Tuesday 8 May 2007

Elections & pensions


Hopefully last week's local elections will have demolished the idea that a left-wing alternative to Labour has any chance. Respect got nowhere, the Scottish Socialists were wiped out. All that voting for no-hopers like this achieves is splitting the Left vote, which can only help our opponents.

There's a reminder today of why this matters. Tory pension spokesman Phillip Hammond is getting on his soapbox again about "pensions apartheid". Does any body have any doubt that cutting public sector pensions will be high on the Tory agenda given all the noise they are making about this?

Conservative pensions spokesman Philip Hammond said: “Gordon Brown has created a pension apartheid in the UK. He has happily looted £5bn each year from people’s pensions funds while allowing the black hole in public sector pensions to expand at a shocking rate.

“It is the tax payer who will eventually have to fill this gaping hole. The lack of transparency in the Government's accounting for public sector pension liabilities is extremely worrying."

He added: "The money to fund gold plated public sector pensions will ultimately have to come either from cuts to public services or from an increase in taxation.”


From Professional Pensions site.

But let's not forget that the Lib Dems have been at it too.

"The huge disparity between public and private sector pensions is frankly absurd."
.....
"It is essential that we establish an independent commission to review all public sector pension schemes so that they can move forward on a fair and affordable basis."

From the Lib Dems site.

Be careful who you vote for....

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