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There now follows a pre-election pamphlet issued by
senior members of New Labour in 1997
I wonder just which political party has betrayed
pensioners!
The Tories have betrayed
Pensioners
From
Tony Blair
John Prescott
Harriet Harman
Gordon Brown
Too many of today's older people
- many of whom took part in the war effort helped build post- war Britain - do
not enjoy security in their retirement. The combination of low incomes and the
extra Tory costs they face for eye and dental services, water charges, and VAT
on domestic fuel leaves many struggling to meet the most essential bills. They
have little if anything left to enjoy the social, leisure and educational
activities that many younger people take for granted and which older people
understandably want to share.
It is not just pensioners'
incomes which give cause for concern. Even more pensioners find that fear of
crime, poor and expensive public transport and the loss of local services and
facilities restrict their lives unnecessarily. Having paid tax all their
working lives a whole generation now finds it cannot be sure of the National
Health Service or the continuing care which they have helped to provide for
others.
Millions of
people face poverty in retirement. Tory policies have failed too many of
today's pensioners and too many of tomorrow's. Today's pensioners have lost
£20 a week through the Government breaking the earnings link with the basic
state pension. SERPS has been more than halved in value. Millions have been
encouraged to join personal pensions which, for many, are costly and
inadequate. 600,000 people were mis-sold personal pensions and only 7,000 have
been compensated.
The Tories have betrayed
pensioners and, while the Tories have let down pensioners, they have also
failed to look after the interests of all British taxpayers including all
pensioners. Over the past ten years the promotion of personal pensions has
cost British taxpayers £19 billion more than will be saved in the future.
Now the Tories propose to abolish the basic state pension and to privatise all
state pension provision. They propose to spend £5 billion in the first five
years and a total of £312 billion on their dogmatic proposals. They have not
said how they will pay for their plans; nor who will pay them and by how much.
But Tory priorities are very clear. Not one penny of this money will help
today's pensioners. Not one penny will help pensioners who retire in poverty
in the coming years.
Labour's priorities are different.
Labour has always done its duty by pensioners and the next Labour government
will do the same. Labour will defend the basic state pension: without
means-testing and
ensure that
it remains the foundation of our pensions policy.
Labour will retain SERPS' vital
role in providing a good second-tier pension for those who cannot get a good
value-for-money pension in private provision.
Labour will encourage companies to provide good occupational pensions. It will
create the framework for better second pension schemes which will offer better
value - for money, flexibility and security than many people on low and modest
incomes can enjoy today.
Labour's
pensions strategy must, over time, aim to ensure that people in retirement
have a sufficient income from the state and second pensions to avoid having to
claim means ?tested benefits. We will strike the right balance between state
and private provision and a fair balance between the needs of today's and
tomorrow's pensioners.
The Labour government will take
immediate steps to assist pensioners. We will assist all pensioners by cutting
back VAT on fuel from 8 per cent to 5 per cent. We will take action to tackle
the failings of the social security system which prevent 1 million pensioners
receiving the Income Support to which they are entitled. We will use part of
the resources raised by the windfall levy to enable the young unemployed to
help improve the insulation of pensioners' homes.
We will act to tackle the unfair lottery of community care. The Conservatives
have betrayed a generation of older people who were promised care from the
cradle to the grave. Pensioners now have to pay for care that they used to get
free on the NHS.
The closure of long- stay NHS
beds and the introduction of the Tories' NHS market has shunted elderly
patients from free NHS care to means - tested social care. Patients living in
one part of the country are having to pay for care which is available free
elsewhere. Under the Tories where you live determines the care you get and the
price you pay. At least 40,400 pensioners every year have had to sell their
family homes to pay for long- term care.
Pensioners who have paid all
their lives for the welfare state find that under the Tories, the NHS isn't
there for them when they need it.
Some of the longest hospital
waits are for operations, such as hip replacements which are particularly
needed by pensioners. Around 200,000 people are waiting for an in patient
appointment for orthopaedics. Almost 8,000 of these people are waiting for
more than a year. Many of the people waiting for orthopaedic appointments are
pensioners.
Labour will cut waiting lists by
cutting spending on red tape and bureaucracy. We will end the Tory internal
market in the National Health Service and transfer money which is currently
spent on excessive management costs to front- line services. As a first step
we will save £100 million which will fund an extra 100,000 operations a year
and cut waiting lists.
Labour's election manifesto
includes a commitment to a review of the position of pensioners in Britain.
The review will report on the following priority issues as a matter of urgency
and receive representations on the state pension including the earnings link;
second tier pensions including SERPs and community care. The review will
include the National Pensioners Convention.
Labour will put pensioners'
voices at the heart of government. We will ensure wider consultation of
pensioners about issues which affect their lives.
We will encourage .the
development of pensioners' councils and forums so that pensioners' voices can
be at the heart of decision-making in local authorities as well as central
Government.
We will include pensioners'
organisations in this process, in particular the National Pensioners
Convention which is the largest co-ordinating body for representative
pensioners' organisations.
The original was printed and
published by the
Labour Party, John Smith House, 150 Walworth Road, London SE17
c Feb
1997 |
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