New WASPI petition launched today

Good post, Doodledog, especially this section:

"I would much rather see a rise in the minimum wage, an increased (and guaranteed) pension for everyone who's paid in, better and more highly subsidised childcare, a more sensibly-structured tax system and other changes to ensure a fairer society that doesn't rely on handouts."

Glad I did not vote Labour. All the lies and backtracking make me so angry.

Much as I support the cause of 50s-born women (I am one), I don't like the political capital being made from this.

There is no 'punishment', no 'grabbing' of money, and neither do I see the means-testing of the WFA, or the 2-child benefit cap as the same thing at all as the refusal to pay so-called WASPI women compensation. Linking them is politically motivated, as they are neither legally nor logically linked.

Pension compensation would have been a legal process based on maladministration and injustice - not on need. It would never have been a benefit, and would have had to go to all relevant women equally. The WFA was a discretionary payment, and there is a case to be made for it not to be paid to the better off.

I am no fan of means-testing, but it makes no sense to give extra money to people over a certain age, so some of them can spend it on Christmas booze when others are using foodbanks. The 2-child benefit cap was to stop the situation where a family with several children was getting far more in benefits than they could reasonably earn after tax, and put them in a position where they couldn't afford to go to work, and where they were better off than a neighbour who worked long hours for low pay.

I would much rather see a rise in the minimum wage, an increased (and guaranteed) pension for everyone who's paid in, better and more highly subsidised childcare, a more sensibly-structured tax system and other changes to ensure a fairer society that doesn't rely on handouts.

I still believe (and hope) that the government is working towards these things. No parent should be working full-time yet unable to support a family (and nobody who is unable to work should be in that position either). No older person should be unable to put the heating on after a lifetime of working. But these things should be changed systemically, rather than being dependent on handouts or fluctuations in the economic situation.

As the original poster on here, I'd like to thank all who contributed and have continued to add comments because of tonight's main news, which was headlined locally and second lead story on teatime news.

I was a bit surprised it wasn't the top new comment subject here, but I understand the comments are being encouraged to shift to the Legal, Pensions and Money forum, so I'm directing anyone else as confused as I am over there, but I will continue to look in here as all of us deserve to be heard.

It was heartening to see how many people signed the petition, even though most of you could wearily predict exactly what would happen.

I am speechless, for now, at the two-faced politicians on all sides, but we must not be silenced for the sake of the future and for older women in particular.

This is mysogeny, ageism and a second collective "punishment" on top of the WFA withdrawal because we - and especially the less well off among us - are wrongly blamed for voting a particular way as an entire cohort...which is patently ridiculous.

There is also an attempt to wind up younger people against "wealthy" pensioners, and some people are, indeed, wealthy, but many of us are not and are facing winter with dread.

Any government which continues the two-child benefit cap when so many children are in want was never, ever going to do justice to its Seniors, especially women who - as George Osborne once boasted - turned out to be the easiest group to grab money from.

That’s the end of the line for the Waspi ladies. Just seen a clip of Angela Rayner saying “We WILL compensate!”
Keir Starmer also said it was an injustice and compensation would be paid.

What a load of fork-tongued traitors.

Certainly a betrayal, but the attitude is the same.
Better for taxpayers if we don’t give money out.

We've got bugger all!

www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1989789/ministers-reject-waspi-women-pleas?utm_source=daily_express_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bre

Same attitude as he has to the WFA.
If you don’t need it, you won’t get it.

I think that's fair enough with the WPA. That is a discretionary handout rather than compensation based on the years of paying in that women did in the expectation of a pension. The WFA could certainly have been targeted better; but how would the critics suggest that's done without giving access to the bank accounts of everyone in receipt of a pension? If people had to show 'need' it would cost a fortune to administrate, and who would bother to claim for the sake of £200? There would also be 'bleating' about the complicated forms that would be necessary to show income and assets etc.

All 50s-born women who paid NI for years should, IMO, be compensated for what they lost when the rules changed. I know there is no pot and was no contract, but social cohesion depends on the belief that the system works for us, not against us, and I think this was a betrayal.

Only to be expected.
However, bleating
"But I do understand, of course, the concern of the Waspi women.

is stretching it a bit far. He doesn’t understand the impact, any more than he understands the other contentious aspect of pensions.

"But also I have to take into account whether it's right at the moment to impose a further burden on the taxpayer, which is what it would be."
There’s the excuse.
Same attitude as he has to the WFA.
If you don’t need it, you won’t get it.

Signed

madalene

I didn’t know that. I’m affected, but I don’t believe anything will happen, however many campaigns are launched. Governments of all colours simply wait for the people affected to die. Look at the dirty blood campaign and the Post Office campaign.
What’s happened?
Zilch!

The first payments of the infected blood scandal have been paid and eligibility has been extended to include siblings. There is a £1 billion fund to compensate Post Office owners and 110 convictions have been overturned so it is not true to say nothing has been done.

I regret every day that I voted for him to be Labour leader, but who could have foreseen that he would have been this unfair and uncaring.

It is no surprise that this Government of Starmer's would refuse. Older women are easy to ignore. What does fairness matter to them as long as the freebies keep rolling in.
I see they have agreed to selling the Royal Mail to a Czech billionaire, not re nationalising like they . promised

Jaxjacky

Decision has been made, no compensation.
news.sky.com/story/politics-live-starmer-labour-badenoch-tories-interest-rate-budget-latest-sky-news-hub-12593360

That's very disappointing, if not surprising.

I think there should have been compensation - both because women were disadvantaged, and as a signal that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable in future.

I understand the need to conserve money to give to those who need it, and I suspect that most people who are in need are the young, but this isn't about charity or alleviation of need - it is about fairness and preserving trust between citizens and the 'system'. Things like this, the PO scandal and the infected blood debacle all erode that trust, and are dangerous when it comes to holding society together by consent.

Decision has been made, no compensation.
news.sky.com/story/politics-live-starmer-labour-badenoch-tories-interest-rate-budget-latest-sky-news-hub-12593360

Over 107 people signed the petition, about time this Goverment made a desition and paid out.

Thank you Maggie. I only just saw the news about Waspi being included in the dictionary, but you beat me to it and I agree with every word so you have saved a lot of typing. I often wonder what the government did with all the money they saved over the years when they weren't giving pensions to half the population, and I had hoped they might have had the foresight to keep some back "just in case". We have an official/ombudsman ruling and it should be honoured. For all of us.

Signed.

I agree that 50s women shouldn’t be described as WASPIs just because of their birthdates. Many of them haven’t been part of the campaign and many others don’t agree with it anyway.

However, the WASPI campaign has worked so hard to keep this issue alive that the Collins dictionary now defines a WASPI as a woman born between 1950 and 1960 who was disadvantaged by the 1995 Pensions Act, which increased her pensionable age from 60 to 65.

So you’ve nothing to apologise for, Lilyslass.

The group has done most of the heavy lifting when it comes to fighting for compensation for all women affected. I can assure anyone who’s now worried about it that the aim has never been just to get this for their own members, and anyone eligible by way of their date of birth will get exactly the same compensation as paid up WASPI members.

Those of us who are official WASPIs (and proud of it) will be lucky to have much left from any compensation paid after taking into account all the expenses we’ve had. Years of membership fees and donations to the WASPI fighting fund, going down to all the London demos, petitioning and meeting with MPs, writing again and again to the DWP and Ombudsman. Such is life.

Now that the Ombudsman has found malpractice and said that compensation should be paid, WASPI is still fighting for the decision to be honoured.

It’d be a very sad day if it’s ruled now that decisions made by any Ombudsman can simply be ignored. Fingers crossed the Government will realise this.

Just signed

104,000 and still climbing.
Thanks everyone.

The petition has reached over 97,000 signatures. Please add yours if you feel you can.

Over 92,000 now. Looking hopeful to reach 100,000 so it can be raised again in Parliament.

Now 87,000 and rising. I had feared it had stalled slightly, but it has picked up in the past day or so. Thanks to all who are posting the total when they go in to sign, including Ann, Linda Bea, sf and others.

Over 86,000 now.

It’s over 84,000 now. Thanks and keep sharing.