Tuesday 28 October 2008

THE RALLY


Many of you will have come to and supported our Rally. Many of us feel that we could have been treated a lot better by the police and authorities.

The march was banned and the Green in Parliament Square was barricaded off effectively keeping pensioners from meeting and speaking publicly.

However, we had some good speakers inside the Methodist Central Hall and inside Westminster Hall met several MP's who did at least have the good grace to come and meet us. So our thanks for all of you for coming along on a cold but bright day and rallying to our flag. We will keep you posted as to our next action.

BANNER PICKETS.


The next picket is Thursday 19th February at ll a.m. until 12 noon. Come along and remind those in Parliament we are still around and waiting for some fair treatment.

If the weather is bad stay home and keep warm.

Thursday 2 October 2008

The Banking Crisis and Us

So far as we pensioners are concerned not many of us have much in the way of funds to make us apprehensive of what will happen to them.

However, what has been shown is that Private, Occupational and Pensions other than the State Pension, are very vulnerable to fluctuations in the market economy and the economies worldwide.

We have seen Pensioners not only robbed of their expections but those expectations diminish as private pension funds are raided, reduced or abandoned altogether, as is happening with many final salary schemes.

So these tragedies for many pensioners underline how important it is for us to campaign for a strong guaranteed and satisfactory STATE pension, one underwritten by all Governments of whatever colour. Many feel that to pursue private pensions undermines the call for a decent state pension. However, many people, particularly widows and single women find themselves almost seduced by the offer of a private pension to supplement that offered by the State. If the State Pension was a sensible amount (payable equally to both sexes) and not, as is the case today, a derisory one, nobody would feel the need for a private or occupational pension. Whilst seeming to offer some form of security, they are in fact unpredictable and unreliable when markets crash. So let us all call and agitate for a decent income in our old age, one we deserve, have worked for and in all honour should have. The ghurkas had to fight for their pensions and the right to stay here. Like us, they should never have had to.