At the start of the last century, the average age of death was fortysomething and you were considered clapped out if you reached your 50s.

Now most people expect to reach at least 80 and to be in good nick to the end.

There are some remarkable old people about.

Sir Patrick Moore is still stargazing well into his 70s. Alistair Cooke, now well into his 90s, presents Letter From America as he has done for the last half century, while rivalling him as Britain's oldest broadcaster is Alan Keith of Your Hundred Best Tunes fame.

Jimmy Young has resisted a campaign to push him off the radio for being too old at 78.

A Greek man recently completed a marathon at 98 and a spin bowler aged 71 took all ten wickets in an innings.

In Brighton, Jim Wild swam round the Palace Pier on his 80th birthday.

There are also some remarkably old people about. When I was a child, I always hoped someone famous was going to reach 100.

In recent years, many have made it, including songwriter Irving Berlin, the Queen Mother and anthropologist Margaret Meads, whose autobiography was called My First Hundred Years.

I am almost 60 and my parents are still alive. The Prince of Wales, not far behind, still goes to see his granny.

I read of a golden wedding celebration at Shoreham where the guest of honour was the former bride's mother, now a spry 99.

When I started reporting, seeing someone of 100 was an event and the person involved was almost invariably gaga. Now they are so common, we sometimes don't report them at all.

In the United States, grey power has proved to be a political force which no one can ignore.

In Britain, there is pent-up frustration by many pensioners about how little they are able to achieve.

Even though they represent a third of the population in parts of Worthing and Bexhill, they are not a potent force.

All this will change in Brighton and Hove if the older people's council, formed this week, is a success.

There were 27 candidates for nine seats and voting took place during a two-day event at the Brighton Centre, which included attractions ranging from line dancing to free lightbulbs.

The idea is for this group, supposedly representative of people over 60, to put its views to the city council and other organisations, such as health trusts, which provide services for the elderly.

This sort of council is mandatory in Denmark, a country visited by many pensioners in Brighton, including Mayor Harry Steer, to see how it worked.

They were impressed and returned full of enthusiasm. But warning bells sounded as soon as I heard about it.

First is the title - Brighton and Hove Older People's Council. Who are they older than - just the young and the middle aged? Why not old? The title smacks of bureaucracy and political correctness.

Then I looked through the lists of candidates. Two things struck me about them. While I did not know them all, I did spot several political activists.

It would be a shame if the council was divided along party lines.

Also lurking on the lists were some of the biggest whingers in the city and a few known for anger and antipathy rather than positive thinking.

I hope this new body will, as the council expects, improve the lives, choices and opportunities of pensioners.

It has been set up with the blessing of everyone from the pensions minister to Age Concern.

So my message to the sensible tendency who have been elected on behalf of all pensioners is to ban party politics, stifle bores, eschew negativity and make sure the voice is a pleasure to listen to, rather than a petulant whine.