But it wasn't for the privileged, I benefitted from it and I'm far from privileged.
Tarquin and Jemima? FFS, remove that bag of McCains from your shoulder.

So Gove was wrong, eh?

Of course it was for privileged. Only the privileged can afford to shove £15K into an ISA or will have built enough up in a pension to make it worthwhile to withdraw it.

How did you benefit? Are you about to start shovelling £15K a year into an ISA (despite the fact interest rates remain a pittance)?

Do you have child care costs of £10K so you can get a £2K of tax relief on those?

Are you 55 or older and have enough money in your pension pot to withdraw it and invest in a buy to let?

Or are you suggesting you are better off because of the changes to the personal income tax allowance having completely forgotten about the fact it is just not going to make up for the rise in energy prices you have already experienced or the fact you will continue to pay VAT at 20%?

In short, why are you so easily fooled?

The ISAs issue is hilarious. As you rightly point out, interest rates are such that's it's absolutely no better than simply keeping the money in your current account.

I had two: the first was a basic one, which then proceeded to sit around, with money in, for some years with interest rates meaning that it was growing barely at all. To clarify, this was a four-figure sum, not peanuts.

The second one had a percentage of the money that was to be invested, by the bank in question (the Halifax) in medium-risk ventures.

That went pear-shaped and has taken something like six years to even recover the initial amount.

I'd have been better keeping cash under the mattress.

The former has been closed and the money invested in our home – it'll be more use like that. I'm preparing to do the same with the latter, before finances go tîts up again.

That reminds me of when I had several thousands of pound notes under my mattress back in the 80
's when I was in my twenties.
Looking back it seemed to give the bed extra bounceability when I used to drag young ladies back to my boudoir.
I haven't even got a fiver to stick under these days.

We've been trying to find accounts that pay a reasonable rate of interest and using those instead. And then you have to look around and shift stuff again, because the good rates are only for a limited time.

But I detest this entire thing about being expected to become an expert yourself – and certainly not being able to simply trust those working in banks to be genuinely helpful.

You try to be sensible/responsible, but things are stacked to work against you.

This is going to be a huge issue now the over 55's can raid their pension pots for the cash. Annuity rates are rubbish and I am sure people having to buy one now don't relish the idea but the alternative is invest it yourself (or just blow it as I am sure some will do).

The idea you would rely on a financial advisor or banks staff to offer decent advice is a concept long dead.

Some people will really like this idea but forget as they age their mental capacity often declines and even the well-informed get ripped off or persuaded to make risky investments.

I can see a disaster in the making.

Regardless of what people make of that poster, it has made for tens of spoof alternative posters (which are more true), and led to 'ToryBingo' trending on Twitter, one of the funniest trends I've seen in regards to what people are typing.

Its already been disastrous for pension/annuity providers with their shares crashing to the floor just minutes after Gideon's brave new idea, many of which are the same pension managers looking after current savers pots, which means they will crash too, nice days work.

I'm looking forward to cashing in all of my pension plans in eight years time and then going for a nice fish and chip meal with a glass of Vimto on the side, and if the pension pot stretches to it I might even take the wife and pay for hers too.

You do know how ISA's work? Don't you? You don't have to shove the whole 15k in at once.
You should campaign to have them banned, they're nothing but a tool for the rich! Bloody Labour party, they're the ones to blame, they kept increasing the limit, purely to benefit the privileged few. One of the increases only applied to the over 50's!! FFS Harumph harumph harumph. This was about the same time that the Labour party abolished the 10p tax rate, screwing millions of the poorest in society! More Harumph harumph harumph. And still fools vote for them, why are they so easily fooled?

What energy price rises have I experienced? Just how much have my bills gone up since 2010? I'm intrigued how you know this info.
Aaah VAT, that old chestnut, yes, it's appalling that everything that once cost £99.99 now costs £102.

Wrong about what? Too many public school "graduates" in the cabinet/government? Yes and no. Unfortunately it's symptomatic of all the major parties, people who toe the line are drafted in to contest seats, but then the electorate do their bit and vote for them. I don't expect anything else from the Tories, but to listen to the Labour leader bleating on about privilege and millionaire "friends" when he gets a lift to Hull City in a Bentley takes the a bit. (Bit of football for JerryChicken)

Doesn't change the FACT that unless the interest rates change, they're absolutely no better than a good, old-fashioned deposit account (and at least you knew where you stood with those).

And there are not a huge amount of people on here who would not criticise Labour for all the same things, so get over yourself and your blatant tribalism.

Well done for trying to swerve the point.

Gove didn't criticise his own party for "too many public school "graduates" in the cabinet/government", he pointed out the 'toffs' thing.

And looking at their latest social media performance, he's damned right.

But well done for trying to pretend that:

a) you don;t understand what Gove was on about;

b) deflect from your masters.

Now go away and tug your forelock.