Report abuse

There is an alternative. There are relatively low cost private pensions that people can pay money into which will offset the potential hardship they would face if they rely on the State’s pension alone. The local firm Carey Group do one called the Osprey Plan which is pretty good I beleive (I think other local firms do them too).

OK, its not ideal, particularly if you aren’t earning a big wage, but its better than nothing. The fact is that, if you do not put aside a bit for your future retirement (and start as early as possible) you are going to have to live on a pittance in your old age.

Depending entirely on the state just isn’t a reliable option any more.

Report abuse

You sure are.

Spot on. Except that, to be fair, they don’t spend ALL of our money on smoking pot – a chunk of it goes on tattoing and body piercing too. Oh and fags and booze of course. And then we can also pick up the legal aid bills too when the booze gets overpowering [but it's never their fault is it, dear apologist Advocates on legal aid fees?? "My client has had a difficult week" - we all do now and again, bonehead, but we don't ask society to pay for the consequences and for the cost of having some overpaid fop making excuses on our behalf].

You’re right – it is snowballing. And this is exactly where Dorey and his fellow apologists will keep channelling the money which they take / extort from us true workers in ever increasing proportions [and yes, I'm a single parent with a mortgage and a full-time job].

How about subsidising the genuine needs of parents who actually work [e.g. school dentists, childcare etc] rather than giving all these things free to those who can’t be @rsed? And it’s not just those of us with children who are getting shafted at the expense of the spongers – there are many more worthwhile things to divert the money into for the childless too.

And of course when I say “us true workers” I mean the middle range earners who have to work bl**dy hard and budget very carefully to make ends meet, not the overpaid undertaxed lot who our States have deemed to be a protected species, and certainly not the wasters you so accurately refer to.

They mismanage our money, give it to the open beaked chicks who don’t even try to fly, and then they retire at 60 on their final salary pensions. How dare we criticise?

Report abuse

The average life expectancy for males and females in this region of the world has risen by far more than 2 years in the past three decades It stands to reason therefore that a pension taken at aged 65 now has to last far longer on average than was envisaged when a new pensioner today was anticipating at age 35. Raising the pension age merely realigns the average post-retirement lifespan of pensioners with the expected life of the average actuarially- calculated pension fund.

Report abuse

What is wrong with a flat contribution rate for all, so that all pay according to their means?

I guess the States would not have the courage to change the system, although Matt Fallaize has alluded to the same suggestion, but also does not think it would find support in the States. It would certainly boost the coffers.

Can’t risk scaring the wealthy away though, can we?

Report abuse

But if were have to do it…
It should be from NOW???.

So all the civil servants how made this mess suffer too..not just punshing our kids

Report abuse

Its staring them in the face but they havent got the nerve to tackle it.

Dole- Scrap it more or less completely, no half measures, on Guernsey there is NO REASON even in todays climate for someone to be out of work.

Dole should only be for emergency scenarios only, such as redunandancies, medical issues etc etc. Why should we pay for some lazy git to sit around smoking pot on our money just because he/she cant be bothered working.

Children as career options- Scrap it completely, I know plenty of mothers who work, and have to juggle their childcare arrangements around their job, they also *shock horror* have mortgages!! So why should we be subsidising these lazy people who couldnt be bothered at school so they just fire a couple of kids out with their life now sorted thanks to our tax payments.

I think this would be more popular than people realise, because its a vicious circle, these kids brought up in a welfare environment will more than likely end up doing exactly the same.

Its snowballing in the UK to the point of unsustainability. It will more than likely happen over here as well, 2 years is the tip of the iceberg.

Report abuse

From the UK Department for Work and Pensions website:-

“The State Pension age for both men and women is set to increase from 65 to 68 between 2024 and 2046, with each change phased in over two consecutive years in each decade.

The first increase, from 65 to 66, will be phased in between April 2024 and April 2026; the second, from 66 to 67, will be phased in between April 2034 and April 2036; and the third, from 67 to 68, between April 2044 and April 2046.”

Basically, in the UK if you were born in the 1950’s or before you will get your State Pension at 65, born in the 1960’s at 66, born in the 1970’s at 67, born in the 1980’s or after 68.

To make it affordable it seems likely that this will have to change yet again for those born in the 1990’s to 69 and finally for those born in the 21st Century to 70.

This, of course, is not the age you can or have to retire, just the age you will be able to draw your State Pension. With some sort of private pension plan you may, if you’re lucky, still be able to retire earlier.

Report abuse

Report abuse

because here on the other side of the planet the laws have already been passed to raise the retirement age to 67 and if you don’t have a very substantial superannuation by then you will certainly be living on an extremely meagre pension indeed.

Report abuse

Report abuse

Perhaps we could save money and go back to the days when States memebrs did not get paid, they were not great but they were better than the fools we have today. You have Trosky and his team travelling the globe at our expence, using most of the time a rival airline to the Government run one at s greater expence?

Don’t someone say that that is part of their expences allowance because where does that come from? We also pay that.

Had enough then lets say so NO MORE, ENOUGH is ENOUGH.

Rant over, nothing will change. Where’s this place you going to WH.

Report abuse

Care home places shouldn’t be an issue for some of the impending eldery though as they will have a choice of 14, and counting, kids with their own States houses to go and live with.

Report abuse

This scheme will go through if the younger consituents don’t put up a stink now before it’s too late. Politicos know youngsters don’t get too excited about government proposals…

Herbert’s pretty brilliant with the proposal to consider dole/earner contribution considerations. But no government is going to get into that hot potato.

Report abuse

Report abuse