Announcement of a Tory Fringe meeting at Labour Party Conference before fifth ‘Stripped of our Pensions’ annual demonstration

by Dr. Ros Altmann

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FURIOUS NAKED PENSIONERS AT LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE AGAIN

Preceded by fringe meeting organized by the CONSERVATIVE PARTY

Bournemouth, TUESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
11.30am Fringe meeting, Belvedere Hotel
12.15pm Demonstration, followed by strip on the beach

100% guarantees for Northern Rock at taxpayers’ expense.  Nothing for the naked pensioners betrayed by the Government.  These people are angry.  They are determined to keep fighting for justice.  They did nothing wrong, have had all the independent verdicts in their favour, yet they have consistently been fobbed off by promises of an ‘assistance’ scheme which has not delivered.  In five years the total aid for 125,000 victims of company pension collapses has been just £4million – costing the taxpayer an extra £10 million because of Gordon Brown’s administrative incompetence. Yet his Government said the pensions were “guaranteed”.

Cruel political spin, but no money – is that Labour’s idea of social justice?

For the fifth year in a row, the Pensions Action Group have organised a protest march at the Labour Party Conference to try to shame the Government into finally treating them fairly and decently.  They will be in Bournemouth on Tuesday 25th September, travelling from all over the UK to beg Gordon Brown to stop pretending and settle this scandal immediately. 

After the breathtaking hypocrisy and double standards of the Northern Rock rescue, the Tories have decided to strongly support the betrayed pensioners.  Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Chris Grayling, has organised an unprecedented Conservative Party fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference, vividly demonstrating Tory concerns about Gordon Brown’s consistent spin and deception on pensions.  The Government defeated the cross-party lifeboat initiative, which would have provided a fast and fair resolution of this scandal.  Instead, the robbed pensioners are being told to wait for yet another review of their situation.  How many reviews do they need?

No review was called for Northern Rock!  Its customers were 100% underwritten by the taxpayer at a stroke.  This makes the Government’s insistence that taxpayers cannot bail out pension victims unsustainable.  If millionaire depositors can have all their money protected immediately for political reasons, how can Labour deny fair treatment to the pensioners betrayed by this Government for years?  This scandal has done untold damage to trust in politicians and has destroyed confidence in pensions.
 
11.30am   Fringe Meeting.  Belvedere Hotel, Bath Road, Bournemouth (outside secure zone)

12.15pm   Demonstration from Exeter Crescent, Bournemouth, march past Bournemouth International Centre, to beach by Bournemouth pier for ‘strip’.

ENDS
Dr. Ros Altmann – 07799 404747

Notes:

1. Demonstration will start at 12.15 (approx) in Exeter Crescent, Bournemouth.  You can find location by clicking on http://tinyurl.com/ysvrqt.  Demonstrators will then march past the BIC conference centre and down to the beach where they will yet again highlight how they remain ‘stripped of their pensions’.
2. Government’s Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) set up to rescue these pension victims in 2004 is cruel political spin.  It has paid out just £4m so far and cost £10m to administer.  The Prime Minister says he has put £8billion into the FAS but that is just not true.  Some of the victims have already died, many are still working despite being past pension age and having cancer or heart problems, most have not had a penny from the FAS.  Thousands are still completely excluded from any Government help at all and those who do finally receive payments will only get about 65% of the pensions they paid for.
3. The Conservative party backed the Lifeboat proposal, as did all the Opposition parties.  It was passed by a huge majority in the House of Lords but, despite a Labour rebellion, the Government defeated it in the Commons and then prevented further debate in the House of Lords.  Instead of getting their money, the victims are being forced to wait for another official review of their situation, which will not report before November.