In praise of abolishing the compulsory retirement age

As highlighted by Vince Cable in the Daily Mail today, the laws for compulsory retirement should be transformed to reflect the changing society in which we live in today. The Office for National Statistics in their latest report indicates that the number of people aged 65+ is now greater than those aged 16 or less. This highlights to a great extent the need to accommodate older people and their chosen lifestyles. I therefore welcome the announcement by the government that a review into the laws governing compulsory retirement at the age of 65 is being brought forward a year to 2010.

If as pension experts suggest the UK government repeal the law, people aged 65+ will have greater autonomy over their lives and gain greater security within their jobs. This will undeniably cause less stress and increased happiness among older people. In the long run it will mean a reduction in pensioner poverty.

There have been a number of cases that demonstrate the way in which companies have been using existing law to force people aged 65+ out of work. This has been condemned by both Age Concern and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Trade unions will not only welcome this announcement by the government but the economy as whole will benefit from the increased ability of people aged 65+ to work until they can no longer.

Britain must remain to ensure positive results

Following the recent reports on the lack of equipment British troops have, it is evident that the British public are not at ease with the legacy of the war in Iraq nor the battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is also clear that the British public are fed up with misbehaving politicians in our parliament. Due to this 'anger on two fronts', the media has managed to propel this negativity towards the British government in terms of pulling its policy in Afghanistan apart.

The stage we are now at in Afghanistan means NATO forces must see it to the end. In order for NATO forces to return home, the country must be fit to govern, the Afghan army must be fit for purpose and above all the people must be able to live safe lives. These are the clear benefits for Afghanistan that NATO can bring to the country. Leaving the country would prevent these three positives from taking their course and mean a return to Talibanesque laws and politics. Furthermore, if the Taliban were left to rule the country there would be enormous instability within the region. Not only would Pakistan be at increased vulnerability to the Taliban than it is now, but the spread of illegal drugs and weaponry would expand to a greater extent internationally.

Securing the legitimacy of the people is what the Afghan government backed by NATO must continue to do. The Karzai government obtained this backing in October 2004 and may well continue to do so at the next general election in August.

Now is not the time to fall weak at the knees but the time to remain determined and supportive.

Erasing the European deficit

On the 15 July when the new Europe minister, Lady Kinnock announced that the British government would back Tony Blair to become the first president of the EU there were shudders of unease within some political circles and the media. Critics of Blair point to the Iraq War and the image this would set for the EU while those in support favour his experience and as Denis MacShane points out, his ‘ability to communicate difficult messages in simple terms.’

The EU needs a president who will give the bloc a greater voice on the international stage, who will be decisive and compelling in making decisions at EU-level and represent the common voice of 27 member states.

Blair was backed by President Sarkozy as early as April last year describing him as one of ‘Europe’s greats’ and a necessity for driving Europe into the future. Blair has the energy and spirit to boost European fortunes, whether it be managing the EU’s turbulent relationship with Russia or ensuring the implementation of the Nabucco pipeline.

Not only would Blair be a positive step forward for the 27 member states but he would also be beneficial to Britain. With the recent embarrassment surrounding the Conservative party’s realignment with the far right in Europe and the resignation of their most senior MEP Edward Mcmillan-Scott, Britain’s relationship with the EU is in need of European recovery.

A CNBC Europe poll indicated that Blair was the most popular candidate for the EU presidency with 37% of the vote, ahead of German chancellor Angela Merkel with 23% and Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker with 12%.

With Blair as president, Europe would benefit and so would Britain.

Event report: What do women have to do to get taken seriously?

On Thursday, Oona King chaired a debate with guest speakers Emily Thornberry, Ellie Levenson, Katherine Rake and Jessica Asato on the issue of what do women have to do to get taken seriously.

To kick this event off, Oona King began by saying women in politics are either characterized as nanny or lightweight. The first speaker was Ellie Levenson who outlined her view very strongly by indicating that women are not taken seriously. Many fights have taken place she highlighted, but not enough has changed. A five point plan was suggested by Ellie in combating this:

1. women should be proud to call themselves feminists
2. feminism should not be a prescribed set of beliefs – drop the earnestness
3. it is acceptable to be feminine
4. feminism is more than being interested in health and education – we shouldn’t buy the idea there is a feminine way of doing things
5. men can be feminists

The second speaker, Katherine Rake responded and said that because men define the rules in society so women can’t be taken seriously. If women want to pursue a job at the top, they have to do so in a society defined by men’s rules. If women do not then they risk going nowhere. She went on to indicate that there are no more than three women on any FTSE 100 board. The way forward indicated by Katherine is to demonstrate that the sky doesn’t fall in when women get into power. One way in that other countries, namely Norway have attempted to overcome this, is by having quotas on the number of women allowed on the boards of companies. Katherine argued that this could be a possibility for firms in Britain.

Emily Thornberry began her response by joking, that if women want to be taken seriously they should not be too pretty, or too unpretty! She went on to highlight from her own experiences in the 1980s that she was turned away as a barrister because there were already three female barristers out of 25 in her chamber. This emphasized what the earlier speakers had said surrounding the issue of men’s rules. Further to this, she outlined that the public do not have a problem with women MPs and would accept women shortlists for political parties. In order for women to be perceived other than the way they are now, men have to change and be liberated.

Jessica Asato was the last speaker at this event and addressed a number of key points to conclude this event. Her first point was that women should continue to campaign for equality, in terms of:

1. universal childcare
2. maternity and paternity leave equalised and shared
3. change divorce laws which predetermine women as primary carer
4. make women aware that they don’t have it all

Her second point highlighted the need for women to fight against stereotypes. An example Jessica gave was Labour’s use of the term, which implied only mums mattered. Furthermore, she said that women should stop complaining and become engaged with what really matters. Women need to show more solidarity with one another and overcome the difficulties that they face.

The floor was then open for the audience to ask questions to the speakers and put their comments forward. A point raised by one member of the audience suggested that the public debate for women to reclaim themselves was not over. Another remarked that young women who are faced with sexism are put off by feminism.

Vote for a Change rally

A bustling Methodist Central Hall in Westminster saw the Vote for a Change rally commence in fine style. Ken Ritchie, head of the Electoral Reform Society introduced the event with a few words on why electoral reform is needed in Britain and how we as citizens can achieve it. Dave Rowntree, the drummer from Blur furthered these words and emphasized the need for citizens to be actively involved in rallying for a referendum on electoral reform and not solely leaving it to politicians. Following this speech, a number of short video clips were projected onto the screen above the stage featuring a number of high profile political figures.

Next up was Labour’s John Denham who emphasised his support for electoral reform and acknowledged that recent months in parliament have relayed fresh evidence for the need to modernise. Peter Facey of Unlock Democracy expressed his clear vision for electoral reform in his speech, highlighting the need for citizens to act as quickly as possible in influencing the Labour government to hold a referendum on electoral reform at the same time as the next general election in June. This passionate speech was acknowledged by the audience and complimented by the performances of KT Tunstall and Billy Bragg who both played live.

A ‘question time’ style panel was set up on the stage consisting of Peter Tatchell (Green Party member), Jo Swinson (Lib Dem MP), Gerard Batten (Ukip MEP), Chuka Umunna (PPF for the Labour party) and chair Mehdi Hasan (senior editor for the New Statesman). With this wide ranging and all supportive panel of electoral reformers the audience were kept entertained and informed throughout the debate. Gerard Batten indicated that the British public should be given two referenda on electoral reform, one consisting of a yes or no on electoral reform and a second on choosing the type of electoral system we think is best, such as STV, AMS, AV+ etc. All the panelists whole-heartedly agreed that the existing electoral system (FPTP) creates wasted votes, is undemocratic and maintains a status quo of the two party system. 

This event highlighted the need for electoral reform and for us as citizens to do what we can to influence the Labour government into making the referendum happen.

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