Raising the Pension Age

When pensions first were introduced they really were a boon

To men who’d worked for fifty years, and well might die quite soon;

Most didn’t claim for very long, as life back then was hard,

And most men’s’ lives by illness and by accidents were marred.

But most men now have easy lives; most hope to stay alive,

For fifteen, twenty, thirty years, when they turn sixty-five.

At seventy it’s normal that they still be in their prime,

And many in important jobs ignore retirement-time;

They go on working many years from when they could have quit,

Their minds still very active and their bodies very fit.

So maybe now the time has come when we should think again

About retirement ages both for women and for men,

Encouraging all workers to continue while they can,

So pensions can be fairly large, as when they first began.

For no-one can survive on just the basic rate today,

And while retirement age is low, this problem’s here to stay,

But if retirement were postponed then much more could be paid,

And pensioners would have no need for any extra aid.