[Margaret Pilkington]

You have hit the nail on the head Exile.
The politicians want us to depend on them...dependent folk are less and less likely to think for themselves, be responsible for themselves.
It gives politicians an element of control.
I want to support myself, to be independent of benefits....and don't anyone come back with the riposte that if I claim my state pension, then this is a benefit. It is not.
Benefits are not taxed. I pay tax on my pension because during my working life I paid voluntarily into an independent fund to ensure that during my twilight years I could be financially solvent.
I planned my retirement and made provision for it.
This is how I was brought up.
You can have whatever you want, but it has to be paid for(surely that is the first rule of financial solvency). If you can't pay, then you have to save a bit more until you can pay for it.

Like you, I can forgo my Winter Fuel payment...I will buy myself a few extra jumpers from one of the charity shops, I will move about more and if it gets really cold(like Canadian cold)
I will go to bed and wrap myself in the duvet.
It is a trade off I am willing to make to get out of the EU.