While 3.8 million women born in the 1950s are waiting for a decision of the judicial review into their compensation claim against the Department for Work and Pensions about their lost pensions, the August Bank holiday weekend offers them the opportunity to let their hair down.
I will be chairing a panel at the festival in Pippingford Park. Nutley in East Sussex to discuss the issues and facts behind one of the biggest scandals in Whitehall – how such a huge generation of women were cheated out of the pensions – ostensibly in the name of equality.
The dodges and dives taken by successive governments to conceal what was happening , the false facts now being propagated about ever rising longevity and the real hardship being suffered by many of these women who thought they would now be living a life of leisure, will be highlighted in a session on Sunday.
Joining me on the panel will be Professor Jackie Jones, Barrister, Labour MEP for Wales;Dr Davina Lloyd, UN Envoy, Yvette Greenway, CEO, Silence of Suicide and Joanne Welch, Campaign Director, BackTo60.com .
The lively festival put on by Byline Times runs from Friday August 23 until Monday August 26 and will include groups like Pussy Riot ( bad news for Vladimir Putin), The Blow Monkeys, The Feeling, Jerry Dammers and Don Letts.
Other speakers include Luke Harding former Moscow correspondent from the Guardian ( again not good news for Putin), campaigners and journalists Nick Davies, Carole Cadwalladr, Gina Miller, feminists Bonnie Greer and Afrua Hirsch and comedian, Hardeep Singh Kohli.
There will also be debates on issues from the Extinction Rebellion campaign , Brexit, race and civil rights.
Full details including booking can be obtained from this website. – https://www.bylinefestival.com/
Westminster Confidential 
Wish I could be there to support everyone.
I want and need my pension. Disgusting the way we have treated
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Let’s keeping on going girls. We’ll win. No doubt about it 💥🌸👩❤️💋👩
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Is it right courts close from today until October?
Dee
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i am afraid so.
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Keep up the good work David if I could afford to be there I would SHOUT OUT LOUD LADIES.
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The courts close? Until October? So we will not hear anything about the Judicial Review for a minimum of 2 months longer? Oh my. This is unbearable. On a personal level I have osteoarthritis in my knee so badly I am unable to work. I have a small work pension which knocks me out of JSA contribution -based ( although I could have half a million in the bank!!!) So, I am in a real pickle- I am very unlikely to be able to return to my job as too physical but cannot get JSA. I am using my meagre savings which I put away for my retirement to keep me going. So very sad about all this. I am 64 and 6 months with another 18 months ahead of me. In original increase I would have had to be 64 years and 10 months, which I discovered when I was 58. Then, in a brutal increase on top of the first one, I have to be 66. So very unfair.
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If its taking this long, at least it shows it’s not as cut & dried as the Government & DWP thought it was …….. There’s still hope!
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I agree Lorraine, let’s see what Boris Johnson is going to do to help us ladies who have been cheated.
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Retired at 60 on grounds of ill health after over 40yrs contributions and then found out i would have to wait four and a half years for my State Pension. Ruined retirement plans. Jumped for joy when I got State Pension just over a year and four months ago only to find I now have Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. I always felt the Government are cynically waiting for us to die off. Please keep on fighting for redress. It is disgraceful the way we and our families have been treated after a life of hard work.
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I really appreciate the work that’s being done on this cause. The future increases are also disgraceful. Thank you everyone
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I wish I could go however due to being only 64 years and 10 months….I HAVE TO WORK TO AFFORD JUST LIVING!!
ENJOY ….
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Keep up the good work. Any financial advisor would tell you that you would need a 30 year pension pot to reap decent rewards. I got 3 yrs notice. My pot will pay me £1 a week. Government guilty as charged. Plod on fighting. May the lady angels win. If they dont will be great miscarriage of justice.
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Would love to be there but can’t make it, I have a rare brain disease, but have to work for another five years, my disease is not recognised yet by the nhss so am not entitled to any help, give us our pension 😞
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Sorry to hear this Angela, life can be both cruel and unfair.
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This is terrible I am having to work to survive I am so very tired and another 4 years to go before I get state pension worked for 42 years! 1958
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I’m 65 next month so another 13 mths to go – yes savings are dwindling fast even though I work part time and what really annoys me too, is that I still have to pay another years N.I. stamp – even though I’ve paid 42 yrs full stamp – I believe 38 yrs is the cut off but these extra years will make a very small difference ladies in the long run …… I believe!?
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Good luck one and all ,thankyou to everyone who joins together working towards Pension Justice .I can’t make the venue will be working but send best wishes for good weather and a great time !
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So grateful to you All for making taking this action and making this stand..Thank you
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Hi everyone
This is the first time I have seen this sort of forum. I have wanted to get involved with this for ages. I am not a right social media person. I was burn in 1958 and I am divorced and guess what. Very poor. I am hoping to be able to meet people in my area and set up a group. I am surprised how many women that I talk to have not heard of back to the sixties or Waspi . If any body has any ideas could you let me now
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so grateful for all you are doing, I am 64 years and8 months old , so cannot be with you , wish I could but I am having to still work ,even though I have arthritis in both knees and hip, have to plod on till 2021 so unfair
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Thankyou for all the effort put in for us all.
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The Goverment has no respect for women and it time we women should fight for our rights
They have broken their contract or promise to the british working women
Many thanks to all the people in England Back to 60 is a life line to women and their future
Families . On a personal point I have worked for over 44hrs still have to wait another 6hrs before
I receive any pension if it was not for my husband I would not be here after having cancer and
Various health problems.1959 .Many thanks to all keep the good work we shall win with
Numbers and strength.
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It is a struggle, especially on your own with no help or support having to cover everything in your own. Sometimes it gets you down thinking about it and what they have denied us! Knowing that there is another 4 years slog ahead with health issues worrying if you can last that long ! ‘All in it together ‘ Cameron and Osborne said , then gave us another year! I hope the Judges at least make them pay back that extra year ! That was not given to us for ‘equality ‘ just as a means of ‘Austerity’.
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Sorry I can’t make it to Byline festival but hope it goes really well and thanks for all the work you are doing on our behalf. Aged 64 years, 8 months – seems an intolerable haul to get to 66! Suffering from polymyalgia and fatigue and living off savings that were intended to top up NI payments – which probably means I will get reduced pension whenever it comes. Let us hope the judges look favourably upon the case!
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Hi, I was born in 1953 and worked from age 15 and worked for most of my life as I didn’t have children and spent most of my life single as my cheating husband ran off with my best friend.
I worked in admin roles as did many of my male colleagues doing the same job but I was not paid equal pay and had no private pension. I struggled through many hardships along the way, such as redundancy, divorce, losing my home, the death of close one’s, a mini breakdown ,the menopause!! and only had me to look after me. I looked forward to retiring at 60 after working the last 15 years in a high powered stressful job (Still not on equal pay) but I had to wait until I was 62 yrs and 9 moths old to get my pension. For those last 2 1/2 years I suffered really bad with chronic fatigue and depression and every day going to work was a struggle. Like so many others….
It makes me angry not just for myself that I had to wait that extra time, but also for all those who have to wait until they are 66. It’s disgusting how we were swindled out of something we paid into all those years, the government broke their contract with us and we had no say in the matter.
It’s not as if it’s a great deal when you get it. I get just £643.00 per 4 weeks. Thank god I did work hard and save hard in order to leave myself mortgage free as this amount just covers other household bills, household maintenance , food, travel expenses, clothes, dental and eyes.I don’t smoke or drink, I don’t go out socially except for the odd coffee with a friend and spend nothing on any fancy goods, I don’t get my hair or nails done and I don’t go on holidays. I do have a dog for company. After working hard all our lives even if it was as a housewife and mother we deserve our dues.Give me and all those other ladies our money back!!!!!!!!
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I would like to be there. However not only do I have to wait until I’m 66 to get my State Pension. I will be 61 in October. I have spondyloysis, diabetes, have had 2 cardiac episodes, a torn crucial ligament and diverticulitis. I also have a husband who I am a carer for who has had ankle fusion on one ankle and awaiting to have his other ankle fused. He was forced to go on to Pension Credit due to his medical condition. He received his State Pension at 65. His health suffered due to working on building sites, he also has diabetes. Thanks to the Government we can not do everything we planned to do in our retirement.
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Can anyone explain how it is that my 65 birthday falls in December 2019 yet I cannot get my state pension until December 2020 when the new regulations changing the pension age to 66 doesn’t come in till October 2020? Having already been robbed of 5 years of state pension I’m being further penalised for a further 12 months !!! This seems most unfair and is rubbing salt into an already (financial) wound!!!
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I also cannot understand why if you are 65 in 2019 why you can’t retire at 65. I will be 65 next week (18th August) I have to wait till July 2020??
I’m still in full time work and can feel my stress levels getting higher. i’m more snappy/weepy than i every was, I suffer with psoriasis which is getting worse with all the stress. My Husband who is 67 is still working as he says what would he do all day retired on his own. I find I am now wishing my life away till the time comes to say enough is enough working. 11 months to go and counting.
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We 50’s women will NOT back down regarding this issue 👍
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Wish I could be there, am full time carer for my mum have had to give up work and do not receive my pension until 66 years old still got 3 1/2 years to go- have minimal income having to use savings to help support myself- totally unfair – please keep up the good work ladies I live in hope that my life just might get better 🤞xxxx
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I have been diagnosed with sciatica in my back cause me severe paln and cramps in my legs a feet as well as my back and arthiritus in my hands I cannot retire till December 2020 can’t bare to think about working for another 2 years with all this pain but I have to all me and my husband is living on is my husbands superannuation pension of £744 a month and £600 of that is for rent and council tax cannot get universal credit cause my husband got a small lump sum we had to send all the evidence in on what we had spent some of the money on and they was happy with what we had used it on so I was glad when they said we could still receive universal credit then they told us we would not receive any payments this month and probably next month wouldn’t mind if we had tha maximum of savings We are allowed we could use that but my husband has less than a thousand left don’t know what we are going to do can anybody please advice me if there is any where we can get help or advice I an 64 this December and have worked since I was 16 and this is the first time I have tried claiming benefit this is a joke I want my pension so I don’t have to claim this benefit any more
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This is very sad and typical of problems many 50s born women are suffering.
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