low mileage, so they'd benefit if road tax was abolished or reduced to a nominal fee and the same total revenue was recovered by increasing fuel duty.

[Off Message]

Apart from its awful name - Tories for Older People, ugh - the group seems to have done very little since inception. Perhaps you should put a little more meat on the bone Stella before promoting such thin fare on CH.

Done properly though, this is a really important area for the Party. TOP just doesn't seem to be it.

[David Banks]

Right there you go john coles and Malcolm. Feel free to mount your moral high horses. no doubt as Off Message has dared to criticize something he must of necessity be sexist ,ageist etc etc. If you weren't irrelevant it would be scary.

[John Coles]

Well if the Editor won't say it, I will. Mr Banks be civil and behave. Your rudeness is not welcome on this site.

[Fred Baker]

“In the UK, 90% of the entire health care budget is spent on treating age-related diseases such as arthritis, dementia, stroke, and cancer.”

Thank goodness there is no longer a need to retire at 65. People retiring often do all the wrong things. Such as: move into retirement property, move to the seaside, move abroad and try to spend most of their fortune before they expect to die!
For those reaching 65 from now on can continue working, drawing a salary plus old age pension plus any other pensions. We have never had it so good.
It is people who actually retire – to the armchair, who most likely have problems. If the body and brain are not used they degenerate. I know of people who “retired” in their 50s and have had incapacitating strokes before their 60th birthday!
It was once thought that we were born with a full complement of brain cells which died off during our lifetime, it has now been shown that we grow new brain cells and exercise is one of the best ways to achieve this.
If we could get this retirement idea out of everybody’s heads we should eventually get far less people requiring long term care.

[malcolm]

Can't really be bothered to debate with someone who makes such pig ignorant comments David Banks.

[Annabel Herriott]

Well this old git is a night owl. I dont have to get up at the crack of dawn, so I can catch up on CH after my "holiday" in Brittany - ie doing a years worth of gardening at my partners family cottage. Why are young folk allergic to weeding???
Anyway, I digress - problem of the over 70s. This David Banks should take extreme care!! He too will be old before he knows it, then he can have as much fun as the rest of us Tory Old Gits - or TOGS.
I must look out the old Torys at Bournemouth. AND I will be driving down from West Yorkshire. Its called world war 2 determination, and most of us have a LOT of it.

[Matt Davis]

If it is indeed true that within 20 years the pensioner voter numbers will have increased by 200% then it does bring strongly into question the apparent current obsession in our party with targetting only the youth vote doesn't it.

[Matt Davis]

I'm sorry but although I don't agree with the views expressed by David Banks I can't find anything actually offensive in them and wholly support the Edtor's decision not to intervene.

I do however find increasingly offensive the tendency of some on Conhome to wish to ban or in some other way sanction anyone who expresses views that they don't like or that don't conform to the new "cuddly" Conservative Party image being trial marketed right now.One of the strengths of this site is that it does allow and respect a variety of viewpoints, even mine, as is right and proper in a democracy. I think that all those who don't find that broad swathe of opinion a stimulating and necessary thing should perhaps consider only reading the political party's official sites where they are sure not to find any "offensive" dissenting viewpoints.

[RodS]

Let David Banks have his provocative say - what I find far more offensive is the patronising " older people still have a lot to contribute" line of Patsy Sargeant.

Of course we have !! The older age group are not a problem but a factor. Some have special needs, like every other group, but in the main we are a growing chunk of the population with more spending power and influence if we use it.Increasingly we are paying the piper. We should come out of the shadows and start calling the tune.
More people are older. Power to the people !!

I hope TOP will take this reality on board.

[David banks]

My point is that dealing with stereotypes of older people is as prevalent in such bodies as the Conservative party as in the admittedly inflattering pen portrait of our senior citizens that i began this discussion with. To debate the relevance of older people is to admit the implication that they may lack worth per se due to their older ststus.

Malcolm

Personal abuse isn't clever dear

Annabel

since starting writing on this thread i feel i have aged considerably and may be TOGS age - appropriate in a minute :-)

John

You will note the restraint with which i have not dubbed you a pompous ass. that would be abuse you see, something i unlike you and malcolm can rise above

[David Banks]

my mistake ' unflattering' not 'inflattering' above.

[Patsy Sergeant]

RodS @ 8.30 - thanks for your comment, but I have to say to you, that if I am being patronising to older people, then I am being patronising to myself, since I am well within that group myself!!!!!!!!!!

My comments about further educational activities becoming restricted for older people still stands as a kind of victimisation. Perhaps you haven't experienced that where you live? I can assure you that Adult Education classes that are priced out of the range of both impoverished OAP's and not so impoverished OAP's alike are alive and well in the district where I live!

And if you had read other posts that I have written on other posts you would have gathered that while I am not patronising (not my definition of the word at any rate!!!) about old people or indeed any other people, I can be VERY sharp in a 'Jane Austen' sort of way about SOME things!!

[RodS]

Patsy Sergeant @11;13

Ouch! point taken.

But, Jane Austen, "It is a truth (almost) universally acknowledged....." that older people have allowed themselves to be categorised as no 'longer fit for purpose'and somehow out of the mainsteam. The current tensions in the Tory Party are because the leadership thinks the membership profile is too old. And cringing labels such as OAP's &'senior citizens' do not help, nor do national charities with names like Help the Aged and Age Concern. Many older people are the worst offenders in perpetuating this 'Well I'm only a pensioner' mentality.

The changing age demographics are a good thing. An older age profile means more experience more continuity and possibly less violence.

Maturity should be celebrated - Our time has come !!

[David Banks]

For ages i've been trying t found a charity called 'Help the Thirtysomethings Leave Home' , we always get overlooked. ;-)

[Patsy Sergeant]

RodS - I agree with most of what you say, but I think the problem is much wider and more complex than that.

The present 'youth culture' started in the sixties, when for the first time young people were encouraged to feel that they were of some importance in the community, instead of a nuisance until they behaved exactly like their elders. At that time it was NOT just addressing youth because of the money that could be made out them!

I believe that the present situation as far as youth is concerned is not helped by big business and the media seeing young people solely in terms of the money that can be made out of them. Add this to the fact that many parents are far too young to be able to give suitable guidance and help to their progeny, even if they wanted to!

The 'I want it now' culture is pandered to quite cynically since it promotes trade and maybe even a spurious 'fayme'.

I think the gap between 'old' and young is wider than it has ever been before, no doubt this has been caused initially by the 'break-up of the family', that is often mentioned in discussions. But I think that now, the media - TV, most particularly the BBC, in persuing an aggressive pro-youth format in its programming, is sidelining older people or consigning them to the role of interesting oddities.

Thats why I think that getting older people computer literate is essential. Everybody of all ages have more in common than they realise if you get behind the prejudices.

[Frankland Macdonald Wood]

This is a good idea in itself and for the Tory Party. We oldies are a rapidly growing part of the electorate, the party membership and the vote for the Tories; so is as well to cultivate us and design attractive policies for us. After all, we are more likely to vote than any other age-group sector.

PS: Are you the Stella who stood at Telford with such success and came across to Shrewsbury to assist? If so, I do hope you will stand again as I am sure you would make a superb MP.

[Alison Anne Smith]

Could we have CCHQ Candidates office view of TOPS ? As it appears to have an upper age limit for approved candidates.