I AM an angry man. As I grow older and less inclined than ever to believe the lies, half-truths and general humbug that our political leaders dole out, I get angrier and even more cynical.

The guiding principle of all Downing Street discussions is "priorities". Which is why I am so utterly ashamed that Britain, along with Portugal and Ireland, is at the bottom of the list, spending less in percentage terms on pensions for its old people than all the others in the European Union.

Italy, France, Sweden and Finland are at the top of the list.

In Britain, we like to claim we have the best kind of democracy, some sort of moral superiority over the rest of the world and that we can show "Johnny foreigner" how things really should be done. What bunkum!

Apart from miserly pensions in a country which now has the fastest rising rate of taxation in Europe, we still have old people being forced to sell their homes and possessions to pay for their old age care.

Every winter, thousands of old people are afraid of the cost of turning up the heating to keep themselves warm.

And this Government, like every other administration before it, is prepared to use pensioners' benefits as a political pawn.

The latest example is the cynical plan to delay introducing a nationwide scheme for cheap pensioners' bus fares until the spring of 2001, the most likely time of the next election. It will then be regarded as a sure-fire votecatcher.

Yet, in spite of this niggardliness, "priorities" still dictate there is always a bottomless war chest with millions of pounds available whenever we want to send soldiers, aircraft carriers and fighter planes to help prop up some failing government.

What is it about British leaders that they all want to behave like colonial emperors dominating half the world?

There is always an equally deep emergency fund when it comes to handing out cash to dodgy regimes in Third World countries or writing off their debts.

The largesse is on a staggering scale. What are we trying to prove?

I confess I am a firm believer that charity begins at home.

As long as we live in a country that cannot afford to care for its older people generously, that cannot afford to educate its children properly, that cannot afford to deal with the problems of homelessness compassionately, that cannot afford to run a health service effectively, in fact all the things that should make up a truly civilised society, why are we strutting about the world stage throwing our precious money around with profligate abandon?

It is time to stop. Do you remember that marvellous film Network with the late Peter Finch playing an angry and disillusioned TV commentator?

He urged his viewers to throw open their windows, lean out into the night and yell: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this any more." Let us all go for it.

Lis Solkhon is away

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.