To think the back to 60 campaign is grabby

[Neaoll]

It's been known about for a long time that state pension ages would be equalised.

State pension is just unsustainable, it was never supposed to be something people claim for 20-30 years. Was for people that had a hard time so they didn't starve to death in their last few years. Now it's a top-up to the richest part of society. It should have been linked with life expectancy a long time ago.

I'm in my 40s and dont expect to ever get a state pension. I've been contributing to my private pension ever since I worked to support myself.

It costs too much to means test a benefit like that, it's cheaper to just pay a universal rate.

The state pension should be what it was designed for: a small payment designed for basics like food and heating, paid once a person can reasonably no longer be expected to work.

It's laughable to claim that for women that is 60. It's not fun money to enjoy your 60's with, it's money designed to support the aged.

If people want to work hard for a private pension and retire early on that, that is their right. Some people won't be able to, and will rely on a state pension to live, but there are always richer and poorer people in a society.
But a STATE pension should not be funding people who could work to sit at home doing watercolours while the rest of society works it's arse off

But a STATE pension should not be funding people who could work to sit at home doing watercolours while the rest of society works it's arse off

Unpleasant bludger rhetoric. Where are all these jobs? How reliable has the government been in determining who is fit for work?

Of course mean testing the state pension will definately stop all the nasty rhetoric........................oh wait

I do remember the early announcements of this in the mid 1990s - on radio and on the newspaper. I was in my late teens at the time. However, I do feel some sympathy for the women affected, especially in relation to the second change.

The message that I take from this is that it is really important for all of us to be aware of where the world is going. Don't just read the news that interests you today, keep informed. That next big change could be lurking in a consultation paper right now, so be involved.

I know a woman affected by this who cannot find a job anywhere. Honestly, until you get made redundant at 59 and then have to try and find work at 60 you can't imagine how utterly soul destroying it is. No one will employ her, and she was not in position to plan for it - not everyone has the kind of job with decent pensions.

The idea is that national insurance contributes towards your pension. Its not a 'free' benefit.

And it did and probably still would if life expectancy was 70. As it is some people’s retirement will be longer than their working life. There are now families with 2 generations of retired.

That next big change could be lurking in a consultation paper right now, so be involved

Never a truer word spoken. Remember too that anything can happen when a new government come in.
The 30 something of today will be living totally differently in 30 years time.
The next generation will be complaining how easy they had it, and so it goes on.
State pension might be back to 60 by then, uni fees might have been scrapped, along with these ridiculous loans.
Nobody knows future policies and which gov will be elected.

Cynical me says most won't receive a pension, the average age expectancy round here is 67.4, amazing how they came up with the figure they did.

How dare you?! "I'm alright jack so sod the rest"

My Mum worked for RBS for decades & decades, paid into the private pension and got swindled out of it by them by some technical loophole re: dates. She has worked all her life. Before RBS she worked for Barclays. From 1960 to 1980 and gets pennies from it when she expected a loveable income.

Now she's stuck on £600 a month State Pension now that my Dad has gone (Mortgage-free thankfully). Her situation is through no choice or action of her own. Certainly is NOT down lack of preparation...

OP your naivety is staggering.

@AlexaAmbidextra - free healthcare and the welfare state was available to you if you needed. Also you received an education (it’s that you’re paying back not for your kids education). But why should your generation get entitlements that other people are paying for?

zsazsajuju. Yes, and free healthcare and education are available to the current generation too. I was privately educated and have private healthcare. I have had precious little from the state throughout my lifetime. But the point I’m making is that we all contribute towards things that we don’t benefit from. You ask why my generation should get entitlements that other people are paying for. I could ask, why should yours?

I'd be interested to know how many women between 60 and 66 also have elderly parents that need care? I have 3. I also have a young grandchild. I now work 3 days a week but did hope to retire fully at 60 to support my children by helping to look after their children. I spend 1 of my non working days doing just this, therefore enabling my DD to return to work full time instead of claiming any benefits. I alsomspend my other non working day running round for my elderly relatives. Had I been able to access my pension now I would be able to do much more of this care. Instead, the State pays for care for my relatives, which costs the state four times more than my state pension would. The majority of people looking after elderly relatives are women.

A different aspect is that it costs my employer a great deal more to pay me for 3 days teaching than it would for a much younger teacher, so by holding on to us us a false economy.

Equality is clearly a priority in any field. What should have happened is that the retirement age for men be brought into line with women, and the rise in the retirement age then increased for both much more gradually.

@Whyisshedoingit
Now she's stuck on £600 a month State Pension now that my Dad has gone (Mortgage-free thankfully). Her situation is through no choice or action of her own.
And her £125 pension credit top up, free transport, council tax support and free tv licence.
So £725 a month for food and utilities for one person. That’s not living in poverty and far more disposable income than many struggling working families.

Perhaps as we contribute nothing and are just a burden on society, all of us over 60s should take ourselves off to Dignitas. That would seem to please a lot of people on these types of thread.

And her £125 pension credit top up, free transport, council tax support and free tv licence.
Not unless she has reached whatever her new pension age is- most areas don’t get any of them before that (although I think they may get a transport pass in London earlier) And free TV licences were for the over 75s and have now gone.

Free tv license still valid if you revive pension credit but yes forgot the over 75 part.
The lady in question is getting a state pension and therefore a pension credit top up.

I am not saying pensioners have it easy but the minimum income guarantee of £167 a week means they will not be in poverty like many on UC are.

Large employers have to offer a private pension scheme now
I know several people who have opted out for various reasons

I realize that not everyone has enough to contribute
However, these people are turning down FREE contributions from their employer
++++
I know some people 60+ who said that private pensions were not available to females many years ago
++++
My state pension age has increased by 3 years, I expect it could increase further

I know some people who have been retired 30+ years. Is this sustainable for the future ?

I've never understood why men & women had different retirement ages. So a change was needed

When the state pension was introduced, what was the average life expectancy ?
Because, it must have increased over time

I don't think these people are being grabby

The Government could have tackled the issue better & with better communications

When the state pension was introduced, what was the average life expectancy

From 13 years in 1948 to over 23 years today

HelenaDove Mon 01-Apr-19 18:32:16
Ive just finished reading Witchfinders A Seventeenth Century English Tragedy.

The "witches" tried and hanged were not all women. Some were men.

One accused was an eight year old boy.

What most of them had in common was that they were poor. Yes poor. A lot of them were widows who needed what was known then as parish money to live. Elizabeth Clarke was an 84 year old one legged widow who was hanged. Many more were elderly. Neighbour turned against neighbour. Many resented their rates and parish money going to help these "wretches"

See any parallels? Because i do.

At the end of the book (although he does allude to it throughout) the author mentions how lack of liberty and welfare and political and economic uncertainty leads to this kind of climate.

We wouldnt get people persecuted for practising witchcraft now (although this still goes on in parts of the developing world) but we still get people persecuted for being poor/disabled etc.
Matthew Hopkins John Stearne and Sir Harbottle Grimston etc are long dead But some of their ideals are still very much alive.

There are parallels and its chilling

Breakfast
State pension was introduced in 1911 approximately and years lived after retirement age was far less for those that reached state retirement age, many would still enter the workhouse as poverty stricken until the 1930s & die as paupers.
Age of popular was similar to a pyramid with the young at the bottom - plentiful and the old at the top being less of the general population. The pyramid is now almost reverse but misshapen- not enough being born or workers to sustain the ever growing elderly population. NI contributions weren’t put away for each generation, they’ve been taken to spend in the present.
Each successive government has known since 1950 that the baby boomers would retire, but each failed to ever make any provision. Each government was happy to take the take and tax hasn’t always been so low, my wage packet was seeing over 32% taken on a starting wage equivalent to £16k today. Yet I’ve been conned and punished and made to work longer along with thousands of other woman

Things would have been different if men were in the same position

Women being disadvantaged

"Each successive government has known since 1950 that the baby boomers would retire, but each failed to ever make any provision. Each government was happy to take the take"

Totally agree Ive said exactly this on previous threads.

I for one don't think it [state pension] should [be means tested] but here in Australia it is. I'm sure the UK will look at it as a model.

I would not be remotely surprised if it happened here. The only difference that I can think of is that compulsory voting in Australia means there is no age differential in voter turnout, unlike the UK where it is skewed towards older people.

My husband is a bricklayer and I doubt that he will ever see a penny in state pension.
As per most bricklayers he is classed as self employed but in reality there are very few bricklayers on the books.

He works physically extremely hard in horrendous weather as no work no pay. If it rains no pay. If it’s frosty no pay. In summer there is no shade.
His back, knees and hands are all in a terrible state. He is a mess.
Do you think he should be doing this until he’s 68-70?

So my point is how many women work like this? (None in reality)
Do you really think he will get another career?(Who wants a knackered brickie)
Should he continue working on site with diminishing wages just so a woman who had 20 years as a SAHM can retire at 60?