Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.

On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

4-6 hours off I think. Certainly not 4 on, 4 off. More like "mostly on,
but 4-6 off perhaps a few times a week.

In Surrey, near outer London, I remember going around town with my mum
on her daily shopping trip and she would stop by the SEEBOARD shop and
check the poster in the window that carried the rota of power cuts.

The bloke in the hardware shop was doing a nice line in paraffin lamps
(we had one).

Wikipedia should give you the dates.

Experiences in other parts of the country may have been very different.

In article ,
Mick IOW writes:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?

I don't know the date, but trying to associate it with which
school year I think I was in, I would have guessed before then.

Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Just 3 hours off. Next one would be a day or two later.
Initially they blipped the supply about a minute in advance
of a power cut to warn you, but then timetables were published
in the press.

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Yes, but some areas weren't hit. My school was in same area as
a hospital and was exempt on the basis that the hospital was
protected from the cuts.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Yes I was working then, and had to work Saturdays if the cuts were rotated
to clobber the usual days. Although we had a generator, it could not cope
with all the factory making TVs particularly the large conveyors and power
tools etc, such as solder baths.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

4-6 hours off I think. Certainly not 4 on, 4 off. More like "mostly on,
but 4-6 off perhaps a few times a week.

In Surrey, near outer London, I remember going around town with my mum on
her daily shopping trip and she would stop by the SEEBOARD shop and check
the poster in the window that carried the rota of power cuts.

The bloke in the hardware shop was doing a nice line in paraffin lamps (we
had one).

Wikipedia should give you the dates.

Experiences in other parts of the country may have been very different.

In article , Tim Watts
scribeth thus
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

4-6 hours off I think. Certainly not 4 on, 4 off. More like "mostly on,
but 4-6 off perhaps a few times a week.

In Surrey, near outer London, I remember going around town with my mum
on her daily shopping trip and she would stop by the SEEBOARD shop and
check the poster in the window that carried the rota of power cuts.

The bloke in the hardware shop was doing a nice line in paraffin lamps
(we had one).

Wikipedia should give you the dates.

Experiences in other parts of the country may have been very different.

ISTR here around Cambridge we had three hours off on the days when we
were affected. There was a low/medium and high risk rating for the days
concerned.

However all that did was to speed up the design of a 12 volt inverter so
we kept the lights on at least..

Plus the TV on a good "all batteries charged" day..
--
Tony Sayer

On 24/06/2014 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-Day_Week

Power cut rotas were published in places including the local newspaper.
--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On 24/06/2014 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?

Late 1973.

Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?..

They were four hour powers cuts, with a minimum of eight hours between
cuts in the same area, which allowed most emergency lights to recover.
In practice, the minimum period between power cuts was usually at least
12 hours. Some areas with essential services, such as hospitals, were
exempt, although, where possible, engineers would be sent out to cut
power to the area around the essential service manually. The Electricity
Board I was working for at the time had plans for a large 24 hour call
centre to handle enquiries, but the Trade Unions insisted that only
people already working in the Press Office could answer enquiries, which
reduced that to two, rather busy, people during office hours only.

--
Colin Bignell

On Tuesday, 24 June 2014 12:33:25 UTC+1, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

... ... My school was in same area as
a hospital and was exempt on the basis that the hospital was
protected from the cuts.

I then worked in a laboratory with a hospital nearby. We had no actual cuts, but everything except computers and essential equipment had to be off. But I had an Elliott 905. By loading -1 into the accumulator and displaying that on the console lights, and having a paper tape reader ready on the 905, and internal fluorescent tubes in the ASR33, I could still see quite well enough to do useful work even during external dark.

--
SL

On 24/06/2014 13:33, Nightjar "cpb"@ insert my surname here wrote:
On 24/06/2014 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?

Late 1973.

Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?..

They were four hour powers cuts, with a minimum of eight hours between
cuts in the same area, which allowed most emergency lights to recover.
In practice, the minimum period between power cuts was usually at least
12 hours. Some areas with essential services, such as hospitals, were
exempt, although, where possible, engineers would be sent out to cut
power to the area around the essential service manually. The Electricity
Board I was working for at the time had plans for a large 24 hour call
centre to handle enquiries, but the Trade Unions insisted that only
people already working in the Press Office could answer enquiries, which
reduced that to two, rather busy, people during office hours only.


SWEB? Terry Pratchett was a press officer for CEGB South West Region at
the time, ISTR

In message , "Nightjar
\"cpb\"@" "insert my surname writes
They were four hour powers cuts, with a minimum of eight hours between
cuts in the same area, which allowed most emergency lights to recover.
In practice, the minimum period between power cuts was usually at least
12 hours. Some areas with essential services, such as hospitals, were
exempt, although, where possible, engineers would be sent out to cut
power to the area around the essential service manually.

We ran a hired generator to cover every power cut. I remember having to
find and use the one petrol station in the area that still had a pump
with attachable handle to provide fuel.

I wonder if any petrol stations still have pumps like this?
--
Bill

Mick IOW scribbled...


Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.


The DVLA offices in Swansea are on top of a hill that can be seen for
miles and across the Bristol channel in England. Their lights never
went off, even at night when the place was shut. It was like a single
finger up to the rest of the country.

"Mick IOW" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.

I was working at the time of the three day week, but to be honest
don't remember much about it except to say that we got as much work
done in the three days as previously with five, either with overtime
or not I can't remember. But that it was handy and a novelty to have
an extra two days off as I don't think either dog or horse racing or
betting shops were affected. Tannoy only in those days of course.
I assume the wages/salary were the same otherwise I'd probably
have remembered that too.


Only answering to supply a bit of background -

According to Christopher Andrew in his authoritative history
of MI5, Heath's Goverment were really ****ting themselves during
the miners strike of the previous year 1972 which included the
picketing of the Saltley Coke depot. As coal stocks were so low,
and the electricity industry so reliant on coal that the country
was within days of grinding to a complete halt.(p.593)

A mistake Margaret Thatcher, love her or hate her, was not to
repeat.


michael adams

....








setteld

In article sting.com,
Jabba wrote:
Mick IOW scribbled...


Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.


The DVLA offices in Swansea are on top of a hill that can be seen for
miles and across the Bristol channel in England. Their lights never
went off, even at night when the place was shut. It was like a single
finger up to the rest of the country.

They might have had their own generator. Many places did.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

On 24/06/14 15:19, Jabba wrote:


The DVLA offices in Swansea are on top of a hill that can be seen for
miles and across the Bristol channel in England. Their lights never
went off, even at night when the place was shut. It was like a single
finger up to the rest of the country.


That's pretty much the DLVA for you...

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

Me too.


Experiences in other parts of the country may have been very different.

I remember my Dad taking me to sit in the Cortina to listen to his radio (or
did he have a cassette player then?) - he certainly had beer. My Mum was on
nights. Once I had fallen to sleep I was taken back inside to bed.

--
Adam

On 24/06/14 19:54, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, ARW wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

Me too.

I was trying to revise for my 'A' levels by the light of a Tilley lamp.


A-Levels? You old person! ;-

I was just getting to grips with the Beano...

On 24/06/2014 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?

Mick.

I was at a boarding school. On power cut evenings, we would have a film
projected in the main school hall. Of course, that needed power.

A *very* long extension lead from the headmaster's house with a variable
transformer to tweak the voltage back up.

--
Rod

On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 14:51:27 +0100, Bill wrote:

In message , "Nightjar
\"cpb\"@" "insert my surname writes
They were four hour powers cuts, with a minimum of eight hours between
cuts in the same area, which allowed most emergency lights to recover.
In practice, the minimum period between power cuts was usually at least
12 hours. Some areas with essential services, such as hospitals, were
exempt, although, where possible, engineers would be sent out to cut
power to the area around the essential service manually.

We ran a hired generator to cover every power cut. I remember having to
find and use the one petrol station in the area that still had a pump
with attachable handle to provide fuel.

I wonder if any petrol stations still have pumps like this?

I had apart time job in a petrol station. On of the guys there jacked up
the light van we had and took a back wheen off, replacing it with a rim.
Chocked the other wheel (well). Some kind of thin rope to the drive
pulley on the nearest pump.

Burnt out the clutch after half a day, and then got hauled over the coals
by the Fire Brigade.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 20:24:48 +0100, Tim Watts wrote:

On 24/06/14 19:54, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, ARW wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I
think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

Me too.

I was trying to revise for my 'A' levels by the light of a Tilley lamp.


A-Levels? You old person! ;-

I was just getting to grips with the Beano...

I was at university by then. They had generators.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 21:02:14 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2014-06-24, Tim Watts wrote:
On 24/06/14 19:54, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, ARW wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I
think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

Me too.

I was trying to revise for my 'A' levels by the light of a Tilley
lamp.


A-Levels? You old person! ;-

I am. Poised on the brink of retirement. Got my first free prescription
today and I'm about to apply for a senior rail card.

Don't forget the bus pass. Useful as proof of age/senility.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 24/06/2014 23:15, Bob Eager wrote:
On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 21:02:14 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2014-06-24, Tim Watts wrote:
On 24/06/14 19:54, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, ARW wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I
think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

Me too.

I was trying to revise for my 'A' levels by the light of a Tilley
lamp.


A-Levels? You old person! ;-

I am. Poised on the brink of retirement. Got my first free prescription
today and I'm about to apply for a senior rail card.

Don't forget the bus pass. Useful as proof of age/senility.

Also good for avoiding town centre parking fees, if you have somehere on
a bus route that will take you into town and where the parking is free.

--
Colin Bignell

On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 19:12:21 +0100, "ARW"
wrote:


Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I think?



Experiences in other parts of the country may have been very different.

I remember my Dad taking me to sit in the Cortina to listen to his radio (or
did he have a cassette player then?) - he certainly had beer.

I had beer as well, After leaving my first employment I thought I'd
try my luck at walking into a brewery and seeing if they had any
temporary jobs over the christmas rush.
Thre wasn't much other work around and as a 19 year old ****head I
felt I had the qualifications.
They did, then the 3 day week started in the new year and many of
those with two days spare went to the pubs. We had to work overtime
to keep up. brewing was classed as food production so wasn't as
restricted on power as much as some industries.My xmas job was
extended.
And though I moved on to do other jobs within the company not wishing
to spend my life running a bottle washer that intended temporary
employment lasted forty years. With a good final salary pension scheme
to boot.
I'm quite grateful for the 3 day week.

G.harman

Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, ARW wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message

anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...
Me too.
I was trying to revise for my 'A' levels by the light of a Tilley lamp.

I was being born. I've still not got over the shock.

--
Scott

Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 10:29:02 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2014-06-24, Nightjar "cpb"@ "insert my surname here wrote:
On 24/06/2014 23:15, Bob Eager wrote:
On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 21:02:14 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2014-06-24, Tim Watts wrote:
On 24/06/14 19:54, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, ARW wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I
think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...

Me too.

I was trying to revise for my 'A' levels by the light of a Tilley
lamp.


A-Levels? You old person! ;-

I am. Poised on the brink of retirement. Got my first free
prescription today and I'm about to apply for a senior rail card.

Don't forget the bus pass. Useful as proof of age/senility.

Also good for avoiding town centre parking fees, if you have somehere
on a bus route that will take you into town and where the parking is
free.

Ooh. Now *that's* an idea.

Except don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?

https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

Yeah, I don't qualify until 2020.

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the middle
of migration from 60 to 65.

Or are you THAT much younger than me?



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 25/06/2014 11:29, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, Nightjar "cpb"@ "insert my surname here wrote:
.....
Also good for avoiding town centre parking fees, if you have somehere on
a bus route that will take you into town and where the parking is free.

Ooh. Now *that's* an idea.

Except don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?..

Age 60 when I got my first one. They have been tightening the rules
since they realised how much the scheme was costing :-)


--
Colin Bignell

On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 11:51:45 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2014-06-25, Bob Eager wrote:
On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 10:29:02 +0000, Huge wrote:

[snippage]

Ooh. Now *that's* an idea.

Except don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?

https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

Yeah, I don't qualify until 2020.

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the
middle of migration from 60 to 65.

Or are you THAT much younger than me?


Bus pass

The date you qualify for a bus pass depends on if you live in:

England - 6 January 2020

You *are* that much younger than me!



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

Bob Eager wrote:

Huge wrote:

don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the middle
of migration from 60 to 65.

Is female retirement age getting capped at 65 then? I Didn't think so.
They won't be giving me a bus pass or state pension until I'm 67.

On 24/06/2014 22:02, Huge wrote:
Got my first free prescription
today

Get the right illness and you don't need to get old enough. IYSWIM. :-)

--
Rod

On 25/06/2014 20:15, Andy Burns wrote:
Bob Eager wrote:

Huge wrote:

don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the middle
of migration from 60 to 65.

Is female retirement age getting capped at 65 then? I Didn't think so.
They won't be giving me a bus pass or state pension until I'm 67.

There is no retirement age for males or females any more. It is
discriminatory to require employees to retire, unless there is a clearly
justifiable reason for setting a retirement age.

What is changing is the state pension age (SPA). At present, female SPA
is being increased to 65, to come in line with the male SPA in 2018,
after which they will both increase together.

--
Colin Bignell

In article , Nightjar
\cpb\@ insert my surname here wrote:
On 25/06/2014 20:15, Andy Burns wrote:
Bob Eager wrote:

Huge wrote:

don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the
middle of migration from 60 to 65.

Is female retirement age getting capped at 65 then? I Didn't think so.
They won't be giving me a bus pass or state pension until I'm 67.

There is no retirement age for males or females any more. It is
discriminatory to require employees to retire, unless there is a clearly
justifiable reason for setting a retirement age.

That isn't quite true. The State requires their employees to retire at
fixed ages, but those in private employement can work as long as they want.

What is changing is the state pension age (SPA). At present, female SPA
is being increased to 65, to come in line with the male SPA in 2018,
after which they will both increase together.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

On 25/06/2014 21:34, charles wrote:
In article , Nightjar
\cpb\@ insert my surname here wrote:
On 25/06/2014 20:15, Andy Burns wrote:
Bob Eager wrote:

Huge wrote:

don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the
middle of migration from 60 to 65.

Is female retirement age getting capped at 65 then? I Didn't think so.
They won't be giving me a bus pass or state pension until I'm 67.

There is no retirement age for males or females any more. It is
discriminatory to require employees to retire, unless there is a clearly
justifiable reason for setting a retirement age.

That isn't quite true. The State requires their employees to retire at
fixed ages, but those in private employement can work as long as they want.

Oddly enough, the government web site doesn't mention that :-)


--
Colin Bignell

On 25/06/2014 21:09, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-25, polygonum wrote:
On 24/06/2014 22:02, Huge wrote:
Got my first free prescription
today

Get the right illness and you don't need to get old enough. IYSWIM. :-)

I do, but it's not a very encouraging thought.

Not quite as bad as it might have read - I managed to get to mid-fifties
before needing any continuing medication at all - but the condition
happens to qualify for exemption. Ironically, despite that, I pay for my
own, getting it sent from Germany. It somehow seems to work better than
the three UK makes.

--
Rod

On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 20:15:35 +0100, Andy Burns wrote:

Bob Eager wrote:

Huge wrote:

don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the
middle of migration from 60 to 65.

Is female retirement age getting capped at 65 then? I Didn't think so.
They won't be giving me a bus pass or state pension until I'm 67.

Sorry, it was 65 to start with but they moved the goalposts again and I
forgot.

My official 'work' retirement age is 67, as per the contract I signed in
1978...
--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
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*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 20:08:59 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2014-06-25, Bob Eager wrote:
On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 11:51:45 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2014-06-25, Bob Eager wrote:
On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 10:29:02 +0000, Huge wrote:

[snippage]

Ooh. Now *that's* an idea.

Except don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?

https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

Yeah, I don't qualify until 2020.

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the
middle of migration from 60 to 65.

Or are you THAT much younger than me?


Bus pass

The date you qualify for a bus pass depends on if you live in:

England - 6 January 2020

You *are* that much younger than me!

You were a postdoc when I was a spotty 1st year undergrad (and only the
third person in Biology to have a user ID). We were all in awe of you.
If only I'd known ...

Ha!



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On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 20:41:43 +0100, polygonum wrote:

On 24/06/2014 22:02, Huge wrote:
Got my first free prescription today

Get the right illness and you don't need to get old enough. IYSWIM. :-)

Yup, my 18 year old son qualifies through illness. And I qualified just
after I decided to buy a prepay....but they did refund me. I got two
years out of that before I really hit 60.

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 24/06/2014 23:14, Bob Eager wrote:
On Tue, 24 Jun 2014 20:24:48 +0100, Tim Watts wrote:

On 24/06/14 19:54, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, ARW wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/14 11:43, Mick IOW wrote:
Hi all,
Can anyone remind me about the power cuts in the 1970s please?

Did the power cuts begin in September 1972 ?
Were they They3 hours on & 3 hours off ?

Then the 3 day week began in January in 1974 ?

I live on the Isle of Wight, but they were all over the UK I
think?

Mick.


anecdotal (I was like 4-5 at the time)...
Me too.
I was trying to revise for my 'A' levels by the light of a Tilley lamp.


A-Levels? You old person! ;-

I was just getting to grips with the Beano...
I was at university by then. They had generators.



As i remember it the goventment limited the use of generators.

In message , Bob Eager
writes
On Wed, 25 Jun 2014 20:15:35 +0100, Andy Burns wrote:

Bob Eager wrote:

Huge wrote:

don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension/y

For state pension, yes...but bus passes (scroll down a bit) are on a
sliding scale, following the female retirement age which is in the
middle of migration from 60 to 65.

Is female retirement age getting capped at 65 then? I Didn't think so.
They won't be giving me a bus pass or state pension until I'm 67.

Sorry, it was 65 to start with but they moved the goalposts again and I
forgot.

Transport act 2004 IIRC
My official 'work' retirement age is 67, as per the contract I signed in
1978...

--
bert

In message , "Nightjar
\"cpb\"@" "insert my surname writes
On 25/06/2014 11:29, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, Nightjar "cpb"@ "insert my surname here wrote:
....
Also good for avoiding town centre parking fees, if you have somehere on
a bus route that will take you into town and where the parking is free.

Ooh. Now *that's* an idea.

Except don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?..

Age 60 when I got my first one. They have been tightening the rules
since they realised how much the scheme was costing :-)


The rules have remained the same. It was argued that it was
discriminatory to give a free pas to women at 60 but not to men. IMHO
nonsensical but there it was.
The statutory requirement has not changed. However some councils notably
the urban conurbations were so flush with money that they could afford
to offer over and above that. Now they are having to trim back.
--
bert

On 26/06/2014 14:50, bert wrote:
In message , "Nightjar
\"cpb\"@" "insert my surname writes
On 25/06/2014 11:29, Huge wrote:
On 2014-06-24, Nightjar "cpb"@ "insert my surname here wrote:
....
Also good for avoiding town centre parking fees, if you have
somehere on
a bus route that will take you into town and where the parking is
free.

Ooh. Now *that's* an idea.

Except don't you have to be 65 to get a bus pass?..

Age 60 when I got my first one. They have been tightening the rules
since they realised how much the scheme was costing :-)


The rules have remained the same. It was argued that it was
discriminatory to give a free pas to women at 60 but not to men. IMHO
nonsensical but there it was.
The statutory requirement has not changed. However some councils
notably the urban conurbations were so flush with money that they
could afford to offer over and above that. Now they are having to trim
back.


The pass is a pain for the bus companies. They get 35p for each pass
used. It was cut from 75p a couple or years ago.
It caused real pain when it was cut and normal fares have had to be
adjusted for it and services suffered.

In message , Tim Streater
writes
In article , Gary
wrote:

The pass is a pain for the bus companies. They get 35p for each pass
used. It was cut from 75p a couple or years ago.
It caused real pain when it was cut and normal fares have had to be
adjusted for it and services suffered.

It's a pain for the local authority, too, according to our councillor.

But hey, it's all part of bribing us with our own money, so we feel
good.

And a way of avoiding paying a decent state pension.
--
bert