HAVING known each other for 65 years Joan Bell and May Glenn from Kesh are lifelong friends and meet regularly to catch up and put the world to rights over a cup of tea and a biscuit.
“I have plenty of biscuits from Christmas, I want rid of them,” laughed Mrs. Bell. 
The custard creams are not the only thing she wants binned. With the collapse of Stormont and a pending election, politicians should probably approach the 82 year old with caution.
“They are terribly immature, they are like children who have never grown up. This election is a total waste of money. What’s going to change? Nothing,” said Mrs. Bell.
Mrs. Glenn is a former teacher at the Duke of Westminster, where she taught biology and careers. The 80 year old is concerned about the future of education because of the impasse at Stormont.
“All the schools are very capable,” she said. “But what does worry me is the fact there is no building yet for Devenish College.”
There are “huts” at the school now, said Mrs. Bell. 
“Using up playground space and what have you,” said Mrs. Glenn. “The politicians need to be focused on a new Devenish College. They have a site.”
“They have a site this 10 years,” said Mrs. Bell. “They want to build Irish speaking schools where there is only two dozen pupils. Can they not do it so that every school teaches Irish in the same way as French, German, whatever. Sure, the politicians listen to nobody.”
“That £50,000 that was denied to the Irish language [and then reinstated by Communities Minister Paul Givan] was a big mistake,” said Mrs. Glenn. “I have absolutely nothing against learning Irish.”
Mrs. Bell, a member of the Pensioners Parliament, worries about older people “who feel left out” now more than ever before. 
“The politicians need to be focused on providing more home help when you get out of hospital, there’s not enough help. The craters are sitting in their own houses and they have no help,” she said.
“And then people remain in hospital maybe a month or six weeks longer than they should,” said Mrs. Glenn.
“Because there’s no package,” said Mrs. Bell. 
“They ask you ‘do you prefer to stay at home as you get older or prefer a nursing home?’ Well, 99 per cent of people stay at home but then there’s no provision made for those people. I could do with help, but I haven’t looked about help,” she said.
“I know someone who travels to Newtownbutler every day to carry out home help,” said Mrs. May.
“Yes, it doesn’t make sense,” said Mrs. Bell.
“And you see, Joan, her whole social life is destroyed because she’s away at night putting these folks to bed,” said Mrs. Glenn.
“Well, I have said that carers need paid properly,” said Mrs. Bell.
“Sure, May, a carer could come from Pettigo to put me to bed or get me up,” she added. “But some of the home help get no travel allowance. I’ve asked the politicians if they would like to get up every evening to put someone to bed 10 mile up the road without any pay. They would not. 
“If they had put the money from the big boilers into giving the poor craters who are sitting with one bar of heating on more money instead of paying £1.60 for every pound spent,” said Mrs. Bell.
“Some of the older people see it as a choice between food and fuel,” said Mrs. Glenn.
“No, it is cruel, that’s what it is,” said Mrs. Bell.
“There’s a wee woman I know who saves her money for oil instead of buying it in bits. She’s trying to save to put a couple of hundred of pounds in the tank and is forever saving,” she added.
“And then she’s probably cutting out on the food,” said Mrs. Glenn.
The failed renewable heat incentive is one of the reasons why Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigned last week sparking political chaos. 
“That heating thing just gonked me altogether, “said Mrs. Bell. “How can any normal person decide if I spend a £1 you’d give me £1.60? The tin man in the Wizard of Oz had more brain.” 
“I know, I appreciate that, but it was a cross community decision,” said Mrs. Glenn. 
“I would have plenty to say to them if they came to my door,” said Mrs. Bell.
“Joan, you would use that stick,” laughed Mrs. Glenn.
“Where were their brains or had they none? Or are we putting in people without brains. Is there nobody that we can vote for who has a brain?” asked Mrs. Bell.
“I often wondered instead of the top party representing nationalists and unionists if we had some representation from every level; the SDLP, the Ulster Unionists, Alliance, then we would get a much broader, fairer spectrum,” said Mrs. Glenn.