Political commentators have said the ‘grey' vote promises to be pivotal this election. Higher voting turn out amongst the over 60s combined with an increasingly top heavy demographic mean that pensioners will be crucial in deciding who will form the next government.
Despite all three of the big party leaders falling over each other trying to appeal to this section of the electorate, the Greens have today argued that it is only they who will take the necessary steps to eradicate pensioner poverty once and for all.
A Green Party spokesperson said:
"The big three parties are making lots of noise about what they're going to do for pensioners. But the stark truth is that only the Green Party have pledged to put the money into basic state pensions that will mean that every pensioner will be taken out of poverty."
"Figures from the National Pensioners' Convention show that 2.5m pensioners were living below the official poverty line in 2007/8."
"The rising cost of food and fuel, combined with record lows in savings returns and underperforming pensions, means that people aged 70 and over will suffer a disproportionate increase in the cost of living."
"All three of the main parties have promised to restore the basic link between the state pension and earnings on varying timescales. But none have pledged the money needed to meet a key demand of the NPC and set the basic state pension above the official poverty level (estimated at £165 a week in 2009)."
"A key tenet of this General Election's Green Party Manifesto is that we want to introduce a basic, non-means tested pension of £170 a week and make social care free for the elderly, as in Scotland."
"If the first Green MPs are elected on Thursday, pensioners and others can be assured that there will be a tireless voice campaigning in Westminster for a fairer deal for older people across Britain."