By Christian May Nothing in politics is more painful than the removal of a benefit to which the recipients have become accustomed. Successive Chancellors and Prime Ministers have discovered this, sometimes to their embarrassment and sometimes to their very great cost. Related to this first rule, comes another; don’t mess with pensioners. In fact, ‘not messing’ with them is not good enough, and most political strategists have held to the belief that pensioners must be protected at all costs – from such irritants as rising prices, tax, and economic reality. All of which makes Labour’s modest mov…