John Hutton to work on pension reform for the ConDems.

[nymphadora]

Apparantly looking into reforming the state pension.

What will they do with it?

I suspect in the end it will go for anyone who is a middle income earner or above. The devil is in the detail - ie what is a middle income earner.

I have never expeceted to get a state pension.

Cut it. Seems to be standard coalition response to anything that affects ordinary people.

Interesting all the Labour people going over to 'help'. Is DC trying to get them to be the baddies?

You could be right there, nymph - he's already got the Lib Dems covering him but there are so few of them, he's now having to go after Labour!

I'm sure Hutton, like Field, have been recruited in order to give any policies generated a 'cross party' element. That's what we wanted as an electorate wasn't it when we didn't vote any one party to be in charge? The end to 'them and us' politics? The end of opposition for the sake of it?

I think there's a lot to be done to convince more people to provide for their own old age. The age at which it applies will also be looked at. With life expectancy well up into the eighties now & the State Pension being re-aligned with average earnings the 'demographic time bomb' is ticking quite loudly.

I think we need to work until we are much older, partilarly in non manual jobs.

If I am fit and healthy I want to work as long as I am able. Retirement at 65 for most of us will have to become a thing of the past.

It's Will Hutton, isn't it, not John?

I quite expect retirement age to rise. There is no reason for women to retire earlier than men and that is being brought into line. Although if the current lack of jobs continues there will be more people struggling.

We do seem to be in a pickle, we need people to work for longer as we can't afford to pay their pensions. But we need people to retire so younger people can have their pensions.

Suddenly the capitalist bubble seems to have burst.

How would it work for people doing manual work.

eg

Joe the builder works for someone for 40 years doesnt earn enough to save much/ pay into pension plan. But at 60 isnt fit enough to carry on. What job would he get given that he would be against younger people but he would be unable to retire for another 10 years. Incapacity will also have been cut by then too and he won't fall under their threshold.

Will Hutton (Observer Columnist) is looking into public sector pay review. John Hutton (Labour MP) is looking at pensions.

@hornofplenty. We don't need people to retire younger for the sake of younger people getting jobs (I think you meant, rather than pensions) The drop in the birth-rate between the late 80s and the early 00s means there's a 'bubble' lack of people under 20 coming forward to take the jobs and keep paying the tax bills ... which fund the ever increasing number of over 65s. Birth-rate had a boost more recently, possibly because of tax credits, possibly because newcomers to Britain have larger families.

JH is X Labour MP. He stood down at last election.

Thanks Chil.

John Hutton was one of the best Labour ministers.

Very glad he and Frank Field are involved in this government.

Very good thing. John Huton and Frank Field are both excellent. Both of them rightly and thoughtfully criticised Gordon Brown while in office.