Ban spoilt elderly from voting, says Paxo (a cantankerous 67)
THREE years after he quit Newsnight, it would appear Jeremy Paxman has lost little of his combative style.
But instead of taking on politicians in the TV studio, he’s decided to rail at an entire generation – pensioners.
The 67- year- old presenter accused his peers of betraying young people and holding politicians to ransom – and called for a ban on votes for the over-65s.
He added: ‘I think that my generation have behaved like spoilt children. And, like spoilt children, our response is “it’s not my fault”. It’s never our bloody fault.
‘Actually, it is, because we have failed to recognise the consequences of our behaviour.’
He said he did not take his state pension and he lamented the money given to the elderly, including the winter fuel allowance. ‘I don’t take the fuel allowance and I was offended to be offered it frankly – while I appreciate that some people do need it,’ he said.
‘And I don’t take the pension. They’ve still got to be paid for by other people.’
He admitted he was ‘very fortunate’ and was able to keep working. ‘I’d like to carry on annoying people for a bit longer,’ he said.
The presenter, who hosted Newsnight for 25 years before stepping down in 2014, said his generation had enjoyed free university education and a booming jobs market. He claimed none of his friends had found it difficult to get work.
He went on to blame his generation for the housing crisis, saying they had enjoyed cheap property, while the young struggled to get on the housing ladder. ‘In that period between getting a job and demanding our pensions, we have sat on our arses and watched our houses appreciate in value to the point where property prices bear no relation to people’s earnings,’ he said.
The Cambridge- educated presenter also accused pensioners of ‘exploiting’ their vote by forcing politicians to focus on their own problems. He was speaking at an event run by debating organisation Intelligence Squared.
‘Betrayal is a harsh word … and refusing to recognise the consequences of your own actions is in itself an act of betrayal,’ he said. Those consequences, according to Paxman, are a highly competitive job market, limited prospects and sky-high property prices.
He said older people had too much power over political debate. He added: ‘I’m in favour of limiting the franchise … by stopping people voting at 65. The problem is that we demand things of politicians and they give it to us because they know we’ll go out and vote.
‘They keep making them [pensioners] promises – and in particular, they promised that they will improve their pensions.’
Since stepping down from Newsnight, it is not clear how much Paxman now earns. But in 2006, it was revealed his annual salary was £240,000 for University Challenge and £800,000 for Newsnight.
Last year, it emerged that he had split with his wife of 34 years, TV producer Elizabeth Clough, and he was seen in the company of Canadian researcher Jillian Taylor, 38. He has three grown-up children.
‘Betrayal is a harsh word’