Is Ann Widdecombe right about females age of reirement?

Ill informed posts aimed at immigrants/ asylum seekers make me sick to my stomach - report away. I’m
not the one encouraging racial hatred based on LIES

the retirement age of men should have been brought down to 60.This is one of the richest countries in the world the average worker pays in a ton of money to the state, some die before their retirement.never draw a penny Ask how much money goes to the rich in their tax dodges,offshore funds etc etc how much goes abroad? the 1% rich and growing smaller are laughing at our expense.Im only touching the tip of the iceberg with my comments, read Noam Chomsky on the' way the world works,' eyeopening………..

Back in the day I quite liked Ms Widdecombe! Can’t understand why now!
Margs is correct, we will never really retire!

Yes, and I’ve reported you MaryEliza54 for telling a poster they ‘make you SICK to your stomach’. What a dreadful thing to say whether you agree with them or not.

Ms Widdecombe went to far as to change religions from C of E to RC (a mysoginists glee club if ever there was) because she is aggressively opposed to women priests!

So her stance on womens pensions/retirement is no surprise - she truly hates women........

(Incidentally, most women NEVER retire.)

I know that we are trying to be equal with men and it has to work both ways, but how can you just wipe out the years when we were treated unequally.
I had 6 years added on to my retirement age, which I feel is an awfully large increase.
I was unable to build up much of a private pension because family care meant I had to work in term time and part time jobs around my responsibilities.
My ex husband left me when my daughters were 9 & 12 and took his large pension with him (he retired at 55)
I am now nearly 63 and trying to sell my guest house (at a massive loss) as I can no longer cope with the physical and mental stress of the business. Somehow I will have to manage on the proceeds until my new retirement age. At least I have my husband to help me, but it will be a struggle. Other WASPI woman I know are in dreadful situations.
Ann Widdicombe is an over privileged wind bag who has no idea how ordinary people live.

People my age left school at 15 yo and worked until 60yo so 45 years paying into the system. Perhaps this should be taken into consideration by youngsters that moan when lots of them are in full time education for a lot longer. I agree with an equal retirement age for both men and women though and I do count myself lucky to have received both an OP and the OAP at the same age.

I started work at 16, I was expecting to receive a pension at 65 of which I become 65 in October but unfortunately I will not qualify until I am 66 1/2. My Husband who has just turned 65 has to wait until November to receive his pension. I feel that it is people of our age or similar that have worked for 50 years or more seem to be the ones losing out on being able to qualify for our pensions.

As some of you have already mentioned life expectancy has actually started to drop again recently. It is the people who were able to retire earlier who are living longer. Yes you should be able to carry on working as long as you like if you really want to but not everyone feels fit and healthy enough to carry on working in their sixties. Those who can manage it are lucky. I always think it would be better to let people retire earlier and get those youngsters who have no jobs, into work. In other countries the elderly are treated much better than they are here.

I consider myself fortunate, I choose to continue to work, but it’s a family business, so I have a certain amount of flexibility, that’s not to say that I don’t work hard, rarely leave on time, and never take my full holiday entitlement, but I’m happy in my work, and get on well with my colleagues, feel really sad about some of your stories

I remember way way back, saying I’d prefer to go on a one way ticket to Switzerland when I reached 70, thinking that was a good age to go. I’ve cancelled that ticket now, still lots of life in this old girl x

I have a problem with Anne Widdecombe's language - entitled? Those who have worked all their lives, have paid taxes and NI, so they are not getting something for nothing. I receive a pension (at last - I am WASPI) and I work for myself so am still paying tax. I don't think it is enough to say everyone is living longer - medical care has improved so many older folk are alive who would have died years ago. This doesn't mean they are fighting fit to work. It is time to bring in Basic Income for all to put an end to this nonsense.

I am really saddened to hear some of the stories about pensions. Its dam hard work working and caring for someone as well as looking after yourself. AWid is a disgrace, she does not live in the real world and has an easy life, funded by our taxes. I am one of the lucky ones who received their SP at 60 and was retired at 57 on the grounds of ill health with a good pension. But this not stop me being concerned about others.

I did put myself forward to become an MP on a program against austerity and benefits cuts. I was 70 then and I'd do it again at 75!! I didn't win! BTW I was only going to take the average wage and donate the rest to my party.

Still, it's worth looking at what has happened, and MaryEliza54 has told us some of it.

If wealth were equally distributed and we concentrated on producing what we really need (ie not weapons of war etc) the real retirement age would probably be around 50 with earlier for those in stressful or obnoxious jobs (sewage comes to mind!)

Income tax for the wealthy used to be 95% (remember 19/6 in the pound?). It is now 40%. Of course their friends in the media are not shrieking about that! And 500 thousand million pounds have been given to the banks since 2008. That's a LOT of money gone out of government funds.

Over the decades the welfare state and pensions have been attacked and diminished. Privatisation is the subtext for all this. And to achieve this the power of the unions has also been eroded. Again, not a lot of this in the media!

The current government is NOT going to stop there. There are plans to take away free TV licences and bus passes!

How long you sit back and let them do it is up to you!!

Our pensions are some of the lowest in Europe. I believe they are second from bottom. Underpinning this is a certain amount of disregard and disrespect for our elderly citizens. The age of retirement has been calculated from a financial perspective. Therein lies the root of the problem. Why are we not collecting enough taxes to ensure our pensioners are on a par with other European Countries. Something is rotten to the core here.

I would like all people (male and female) have the option to work as long as they want. I was made redundant (not retired!) age 72 which was three years ago and I have many friends who choose to work into their seventies, but it is a choice. By the way I was a teacher, a much maligned profession but one which I loved.

Exactly Gill, I’m saddened to hear some of the stories here

I'm 61 and a thought goes through my head on a regular basis, that if I had been born a few years earlier, I would have retired at 60!
I was made redundant 3 years ago and even though I have done as advised, taken anything off my CV (such as O levels) that will give away my age, I have not been able to find a permanent job- I get interviews, but I can see the interviewer's face drop when I walk in the door.
Government knew the ageing population could cause a problem as far as the money pot for pensions was concerned a good 20 years before anyone was notifyed as to the change in retirement age and I personally get really fed up with ex MPs, on an annual pension which is often above any normal person could live on for 5 years preaching to us that we should have paid into a private pension, saved more etc!

Like most on here I don't have a problem with the philosophy of equalization of retirement age, but I have a huge issue with the great leaps in women's retirement age. A more gradual approach would have been fair.

Some really sad stories here, I think it’s right that pension age for women should rise, but appalling, the way it’s been implemented

Well it’s a good way to deal with the care system isn’t it.

Kill us all off in our late 60s through work so we don’t cost anything

Hey maryeliza you and I have opinions in common! Who’d have thunk it?
?

Greta I don’t think the comment about a ‘tame’ judge is fair or helpful and neither is it rational.

Anja it was introduced very gradually - it was the Coalition’s 2011 Act that was the game changer. I think the issue of notification was appallingly dealt with but the later changes even with proper notification were far too harsh.

Katyj my dearest sister is in the same situation as you she is 60 this year and worry about her all the time. She does horrible hours 6pm-2am but very often is expected to work till 3 or 4am depending on the work load. She has terrible issues with her feet, legs and back from so much standing and it breaks my heart when i see her so worn out and very often in tears as she dreads the thought of another 6years plus to do.