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who matters, which is GB News viewer and pensioner Anita Atkinson from Durham
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Anita, thank you for holding there whilst we debated amongst ourselves. Thank you for joining us this afternoon
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What's your take on the winter fuel announced policy? Have you been affected, first of all
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Oh, yes, I've been affected. I'm a pensioner. Yes, I've been affected. And actually, I've never, ever in the whole of my life
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and I've worked all my life, and I have brought up three children. I'm now a grandparent to five children
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All of my children work. My husband works. I worked. And I've never been on benefits in my life
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But I did hear one day how the pensions were classed as a benefit
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I don't want the benefit if that's what it is. I don't want your winter fuel allowance if you're going to class that as a benefit
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I've worked my way through life. All of my family have. And I'm still working now, actually
0:56
You're still working. And do you know what? I worked 22 years as a newspaper editor without a holiday
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seven days a week, no holiday. I went away, but I was never off duty
1:10
I worked all that time. I'm better off, actually, as a pensioner. Yeah
1:16
Anita, they don't make them like you anymore, let me tell you, especially as a newspaper editor, which is no easy task
1:21
Local newspapers, what's the remit? Yeah, it was a local community newspaper
1:27
that I work for on minimum wage I think I maybe got paid 28 hours a week I certainly work between 60 and 80 hours a week I wrote 60 to 80 newspaper stories every two weeks
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And to class my pension as a benefit is an absolute disgrace
1:47
I paid tax all that time. I paid national insurance all that time
1:51
I've never had a benefit in my life. But do you know, Ben, countries, societies
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they're judged on how they treat their most vulnerable. Yep. So what does that say about our country
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Finally, what would you like to say to Chris, to Chris Rourke here? He says pensioners are just a bunch of rich, entitled people
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who don't deserve any help. Which one? Well, I tell you what, Chris, I actually feel rich now
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because of the pension, because I get more pension than I do ever working for a wage
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and I never once had one day's sick. and never had one day's holiday in all of that time
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But do you know what? What you're talking about, the winter fuel allowance is given to families on low incomes
2:31
These are families that are working, Chris. They're working and they still can't afford
2:35
to heat their homes in the winter. You're a disgrace. I'll tell you what, Anita
2:41
when you've got two people working 60-hour weeks, struggling to afford nappies and getting taxed the way we are
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you've got to talk about intergenerational fairness. We're not talking about the vulnerable
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We're talking about the rich, five-bedroom-owning, wine-cellared, well-off, not getting the winter cruise allowance
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And that is the main thing. What is this about the cruise? It's a small percentage. To protect the vulnerable
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You go and live with Anita for a week. Mine aren't like the new person
