If you pay lots of tax and die young you are a good citizen.
And if you worked hard all yer life since being a youngster, paid every penny due, and have the audacity to stay living well into retirement... you become a burden to everyone, you're an unaffordable expense to the NHS, you're reminded that everyone still working is paying shedloads for your pension, and you'd do everyone a favour if you died sooner than later, when you're ready.
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Quite a few years ago I spent a few hols in Tenerife, and spent more than a few evenings in a village close to las Americas, but largely unvisited and still pretty unspoilt, and with a couple of family run cafes selling the most deeeelicious salads, beer, and garlic chicken to die for, bit like yer chippy! One main street is where it all went on... the villagers basically spent their evening outdoors, and the older folks sat relaxed chewing the cud with friends, respected by their youngers, and feeling like they were still part of the life and heart of the village, and cared about individually, so it felt to me. Far from being afraid to be outdoors and on the streets at night, nothing felt safer than doing just that here, and such a contrast to the noisy and drunken stupidity of the tourist strip at night, just a few miles away. I'd love for every pensioner to have that end of life 'life'...
