THE problem with any discussion over means testing of pensioner benefits is that people like to go to extremes to justify their position.

Let us Imagine that we line up all pensioners and divide them into five groups from richest to poorest.

Then, for each group, we work out the average income in that group.

For pensioner couples, the middle group has an average income of £1,807 per month after housing costs.

For the second group from top, their average income is £2,400 after housing costs and for the richest group, £3,622.

For single pensioners, these average incomes are £862, £1,135 and £1,698.

Means testing winter fuel allowances and bus passes for these groups, therefore, seems fair and reasonable.

While I understand J Clegg’s position (Letters, November 9), we no longer live in a world where “we paid in, so you have to pay out” can be a reality.

After all, The reality of government finance is that all of these “freebies” are being paid for out of the taxes of today’s young people, some of whom can barely afford to catch the cost to travel to work.

While it may be unpalatable to do so, maybe all of us, working and retired, should question whether this situation would ever have arisen had we not spent our working lives voting for parties that promised us freebies that we all, subliminally, know that they cannot afford.

If today’s crop of pensioners had behaved more responsibly by holding governments to account, perhaps there would be no need for these cuts and tomorrow’s teenagers would also be able to retire at 65?

James Young

Friar Waddon Road

Upwey