SIR – I agree with Audrey Raistrick (Letters, December 31) that the campaign for a minister for older people is a pretty pointless one.
Experience shows that appointments of this kind have had little or no power, or little commitment to their brief by ministers who have a more important job at the same time. For instance, I doubt if many women feel that their interests are being really well served by the current minister for women, Theresa May, whose ‘real job’ is as Home Secretary.
However, I do not share Audrey’s view that we pensioners have no organisations with teeth. The National Pensioners’ Convention, which organises and campaigns nationally and locally on the whole range of issues which affect pensioners, is increasingly making pensioners’ voices heard by Government and other agencies.
Audrey talks of “networking”, which sounds to me like a rather feeble alternative to organising. If we can get more pensioners to organise in and around the NPC, and to use our vast electoral power, there is no limit to what we might achieve.
The NPC has an excellent website, and I can be contacted on 07967 34880.
Paul Russell, Secretary, Yorks and Humber Pensioners’ Convention, Kirkgate, Shipley
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