I have read the recent posts on this topic with interest but also with a very heavy heart. I am still living in UK running a WASPI style group of over 160 women, and men, who spend an awful lot of our precious time and energy trying to gain attention for this state pension injustice. At the same time, we are trying to inform and help women who didn't realise this was going to happen to them, hence they are really struggling....and I do mean having to sell their homes or give up their rented properties and move in with their children (or friends) as they can't afford to live otherwise. I'm sure I don't have to point out that life in the UK differs to that of an ex-pat living in Cyprus, although I am fully aware that this situation adversely affects all in some way, regardless of individual circumstances. We women expected all our long, working lives to receive our SP at 60 and many made plans around this, as our parents had done before us. To move this, twice, with inadequate notice and notification, is what's caused us to be in this unfortunate situation. I have now had my SPA raised to 66 despite already having an full NI contributions record of 42 years. I am 62 now so I have another 4 years to manage without the pension we made our retirement plans around, as millions of others before us have been able to do. What has made me respond in this thread, although I am heartily sick, tired and weary of campaigning in my 60's for something my mother took for granted, is the need, particularly regarding MigMogs post, to set the record straight. There are always two sides. Whilst being hugely appreciative of Mig Mogs previous support on this site when the knives were out for us 'stupid' 1950's born women who were just expected to suck it up, she does not fully appreciate the reality of being an active WASPI woman in the U.K. When Mig Mogs referred to being asked to leave a WASPI group that is not what actually happened in this instance. The posts I understand she is referring to were made on my own personal FB page and I eventually pm'd her to ask her very politely to refrain from attacking me and my fellow campaigners on my own page, not that of a WASPI group. It served no purpose other than to upset women who are presently here, in the UK, actually demonstrating and campaigning all over the country, for what she agrees is a dreadful injustice. Not the theory, not being keyboard warriors, but real getting out there standing in the cold and rain, in our 60's - with many health issues - trying to get attention and support for what we are trying to achieve. I think I know why Mig Mogs did it; it was prompted by photos of myself and other local women with our Labour candidate and Eddie Izzard when he very briefly dropped by our very small town in the North West of England. That is the post that MigMogs took exception to. Also maybe the ones the week before when we organised and held a WASPI local day of action, and Peter Stefanovic came to town, so he spoke for us and I had many pics with him too! We also asked Andrew Gwynne to come to speak and he also obliged. It was brilliant and we got many new members that day, but it was very, very hard work and I would have rather have spent the day doing other things! I wrote to every councillor in my labour dominated constituency 2 years ago asking them to help and support us local WASPI women. I got just 3 replies, one was an out of office, one was a 'thanks but no thanks I'm busy' and one was from a young female Cllr who offered to help in any way she could. This she did and has continued to do, long long before any election loomed. She took the WASPI motion to our local council (Wigan) last November and it was unanimously supported. She got us the use of a town centre shop/office where we hold weekly drop in sessions to provide information and support to any women, or men, affected by this injustice. We were able to get our posters up in all council/public buildings in the borough as well as being in council information pamphlets etc. In short, her help and influence opened doors which had been previously closed to us. We have stood in the high streets of all parts of the borough, offering information and support. Believe it or not, some women still do not know they won't get their pension when they thought they would - FACT! Say what you will about ignorance and lack of awareness but that is the real situation. We have travelled to London, several times, for debates and demos...we have rocked up at Party Conferences, we will go anywhere we think we will get noticed as we have been silent and invisible for too long. All this takes precious time, energy and finances to do. So, we get support from our 3 local MP's, all labour...we get NONE from any other parties...so what are we to do Mig Mogs? Crawl back under the stone, pensionless? My previous MP was Andy Burnham, quite a high profile politician who has supported me, and women like me, since I first went to see him almost 3 years ago. He gave advice, he attended everything we asked him to, he met us at the HoC, and when he recently resigned and became Mayor of Greater Manchester, he urged us to continue to work with his replacement, Jo Platt...the very Councillor who had been helping us for the past 2 years. So, Mig Mogs, when you reacted so badly to my personal pics a week or so ago, I was doing what I thought best...getting publicity, getting this campaign noticed. Me, and women like me, exercising our right to do as we feel we must. Not dictated to by anyone! Not on any WASPI orders, so you are wrong to assume the Campaign has sold its soul... You may not be aware that there was a WASPI split well over a year ago, so there are actually several campaigns on the go, certainly not just one, but they tend to get all bundled under the WASPI name...although they certainly differ as to their asks etc. You can't tell women in their sixties what to do...unpaid as we all are. We all do as we see fit and some do absolutely nothing, it's their choice and their life. However I do take exception to you misrepresenting the actual situation on this site to others who may be blessedly unaware of all this WASPI malarkey! I would have my photo taken with almost anyone to get noticed, but nobody from other parties came to my town. The Conservative candidate didn't respond to any invitations to stand with us at any time, other than on a pic from when he did not oppose the motion at full council last November, which I asked him to pose for. However not during this recent campaign, that's the reality of it. Making sweeping statements on here, or anywhere, without presenting the full facts isn't helping anyone. What groups were you asked to leave? WASPI is NOT affiliated to any political party but they have used the recent election to try to extract promises and pledges from all politicians and political parties, that's all. It's called fighting, campaigning, whatever but it's defintely getting out of one's comfy chair and shouting for what you feel has been an awful injustice inflicted on a decade of women for no other real reason than to snatch a massive amount of money back into Government coffers, to distribute elsewhere. I know women in my group looking for jobs at 62+ despite health issues. If you do continue to work, my understanding is that you now continue to pay NI until your new SPA. Phew! Apologies for the very long post. I resisted replying, but I am offended after doing everything I have done for this cause, and I can't stand by and say nowt. If you're still reading, please, please reassure me that no sensible person actually believes that all 'WASPI' women - all 3.5 million of us - support/voted Labour or SNP???? We women have worked since we were 15/16, we've raised families, we've studied and achieved.....Give us some credit!!!
_________________ Pat
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