Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

So pension age was important to them, but not important enough to pay any attention at all to related information? In Sweden a change like that would have been heavily reported in media when it happened, was it not so in the UK?

Yeah it was heavily covered in the news. Raising the pension age for women from 60 to 65 (and then 68 - basically equalising to the male pension age and then increasing it in line with men) was a big thing. Which was why it was passed in 1995, to take effect 15 years in the future (so people who were genuinely close to retiring weren't suddenly another year out) and then increasing gradually over a decade (again for fairness).

I have very little sympathy with the campaign.

Edit: But I think Labour in opposition should have spotted that they might form the next government and this is an expensive pledge that they won't want to do. Instead they just did the easy opposition politics piece and now there's loads of clips and photos of them promising one thing less than 5 years ago and now doing the opposite

[Norgy]

The rumour mill says Norway's going to increase the pension age to 70, since we live so much longer. 

Remember when "reform" actually meant making things better? 

[Sheilbh]

Guardian piece on the WASPI women:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/dec/18/its-undemocratic-women-give-views-on-decision-not-to-compensate-waspi-women

I'm really sorry but I just don't have much sympathy:

Hilary Simpson is fed up with being asked how she feels about the government's failure to tell her that the pension age had changed and its refusal to compensate her.

"It's abundantly clear how we're all feeling," she said "Campaigners have given endless interviews, spelling out the devastating effects of the initial injustice – and now the government has said it won't compensate us, we're moved beyond feelings: this is now a serious, constitutional issue."

Simpson took early retirement in 2009, when she was 55, from her job in local government. She wanted to help her daughter get on in her career by taking on childcare responsibilities. "Because I had no evidence to the contrary, I assumed I'd be getting my pension at 60," she said. "I draw up a spreadsheet for how to make my lump sum last five years, then signed on the dotted line."

It was only after she retired that she discovered she had been affected by legislation, passed in 1995, that meant she would not get her state pension until she was 63.

"There was no excuse for either my employers or the DWP not having told me," she said. "I worked next door to the HR department. I'd never moved house – the government had all my details."

Didn't have any evidence to the contrary of the state pension age (which is not arcane or hidden knowledge - and changed 15 years prior) when taking early retirement on a local government pension, so we need £10 billion in compensation.

[PJL]

The rumour mill says Norway's going to increase the pension age to 70, since we live so much longer. 

Remember when "reform" actually meant making things better? 

The way things are going it wouldn't surprise me if Labour accelerate the pension age rise here from 67 to 68 from the mid 2040s to 2040 (that was supposed to be decided in 2023, but was delayed 2 years to 2025 by the previous Tory government). Which would mean that about 6 months before I would qualify for a pension under the current system, it will go up, thereby making me lose a year's worth of state pension. Then again, I'll probably be out of a job within a couple of years due to Labour's local govt reform. It's times like this I'm glad I'm in a Lib-Dem / Tory marginal. Except when I wasn't e.g. 2010 coalition.

[Josquius]

But the continued kicking of the most priveleged in society and refusing to kowtow to their demands is pleasing.

What in God's name are you talking about? 

#notallboomers
But broadly we are quite the gerontocracy. The old vote more so policies consistently favour them at the expense of the young

[HVC]

The rumour mill says Norway's going to increase the pension age to 70, since we live so much longer. 

Remember when "reform" actually meant making things better? 

Gotta keep the pension fund liquid somehow.

[Gups]

But the continued kicking of the most priveleged in society and refusing to kowtow to their demands is pleasing.

What in God's name are you talking about? 

#notallboomers
But broadly we are quite the gerontocracy. The old vote more so policies consistently favour them at the expense of the young

Hardly makes the the most privileged in society

[Josquius]

But the continued kicking of the most priveleged in society and refusing to kowtow to their demands is pleasing.

What in God's name are you talking about? 

#notallboomers
But broadly we are quite the gerontocracy. The old vote more so policies consistently favour them at the expense of the young

Hardly makes the the most privileged in society

This group getting special privileges over other groups doesn't make them the most privileged?

[Norgy]

True story:
I was out on a job, meeting a cabinet member.
We had a good banter.
Any news or a chance for a better road to Oslo?, l asked.
No. But since we've been planning a pensions reform, you will be able to cover it when it happens in 30 years time.
This obviously doesn't make it into the piece, but it was good banter. 

[Gups]

But the continued kicking of the most priveleged in society and refusing to kowtow to their demands is pleasing.

What in God's name are you talking about? 

#notallboomers
But broadly we are quite the gerontocracy. The old vote more so policies consistently favour them at the expense of the young

Hardly makes the the most privileged in society

This group getting special privileges over other groups doesn't make them the most privileged?

No. A 75 year old woman getting a pension of a couple of hundred a week is not the most privileged person in the country

[Josquius]

No. A 75 year old woman getting a pension of a couple of hundred a week is not the most privileged person in the country

That's not how statistics work. Individuals are irrelevant. Its about broad groups.
The average 75 year old is more likely to be financially comfortable than the average 35 year old.
And key to the poverty of younger groups is the way we pander to those bringing up the elderly's averages.

[HVC]

But the continued kicking of the most priveleged in society and refusing to kowtow to their demands is pleasing.

What in God's name are you talking about? 

#notallboomers
But broadly we are quite the gerontocracy. The old vote more so policies consistently favour them at the expense of the young

Hardly makes the the most privileged in society

This group getting special privileges over other groups doesn't make them the most privileged?

No. A 75 year old woman getting a pension of a couple of hundred a week is not the most privileged person in the country

They're in the wrong social class and thus get no pity

[The Brain]

An individual Kulak is a tragedy.

[mongers]

The Tulip Saddiq corruption allegations look'interesting'. 

Court documents seen by the BBC show Hajjaj accused Siddiq of mediating and coordinating meetings for the Bangladeshi officials with the Russian government to build the £10bn Rooppur Power Plant Project.

It is claimed that the deal inflated the price of the plant by £1bn, according to the documents - 30% of which was allegedly distributed to Siddiq and other family members via a complex network of banks and overseas companies.

In total, Hajjaj alleges £3.9bn was siphoned out of the project by Hasina's family and minister.

Footage from 2013 appears to show Siddiq attended the deal's signing by Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, recorded by the Associated Press.

BBC Item here:

UKMinister named in Bangladesh corruption probe

[Sheilbh]

Yeah the links of Bangladeshi politics and some parts of Labour is a problem.

Siddiq's spoken at Awami League rallies in the UK and has Awami League activists helping her campaign, plus her (fully declared) home is owned by an Awami League executive. Away from the latest allegations.

There's a Labour councillor (and former mayor of her borough) who's been on leave for months because she's basically in hiding. Her husband was a senior Awami League figure before their overthrow.

My understanding is that a significant part of the fight between Labour and Lutfur Rahman in Tower Hamlets had its origins in divides within Bangladeshi politics, with spoils going to different patronage networks.

From when I lived in Tower Hamlets though, I'd say one issue with raising or discussing it as an issue or even understanding it was a bit of negative polarisation. The only people who seemed interested were the right-wing press who were primarily interested in an Islamophobic kind of way (they only really seemed interested in being able to accuse people of being Islamists) - and if that's not you, you don't want to accidentally give that impression.