The WASPI Conundrum

 C will occasionally say I am an opinionated sod. I don't deny this. 

Apparently the then Tory government quietly passed the 1995 Pensions Act and somehow convinced the entire British media to ignore this major piece of legislation which affects half of all Britons. Was Mr Major so bloody minded that he decided to hide that fact that those effected has a full 15 years notice of the change? 

It wasn't until 20 years later that the truth came out that (shock, horror): the state pension age for women in the UK was going to be equalised with that for men. Clearly the Pensions Act 2011 was also similarly hushed up so that nobody knew the change was happening until 3 years later with the Pensions Act 2014 - when campaigners finally began a petition (incidentally several years after the changes started to happen and women born after 1950 were already waiting longer for their state pensions!). 

I would be truly appalled by this conspiracy of mass deception if I hadn't personally somehow known, for nearly 30 years, the fact that it was happening. Are they really claiming that they, their relatives, their friends, their acquaintances never used a TV set, a radio, the www, newspapers, social media etc during those 20 years? Get real.

The 2010 Equality Act provides protection against discrimination in employment, and as users of private and public services on the basis of age (and other protected characteristics) so I guess this piece of legislation was also passed completely in secret - otherwise how come there was still a patently unfair difference between the pension ages of men and women?

So sorry but I have little sympathy for the WASPI cause; if they are claiming inequality then they should be campaigning for all those males who lost out on retiring at 60 prior to 2010.

And as for the howl of 'Betrayal!" from the Tory press and MPs: historical comments made by members of an opposition party who now, finally in power, can see the appalling financial mess the last lot have left them are wholly irrelevant. Of course they would pay compensation if there was the money; of course they would pay the Winter Fuel Allowance; of course they would avoid increasing national insurance. Where were the howls when Osborne abandoned the schools renovation/building programme, reduced real-term spending by government by up to 40% over a 10 year period, slashed the funding for local government with massive consequences for youth services, social care, policing etc.   

Rant over. Back to being Mr Nice Guy ...for the Christmas period anyway.