WASPI Campaign .... State Pensions

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  • dunstonh
    dunstonh Posts: 116,040
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    Pennylane wrote: »
    Talk about two-faced. can't stand Altmann.

    Look at her history. It is full of changing positions to suit herself. So, this should not be a surprise to anyone.
    I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.
  • bmm78
    bmm78 Posts: 423 Forumite
    edited 12 October 2016 at 10:02AM
    jem16 wrote: »
    Steve Webb has also said that MPs were not fully briefed when the 2011 Act was going through Parliament. Yet Hansard records show that all the same questions being asked now we're fully discussed at the time. In fact this was what led to the 6 months concession as amendments were proposed.

    Webb of course was fully aware (as were many MPs) that some women did not know of the 1995 Pensions Act prior to the passing of 2011:

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100309/halltext/100309h0006.htm

    "Although we are talking about what happens post 2020 when we go from 65 to 68, I strongly suspect that our mailbags will start to fill up very soon with letters from women who did not know that the age was going up from 60"


    Altmann is clearly looking to repair the damage to her "consumer champion" reputation, and has probably recognised that Waspi favour can be gained with meaningless platitudes rather than any coherent or consistent logic. See how dozens of MPs made an exhibition of presenting petitions yesterday, while still not coming close to a constructive policy suggestion after 18 months of grandstanding.

    FOI requests show that the government spent £26.5m in 2003/4 promoting awareness of various pension issues including equalisation. This is in addition to announcing the changes on live television and the 17.8m APFs issued unprompted. Beyond that, there was considerable media coverage and communications from occupational schemes to their members. Failing that, anyone could (and should) have requested a state pension forecast. The notion that there was no reason for anyone to do so is confounded by the fact that 11.5m of them were requested since 2000.
    I work for a financial services intermediary specialising in the at-retirement market. I am not a financial adviser, and any comments represent my opinion only and should not be construed as advice or a recommendation
  • bmm78
    bmm78 Posts: 423 Forumite
    dunstonh wrote: »
    Look at her history. It is full of changing positions to suit herself. So, this should not be a surprise to anyone.

    http://www.adviserlounge.co.uk/2015/04/23/ros-altmann-and-her-critics/

    '"She is also accused of hypocrisy. For years, she campaigned for the open market option for annuity sales and against single-tied deals.

    But when quizzed about Saga Group’s own single-tied deal with Legal & General she defended it. “We are not in the business of shopping around,” she told Money Marketing in 2012.

    Consumer champion Which? hit out at the arrangement and, by her own admission, it could cost savers but she promoted it at Saga anyway.

    Speaking to Investment Sense in 2013, six months after leaving Saga, she said single-tied deals meant “people could still lose significant amounts of money."'



    :think:
    I work for a financial services intermediary specialising in the at-retirement market. I am not a financial adviser, and any comments represent my opinion only and should not be construed as advice or a recommendation
  • Archi_Bald
    Archi_Bald Posts: 9,681
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    They were told once again today that nothing will change. This if from PMQs:
    Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab)

    Last night, a huge number of MPs presented in this House WASPI—Women Against State Pension Inequality—petitions from towns up and down the country, so will the Prime Minister now commit to overturning those mistaken arrangements of 2011 and provide justice and transitional arrangements for WASPI women?

    The Prime Minister

    The hon. Lady should know that transitional arrangements are already in place. We did make changes. We committed £1 billion to lessen the impact of the state pension age changes on those who were affected, so that no one would experience a change of more than 18 months. In fact, 81% of women’s state pension ages will increase by no more than 12 months, compared to the previous timetable.

    The Department for Work and Pensions informed people of the change in the state pension age after the changes that were made in 2011. Moreover, in the future women will gain from the new pension arrangements that are being introduced. Women’s pensions are a long-standing issue, but there will be better pension arrangements for them in the future because of the changes that the Government have made.

    Source: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-10-12/debates/9D603E78-5493-424C-99D9-17613E0C4EB8/OralAnswersToQuestions
  • bmm78
    bmm78 Posts: 423 Forumite
    Archi_Bald wrote: »
    They were told once again today that nothing will change. This if from PMQs:



    Source: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-10-12/debates/9D603E78-5493-424C-99D9-17613E0C4EB8/OralAnswersToQuestions

    Rather careless of McGovern to let slip that like the SNP, Labour are only looking at the 2011 Pensions Act and nothing to do with 1995....:o

    Needs to take a leaf out of Andy "Future Mayor of Manchester" Burnham's book, who would never let such irrelevances such as "policies" get in the way of a Churchillian speech about fighting for "justice" and "equality".
    I work for a financial services intermediary specialising in the at-retirement market. I am not a financial adviser, and any comments represent my opinion only and should not be construed as advice or a recommendation
  • jamesd
    jamesd Posts: 26,103
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    Archi_Bald wrote: »
    "
    Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab)

    Last night, a huge number of MPs presented in this House WASPI—Women against State Pension Inequality—petitions from towns up and down the country, so will the Prime Minister now commit to overturning those mistaken arrangements of 2011 and provide justice and transitional arrangements for WASPI women?"
    I do hope that this government does deliver justice to those women and overturns those mistaken arrangements.

    By removing the inequality of the 10% higher state pension payments that women will on average receive than an otherwise identical man after the effects of the Act. Removing the billion Pounds of transitional help for affected women in the form of an earlier than originally planned state pension age for them that was included would be a good start on that path.

    It's well worth remembering that the WASPI2 are asking for increased gender discrimination in the state pension system regardless of financial need, unlike say the WASPI3.
  • colsten
    colsten Posts: 17,597
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    jamesd wrote: »
    It's well worth remembering that the WASPI2 are asking for increased gender discrimination in the state pension system regardless of financial need, unlike say the WASPI3.
    Unless I misunderstand, the WASPI3 aren't exactly concerned about gender or younger cohort discrimination. Literally none of their 10 options talks about anything but their own self-interest. Their number 10 option even is the WASPI2 option.
  • WASPI to take legal action. :rotfl:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/WASPI_Campaign/status/786599197537558528

    Looks like they're going to try crowdfunding to raise money for the action.
  • Silvertabby
    Silvertabby Posts: 8,971
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    I bet Bindman's Solicitors think that their birthdays and Christmases have all come at once!
  • jamesd
    jamesd Posts: 26,103
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    edited 13 October 2016 at 7:30PM
    Them and whoever takes on the discrimination counter-claim case against the WASPI2's organisation. :)

    We could end up with the government and a crowdfunded alternative case against WASPI2 going on as well. :) Will be interesting to see how those at the WASPI2 seeking increased discrimination do against those who are seeking less of it.

    Probably not going to be necessary, though, since the changes came about as a response to anti-discrimiination decisions and the WASPI2 are seeking to reverse that and go back to the greater discrimination there was before.

    Their first challenge might even be getting a court to accept that there is any prospect of success given the precedents, so it might even get thrown out at an early stage and save us a lot of avoidable concern about WASPI2's group causing pensions to be cut or not increased as much for everyone else to pay for their huge demands.
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