30/11 Strikes.

The book was updated in 2010 after the Coalition came to power. Yes of course things do change.. but why is there still such injustice? Why should an MP on £66k+ pay minimal contributions, to receive a higher pension, while Mrs A Jones struggles to pay 13% on a salary where spending can only be minimum to get a lower proportional return?

It may well be posted as being a certain amount. What many forget that MP's also have additional pensions linked into a share scheme. Tony Blair being a case in point he's the secret multi-millionnaire... taking £139,000 a year, while earning seven or eight figure salaries and funded and supported by people in the nine figure bracket... all because of his business connections made whilst in office.

I'd also point you to look up "The Hotel Group" as well, this highlights the lengths many business's will go to to make a buck.
 
After Thatchers severence of the income linked pensions, Gordon Brown started the next future issue with Pensions and used it to fund his manifesto pledges without breaking an election promise in 97 to raise taxes. Its a very interesting book and seriously highlights the injustice. So while Thatchers policies affected the old immediately, and the futures of the Pension provisions, Browns policy increased the leverage needed to maintain the pensions into dangerous waters... some of the book argues that because of Browns actions (and now as we have learned from BBC news today Osbournes actions)... will threaten the future requirements for us to actually repay these pensions to keep them maintained. Osbourne by borrowing more has therefore broken the barrier in my opinion.

Having said this, i'm someone who was against some of the cuts and how they fall.

Just out of interest, do you understand the history of why the earnings link was originally brought in during 1974?
 
With regard to Blair... why should he be entitled to be in receipt of the Ministerial Pension?

Cameron has waivered his as a token of "generosity" i seem to recall the wording being. Behind the scenes as per Blair, he's a multi-millionnaire and has business links up and down the Country/Around the World... why would he actually require a poultry £148,000 a year Prime Ministers Ministerial Pension?
 
With regard to Blair... why should he be entitled to be in receipt of the Ministerial Pension?

Cameron has waivered his as a token of "generosity" i seem to recall the wording being. Behind the scenes as per Blair, he's a multi-millionnaire and has business links up and down the Country/Around the World... why would he actually require a poultry £148,000 a year Prime Ministers Ministerial Pension?

Because he's paid into the scheme. You going to ask nhs staff to give up their pensions, if they have several properties and make a tidy living?

Where's this 148k come from. I can't see how on the MP pension scheme it can be that high.

What needs to happen is pensions public, mps, private Is to cut their defects with a aim of reducing those deficits to zero or low negative numbers.
 
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The Strike is symbolic as far as I am concerned, and I doubt the Cons are in a state of panic about it. However, livelihoods and future plans are at stake, so what else did they expect?

They want the strike to go ahead so they have an excuse to mount thier ideological attack on the unions and once they are gone, the general working populace.
 
Just recieved an email informing us that our Son's school will now be closed due to poor staffing levels because of the strike. Luckily both my Wife and myself are in positions where we can simply take a day off at short notice, however I do feel that for many other people this just isn't practical. (We will be babysitting a whole bunch of his friends, the wife is calling around now)

If they wish to strike, that is their right, but the individual should be required to give notice of that intent, and not just the Union being required to give notice of the date....

Incidentally the school was, up until this afternoon, intending to open as usual with reduced staff and an altered timetable to accomodate that.....but more staff waited until today, and presumably tommorow, to register their intent with the Head...

Poor show, strike if you feel it is necessary, but at least consider the lifes of those you are also disrupting.
 
That doesn't really make sense. Surely the Conservatives are a 'reform and do it over a long period of time' party, which is why they keep being given long terms and more often than not leave the country in better shape than when they took it on?



If any party is the epitome of smash and grab, it is the Labour party.

We had an election in May 2010, you may have forgotten about it.

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History indicates that they stand a very good chance.

That map is a farce. The convervatives were NOT Elected or have you forgotten. No party was elected outright, and yet we have a CON kangaroo government

HAHAHAHA oh my god 'reform and do it over a long time!!!' Have you been making hats again? :p:p:p
 
Hi Dolph,

Yes i'm aware.

Hi Glaucus,

Your argument about the NHS staff is not in any way substantial to the issue at hand:
MP Salary: £66k+, Pension, Private Business, Private Pension... Business Connections
NHS Staff: £24k, Pension, NO Private Business, NO Private Pension... NO Business Connections

Although Blair has paid into the system he certainly hasn't paid enough in to warrant such an extortionate amount out. If we went by Darlings reckoning i paying £2k into my Private Pension scheme would be entitled to over £30k a year!

What actually needs to happen is that MP's need to have their contributions increased to 13%. Their Pension needs to be decreased by 36% and they need to work for longer to be entitled to it... Can you sit there and tell me that they are in agreement to this? Your answer being Yes, will highlight the oblivious fact that MP's have other forms of income just as massive or more massive than their future incomes... if their ministerial Pensions take a hit... so what? They have money from places that won't have a hit...
 
Poor show, strike if you feel it is necessary, but at least consider the lifes of those you are also disrupting.

Yep, agreed. I have nothing against the strikes. As someone who has in the past worked in the public sector I have full empathy for people trying to protect what is best for them. Anyone who says they would not is not being truthful. But either you feel strongly or not. You don't go hmmm you know what I am quite apathetic of a Friday and suddenly magically over the weekend suddenly go all radical. If you have left it that late to really examine how the proposed changes will impact you then really you deserve what you get.
 
This then defeats the argument of their need to reform their pensions... it just doesn't matter because of their other forms of income which general joe public in most cases just does not have
 
Poor show, strike if you feel it is necessary, but at least consider the lifes of those you are also disrupting.

The strikes were announced ages ago - plenty of time to make alternative arrangements.

Gambling on the school being open or not is stupid imo - if I made planning decisions in that manner in my job I'd get the sack.
 
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Your argument about the NHS staff is not in any way substantial to the issue at hand:
MP Salary: £66k+, Pension, Private Business, Private Pension... Business Connections
NHS Staff: £24k, Pension, NO Private Business, NO Private Pension... NO Business Connections

Although Blair has paid into the system he certainly hasn't paid enough in to warrant such an extortionate amount out. If we went by Darlings reckoning i paying £2k into my Private Pension scheme would be entitled to over £30k a year!

What actually needs to happen is that MP's need to have their contributions increased to 13%. Their Pension needs to be decreased by 36% and they need to work for longer to be entitled to it... Can you sit there and tell me that they are in agreement to this? Your answer being Yes, will highlight the oblivious fact that MP's have other forms of income just as massive or more massive than their future incomes... if their ministerial Pensions take a hit... so what? They have money from places that won't have a hit...


How do you know nhs staff have no business? Plenty do, as do a lot of lower classes. Someone I work with is buying their 4 and 5 houses this year and in the next few years wants to get to over 20 at which point he'll retire.

Do you read the BBC article?
As of April it was CPI linked
Also accrual capped at 2/3rds of mps final salary. (not entirely sure what that means, isn't accural the investment/interest ?? )
Ispa is to take control of mos pensions in 2012 as long as its passed by house of lords.
Mps pensions are unsustainable and Cameron says they have to change, defecit at 51m
Report says mps pension needs to be changed to career average, 1/60 rather than three levels and retirement age raised from 65 to 68.

Again some pensions in public sector don't pay anywhere near 11.9%
 
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That map is a farce. The convervatives were NOT Elected or have you forgotten. No party was elected outright, and yet we have a CON kangaroo government

HAHAHAHA oh my god 'reform and do it over a long time!!!' Have you been making hats again? :p:p:p

They were not elected outright due to stupid and outdated methods, that map is clearly over 50% blue, so by logic would indicate they have more say.

Stop being bitter about the electons

Im not effected by this strike as im not at uni on wednesday, instead i have a nice 6 hour shift to enjoy where people will end up buying things making me earn a decent wage
 
He didn't gamble he was informed it would be open at a lesser capacity.

It doesn't take a genius to work out the vast majority of schools will be closed and make appropriate arrangements.

I sent my son in with a letter for his teacher this am wishing her the best of luck and congratulating her for standing up for her contractual rights.
 
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