05 February 2024 , 22:18
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Long may he reign
The shock after Buckingham Palace’s announcement on Monday night was tangible. We applaud the King’s refreshing openness in making his condition public, in the hope it will encourage others to get medical checks.
Though his cancer is not of the prostate, it was because of tests for that condition that the true illness became apparent. The consequences for the King and Royal Family will be challenging.
His Majesty intends to maintain his weekly audiences with the Prime Minister and keep on dealing with red boxes but public appearances will inevitably be curtailed. That increases pressure on a family already dealing with the Princess of Wales’ absence as she recovers from an operation.
We’re confident Charles’ heir, the Prince of Wales, will step up and take the lead. Charles is a king who will be determined the British state does not miss a beat. And at least he knows he has the British people’s best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.
Pension potty
When the poorest die nearly 10 years younger than the richest, raising the UK state pension age to 71 would cheat many workers of any retirement at all. Political leaders must unite in rejecting projections from experts that the current pension-qualifying age of 66 will rise to 67, then 68... then another three years.
Warning as popular food and drink ‘increase risk of cancer death by up to 30%’
Forcing people to work until they drop is unjust and, combined with the utter failure to create a social care system worthy of the name, a woeful way to treat senior citizens. We all deserve much better in later life.
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A boy wonder
with the death of Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard’s Private Pike, much-loved actor Ian Lavender, the last of the Dad’s Army’s platoon is now gone.
Far from being the “stupid boy” Captain Mainwaring berated in the sitcom, Ian was a genius of comic timing, guaranteeing his name and sense of humour will long live on.