On the day that Tony Blair celebrates his 50th birthday, Help the Aged has handed the prime minister a petition calling on the government to ban age discrimination.

Forum Response: Help the Aged

A spokesman for Help the Aged told ePolitix.com: "Age discrimination is rife in Britain but often goes unnoticed and unchallenged, even though it is just as wrong as racism and sexism.

"Ten per cent of companies have no staff over the age of 50. Ninety percent of older people believe that employers discriminate against them. Working people over pension age have no employment rights."

Forum Response: Age Concern

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, told ePolitix.com: "An Age Concern/ICM poll in 2001 revealed a staggering 31 million people believe that Britain is ageist.

"The need to stamp out ageism is increasingly urgent in the light of our ageing population. Age discrimination not only affects older people, but impoverishes society as a whole, as older people's skills and experience are neither valued or used properly.

"We call on the government to act now to end age discrimination in five key areas where thousands suffer on a daily basis - in employment; health; social care; learning and in the marketplace."

Forum Response: Association of Retired and Persons Over 50

Don Steele, director of social policy at ARP/O50, told ePolitix.com: "The message from older people to Tony Blair on this rather special birthday can be clear and unambiguous - 'Congratulations - and welcome to the 'Discrimination Zone'.

"For most people the hazards quickly begin to appear. He, of course, will be spared the longer wait in casualty should the electric drill slip while he is putting up another shelf or two at Number 10 (The Citizens Advice Bureau found in a survey that the older people became the longer they must expect to wait in casualty before attention is given).

"The increased premiums on his car insurance, however, imposed for no other reason than that he is a person of advancing age, may cause consternation given that he is now considered a greater risk to others. Even Alastair Campbell can't put a gloss on that one.

"Even if Tony avoids these, and a dozen other similar annoyances, he will be unwise to try to change his job. The legal profession has a worse discrimination record than almost any other profession and at 50 he doesn't stand a chance.

"It is just a possibility, of course, that Cherie may know someone. If not then there is always the Church. With dog-collar and guitar he would become the pin-up of every Alpha group in the country.

"But seriously, Tony will find that life begins at fifty - providing you have a job, access to health care when you need it and enough income to enjoy the abundance of opportunities now available to older people. This is what we would wish for him - and trust he will wish (and work) for the same for the rest of us."