I have written an article for Byline Times on the judgement and the next steps to fight it. Byline Times are also committed to following the story.
The article is here.
On Byline Times: BackTo60 fight on after pension age judicial review dismissed
Westminster Confidential
David Hencke's news, views, investigations and much more
Westminster Confidential 
THANKYOU David for this and everything you have done and continue to do to help us. Glad we are going to keep fighting and are planning an appeal I will donate to the crowd fund definately. gutted about the result of the JR but we need to keep making our voices heard and make it Clear we are not going anywhere until this is resolved fairly. Onwards and forwards keep fighting for Justice did I say Justice because they wasn’t any yesterday.
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I really want to get involved but not sure how to. Have just looked on the web site and can see no demonstrations etc
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Yes the fight goes on,too right,what a shock with the decision from the judges,this is not justice this is injustice for all the 50s women,shame on them…
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David, your work is always thoroughly researched and checked plus you have the unique gift of being able to explain things in simple terms so that everybody can understand. I think you need to have a break though (given some of the other cases you have had to deal with). You cannot help everybody.
Until somebody produces a programme (Back in Time for Pensions?) I think you are going to struggle with educating some people. Some of the commentators on TV are completely ignorant of working life for women in the 60s, 70 and 80s.
It is not about women versus men. I don’t understand the court judgement at all. This All-Party Parliamentary Group on State Pensions is a waste of space as well. The only people who could empathise reside in the House of Lords. I never thought I would say this, as I don’t belong to a trade union, but Len McCluskey seems to be one of the few people who understands.
I am completely in awe of the amazing Backto60, One Voice and Legal teams, but I worry about you all. Please take some time out to recharge your batteries. Keep strong to fight another day when the time is right.
Girls, don’t let this setback get you down. Light always overcomes darkness. 3.8 million votes dangled in front of politicians should focus their minds (Revenge of the Stepford Pensioners).
Some info for carers who may be reading this: you may not be aware of the SMI (Severely Mentally Impaired) council tax discount which Martin Lewis highlighted recently. “By law, to qualify, someone must be medically certified as being severely mentally impaired – defined as having a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning (however caused) which appears to be permanent’. This is a medical diagnosis in itself, but the underlying cause could be a condition such as dementia (including Alzheimer’s) severe learning difficulties,or something else. It’s important to note that having an underlying condition does not automatically mean a person is SMI.” Details here: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
Hover with your mouse over the heading “Reclaim 100s” or go directly to: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/severe-mental-impairment-dementia-council-tax-rebate/
Also see their Winter Tips Checklist, eg Winter Fuel Payments, “If you were born on or before 5 April 1954, regardless of income you’re eligible for the up-to-£300 one-off payment. If you get certain benefits, eg, pension credit or jobseeker’s allowance, you’ll usually get it automatically if you’re old enough, otherwise you may have to claim…” https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment
I have a lot of time for folks like David Hencke and Martin Lewis who are generous with their time and knowledge to help other people. Byline Times, just keep on pricking the guilty consciences of people in government who should know better.
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Perhaps if it goes to European Court of Human Rights it might stand a chance.. Let’s hope there is another extension.
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Exactly no pension no vote!
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Thank you David was waiting for your wise words. It is unfortunate that the unions didn’t join the fight years ago but can they now help with funding and publicity.
Pro-211 MPs now – can they get a motion in parliament before the next prorogation!
This should become a campaign shared by all the lobby groups for human equality rights. So glad to hear it is not being given up on the balance of ‘fair’ treatment of a subset who birthed nurtured and nursed, cleaned and cared for partners families and parents – paid less and ‘worth’ less in an era of gender inequality that we had thought was left behind!
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It is, as David Hencke says, a positive that the campaign has now achieved extensive media coverage and generated a good deal of support from the media and further afield. The entire front page of the Daily Mail is dedicated to the the continuing injustice of 1950s women. 4M WOMEN AND THE RETIREMENT AGE BETRAYAL.
Inside, Mail columnist Jan Moir writes on how women were patronised and then had their pensions stolen.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-7535575/JAN-MOIR-Women-like-pensions-stolen-WASPI-lose-High-Court-battle-against-Government.html
There’s also a great piece in today’s Guardian by leading political writer Polly Toynbee -This brutal judgment on pensions is blind to the reality of older women’s lives. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/03/older-women-pensions-retirement-age
Thank you David for all the detailed work you have done on highlighting the depth of the injustice and keeping everyone informed. 1950s women will never give in.
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Why am i hearing this all the time in the papers ect…(They had been campaigning against what they see as unfair changes to the State Pension Age imposed on women born in the 1950s as the age they receive their pensions rises from 60 to 65, in line with men) when it should say pension rises from 60 to 66…i have to work until 66…
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We were brought up in an era that taught women not to have a career but to get married and our husbands were taught to look after us..I agree now, with the benefit of 20/20 hind sight, that that teaching was totally wrong but it was our way of life. Plus our husbands had to pay the ‘married $tamp’ as it was called back then. Where has that money gone because I was told by Newcastle that it didn’t count anymore! Why not?? Did someone steal it? Or spend it on something else?
I feel totally abused by the government, who seem to be using the whole ‘equality’ bandwagon to steal from women yet again!
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IMPORTANT IMO that the JR agreed with the defendant’s QC (Sir James Eadie) that ‘There is precisely no obligation on parliament to notify those affected by its judgements’ when, as far as I understand it, there is a precedent. The Parliamentary Committee of Public Accounts (CPA) Reports (34th & 36th) re lack of notification the changes to inherited arrangements for SERPS 2000 criticised DWP for not notifying those affected and arranged compensation. The CPA reports suggested it WAS the duty of the DWP to notify every individual. Fir more info google ‘Improving Service Quality 2002-3). I am happy to be corrected if I have got this wrong. I am hoping someone more experienced will look into this for 1950s women.
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Hi Jennifer I really hope someone who understands researches this and comes back to you with their opinion on your findings.
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Email the details to joanna backto60 just to make sure they know about it,put urgent in subject as they will be getting lots of emails x
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Paragraphs 118 to 123 of the judgment dealt with notification. In paragraph 120 the court cites the case BAPIO (a Court of Appeal case which is therefore binding). Para 45 is instructive. It may be desirable but it is for Parliament and not the courts. The view of a Parliamentary committee however influential do not create a legal precedent. For ease of reference the HC decision is here: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2019/2552.html
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How can this be right.If we were not informed personally or given opportunities to pay into pensions,I do not get it.For all their mumbo jumbo we are still missing a lot of money!!.
I have been able to work and recently retired at 65 but for others they have to keep on.I get my pension at 65 3/4 years old.
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So very sad about the final judgement, but, as mentioned by others here, we must not give up. Easier said than done I guess but we are in the right. For me personally it was the short time frame. First I was going to be 60, then when I was 58 I was told 64 and 10 months. Shortly after that I was told I would be 66. How on earth was I supposed to deal with that? I wrote to the DWP and my local MP. My MP didn’t reply and the SEP told me I would be better off as I would have a greater pension ( no mention of less if contracted out at anytime or how many years contributions were required).
I would have to live a very long time to be better off as I will have lost 6 years of pension. On top of that I have lost me health, bus pass and winter fuel payment. I cannot afford to heat my home at the moment, I will try and wait until November. I love in a rural spot and I am isolated but cannot afford to use my car for socialising very much as I have to go to the hospital regularly-petrol and car parking – and have so little money.
I have worked hard, brought up my daughter on my own ( I could have been on Income Support until she was 16 but I worked from when she was 3 paying all nursery fees, in fact I was worse off working! She is now a staff nurse in theatres and is wonderful. To help her and the NHS I help with childcare, taking me work pension early and reducing my work hours. That is what we 50s women do. If i had known things may have been so much different….
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Thanks for keeping up the fight you are doing great work and hopefully someone will take notice and do us women justice and give us back our hard earned money
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Thank you, David, for all your solid support and confidence that we will win eventually. To be robbed of our pensions and then told that it was to right a historic wrong done to men is intolerable and arrant nonsense. I would like to see the Supreme Court’s opinion of that. Once again. Thank you for being there. It means a lot.
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I am so pleased the fight is going to continue, we can’t give up now. I was born 9th July 1954 so I fall into the group of most badly hit women, not that every 50s Woman hasn’t suffered. I also lost my Husband 5 years ago who was only 60 when he passed away, I have now found out that I am entitled to £19.00 a week of the Pension he never lived long enough to claim, but guess what? I can’t have that till I receive my own pension. The Judges statement about women not being discriminated against is a load of rubbish, I was not allowed to pay into a company pension or earn as much as the men doing the same job as me. I had to give up full time work to care for my two children, thankfully I did as our Daughter died aged 15 so those earlier years were so precious to me. I feel sick with the result and will definitely help any Crowdfund for our cause. The Government and the Judges and the DWP should be ashamed of themselves. Hopefully now we are getting the long awaited support from the Unions & MPs things might start to work in our favour. The truth is, I am frightened to build my hopes as I was convinced the court would rule in our favour yesterday and feel sick to the stomach. That said, thank you so much David and Back to 60 for your continued efforts on our part, hopefully we will get what we have all paid for eventually.
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I have already commented on here today as i am incredulous at the courts upholding the ‘no obligation to notify’. If anyone wants to read what I believe is a precedent in 1950s women’s favour you can google as follows. Parliamentary business-publications & records (in http://www.parliament.uk) and then key in the search box-session 2002-03, public accounts-36th report:improving service quality:action in response to the inherited SERPS problem (HC 616). The committee report highlights DWP failings in not notifying all those affected by the changes and follows the 34th report’s findings. Subsequently, the legislation was delayed to give more notice, compensation was awarded. These reports make clear there was a DUTY to notify those involved. At the bottom of the outline of the report you can click on ‘view reports. I hope someone with expert knowledge will investigate this as I believe this info could be used for an appeal. Enormous thanks to David Henke, Joanne Welch, Michael & Yvette Mansfield (huge congratulations on your marriage 💑)16 films/Ken Loach, Byline Times and all those supporting back to 60 (too many to mention here) you all give us hope.
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Yes the judicial system has been very unjust at evaluating the rise of the pension age for 1950,s born women.We in good faith expected to receive our pension at age 60 having paid our national insurance.Insurance….. Why would anyone pay insurance if your insurance does not cover the contract you bought into? Iwould possibly have been better banking and investing my National Insurance contributions over a 40 year period elsewhere? but don,t have a choice if You depend on a state pension.
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Shouldnt Primeministers ,mps ect be looked into what they get paid each month for their pension. also what they spend our money on and then tell us we cannot have what we are due……i listened to this on youtube and is very interesting,it is about tony blaire…Tony Blair is a big time multi millionaire, yet he takes 80,000 a year of tax payers money for his pension.. this shows you all you need to know about this man! this was in the notes to the vidio…here is the link and some shocking truths …https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zupuJkLWwfM….
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Thankyou David once again! We can’t give up now. I hope there is somewhere we can go with this. I have to wait 6 years. Still 3to go. Its affecting my life and that of my family.
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Even bad news is good publicity-and the rotten judgement wholly in favour of the Government & completely at odds with Judge Mrs Lang smacks of us all being stiffed.
Now even those disinterested previously might wake up and think – that could be me next…….
And I alwys vote – but those not with us are against us.
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David just read something on Google drive that is news to me. Can you confirm the MP actions of Caroline Harris and Tim conservative party putting forward 3 step idea approved by groups supporting 50’s women to the government.
They propose
1. Women aged 63 and over to get their pension.
2.All women to get same rate no matter how many NI contributions have been made.
3. All 50’s women who have not set up another pension to get additional pension credit.
Surely the whole purpose of our complaint is the mishandling of our state pension. The discrimination we have had all of our lives. The state pension should be paid to all women born in the 1950’s otherwise we are again going down the route of discrimination yet again. It’s all women born in the 1950′ s that this pension increase has impacted on.
Any woman born in the 1950’s should be treated with the respect they deserve and paid what is due to them.
We should not be playing games any more with these women’s lives. The government will jump at any chance to pay out as little as they can, so these MPs need to make sure not one woman born in the 50’s is overlooked.
Dee
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Love you Dee. You and me the Warrior Queens. Just far too bloody decent. Lynne.
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Just watching the news and the demonstrations in London ‘re climate change Extinction Rebellion etc… is it time we did something like that? I am unable to chain myself to the underside of a vehicle or walk very far…but maybe we should now be more vocal? It would we lose the sympathy of others but that kind of action? What do you ladies think? There is the cost etc which I would struggle to find . I feel we must do something but what?
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I said same as you last week after the judgement. I started out funding waspi at 59. Then crowd funding back to 60. What a dreadful waste of everyone’s time and their money, many could ill afford to pay any thing anyway.!!! Nice. Another way of making us feel bad. I felt angry and destroyed last week. Then after almost a week of silence please give our world class legal team another £72,000 (at least). No. I cannot and I won’t. That £72,000 would be better spent on sending who ever wants to go to bloody Westminster to PROTEST but does not have the money and that’s because we are in dire miserable poverty. If the legal team think they can get a review then that’s another 6 to 9 months again. Let them work for nothing as only overpaid people can. To be told no. AGAIN.!!!!! Direct action would, if large and LOUD enough and disruptive enough at least get us on the news, worldwide. David, wrote earlier in the year that all DWP claims had to be settled before Brexit happened, well, that’s how I knew we had lost. You could not really be more disgustingly disrespectful to us women than the the blind eye of supposed justice was last week. Summarily dismissed. All my life that is the phrase. Oh, it’s only a girl therefore rubbish in my family. In 1987 I divorced my extremely violent husband and literally lived hand to mouth with 2 kids for 10 years. He made 3 payments of maintenance in12 years. The fecking CSA cost me £30k plus. He died in 2015 still owing. From out of nowhere In March this year 2019 I had a letter from the cold cases unit in the DWP. They have written it all off because he’s dead. That is our fate girls. David was right about them checking out all their rubbish mishandling before Brexit. They could never have given millions and millions of women and men pensioners what they are sitting on. Imagine going to jail for civil disobedience? We would all be housed fed and by the time we get out you get your pension….. Action not words. I don’t want an OBE. I want my pension. August 1971, 1st pay packet of £5. 48p taken in National insurance. Had to work from 8 6pm, 5 days a week…. Age 15 years and one month. Stolen from and ripped off my whole life. I’m so tired of being told by the middle upper classes that they know best for me. I live in Torbay with my dementia ridden husband but in Bournemouth area there are 22 thousand woman waiting. How many in your area eh?
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