Earlier this year award-winning investigative journalist, David Hencke, wrote a great piece for the Byline Website, making an interesting point in relation to the power WASPI women have in unseating their Conservative MP.
Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) agree with pensions being equalised by raising women’s State Pension Age to the same as men’s, but don’t agree with “the unfair way the changes were implemented”.
1950’s women “have the power at the ballot box”
In his article, David wrote:
“Many angry 50’s women frustrated they can’t get a pension for up to six years – have the power at the ballot box to knock out the MPs who voted for the change.”
He goes on to say:
“The biggest voter power of this group is in the Isle of Wight – where there are over 10,000 people affected by the raising of the pension age. The Tory MP, Bob Seely appears to have an impregnable 20,998 majority – but that would be halved if this group of people voted didn’t vote for him.
“The main challenger there is Labour who came second and if people switched their vote to Labour it would become a highly marginal seat.”
Bob Seely has met with WASPI women on the Isle of Wight and called for transition payments for women affected by the changes.
WASPI households in temp accommodation?
An article this week on the rise in the number of households living in temporary accommodation sparked this reader’s comment.
YJC said:
I just wonder how many homeless people are down to the WASPI women plight?
“Women and families having to wait an unexpected six years for their state pension. And before any one says I have always thought men and women’s state pension ages should be the same but leaving people, without notice, without their agreed pension for six years is wrong and has put people in to dire circumstances.
“There are potentially 10,000 women and their families on the Isle of Wight in this predicament.”
You can read David’s article in full on the excellent Byline Website.
Read other WASPI-related OnTheWight articles.
