I have to say I agree with BristolScout. I’d like to take power out of the hands of the politicians and back into the professionals that know more about the issues, medical professionals and the pilots doing the job.
i can see an argument for both sides, however, ultimately, we like to have individual choice in the West. Personally, I could be swayed either way, if for instance, the mandatory retirement age coincided with state pension age, as well as fellow professionals such as a doctors, judges and politicians being forced to retire at an arbitrary age, rather than being allowed to sail on gracefully into the sunset at public expense, without an annual physical and mental capacity check.
Alternatively, if someone passes the medical and competency check, then why not let them continue to work? If the social justice argument is put forward about allowing younger people to benefit from jobs, then I wholeheartedly agree, and we start to retire everybody at a suitable age. Personally, I think an argument could be made for a retirement age of 60, funded by increased taxes on business and social contributions. At the end of the day, we are not here to work after all. However, that’s a whole new thread ......