The Waspi women can be forgiven for feeling betrayed by this Labour government.
Those of us who engage in Politics to do the right thing and pursue what we believe in are often left frustrated as politicians are routinely labelled as liars.
But when we look at how Labour treated the Waspi women, it is unsurprising that the public do think their politicians are less than honest.
To be clear, there is absolutely no reason for the Waspi women to be compensated. The decision to equalise the State pension age had been trailed many years in advance. Perhaps many of us do not pay sufficient attention to our pension arrangements . It remains our responsibility to do so. The State should not be expected to bail us out for our own mistakes or negligence in managing our financial affairs.
Waspi women seek compensation from the Labour government.
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As a member of Parliament I was lobbied on this issue. I held the line that the Waspi women should not be compensated. We had debates in Parliament that were invariably very emotional and highly charged events. The Labour Party in opposition led the campaigners to believe that they supported their claims to be victims of an injustice and their demands for compensation. And yet there was no injustice and no right to be compensated. It was a wholly cynical exercise on the part of Labour politicians. Treating politics as a game in which the objective is to inflict maximum embarrassment on your opponents.
Politics should be about doing the right thing. And the right thing is to be honest with the public. It is never the right thing to say what people want to hear with no intention of delivering. It is this which is damaging our politics. Fewer people are voting in elections as people are turning away from traditional party politics.
The truth is that this country is living beyond its means. It is beyond tiresome to hear politicians boast about how much money has been spent on this or that or to hear about so called underfunding. That is our money that is taken from us in taxes. Government should have more regard to achieving value for that money. They certainly should not feel entitled to it.
Labour’s support for the Waspi women in opposition was a wholly cynical exercise on the part of Labour politicians.
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We now have tax rates which are damaging our competitiveness. We have seen increases in national insurance that will cost jobs. We are borrowing huge amounts of money which means we spend more on servicing debt than we spend on schools. Today’s government spending will be met by tomorrow’s taxpayers.
I believe it is morally wrong to dump the bills on future generations. And this is the real injustice. Today’s young people find it harder than any generation before them to get onto the property ladder. The idea that you could be a home for three times annual salary is a fantasy. They are paying down their student loans. They are going to be working until their 70s. Few would surely believe they should be paying more in tax to compensate a generation that have arguably had a much better deal.
And perhaps we should all remind ourselves. There is no such thing as Government money. Every pound the Government spends is taken from our taxes. There is not enough taxpayers money to pay for everything we would like and that means Government has to make choices. It is time for everyone in Politics to level with the public that everything comes at a cost.