Are you reading this Mr Darling?

Judging by Mr Blair's Question Time appearance last night he may be out of a job this time next week whichever party wins the election. If the glum one enters Number 10 I suppose that my ex-and-next MP will move in next door. Instead of gleefully watching replays of the sweating Tony, Gordon's blond sidekick may be better advised to study the press conference given by President Bush last night:

Some will be upset about his suggestion that Social Security could be means tested, and understandably so, since if that proposal were enacted, the people who pay the most into the Social Security program will get the least out of it. Frankly, however, I think some kind of means test is inevitable. More than twenty years ago, I began retirement planning on the assumption that all of my Social Security payments have been a complete waste, and I will never get a nickel out of the program. I'm willing to accept that outcome, in exchange for a system in which everyone, not just upper-income workers, can save money and accumulate wealth instead of retiring onto the dole.

(NB "Social Security" in the US means the old age pension.)

I presume that none of my readers are relying on collecting a pension from the British state, although you might get something if you actually work for are employed by Leviathan. Yes folks, it's coming here too. If you have any private savings (you evil, capitalist exploiter), you can plan to kiss your state pension goodbye.

(UPDATE: As soon as I had finished posting this I received a letter from that nice Mr Darling. He tells me: "There is massive investment in local schools and hospitals - along with more for pensioners and hard working families." Phew; everything's OK then.)

(I presume that there's been no "investment" in Glasgow schools - see above)