“The Paradise Of The Rich Is Made Out Of The Hell Of The Poor” – Victor Hugo
What is it with it with right-wing billionaires and millionaires who call for pay restraint and cuts to pensions for ordinary working people? Are they afraid we will all become rich like them? Even stranger, and beyond logical explanation, is the large number of ordinary working people who are prepared to vote for political parties that promote such policies.
The popular political movement in the UK right now seems to be towards the far right and Reform UK, a party run and owned by billionaires and millionaires, many of whom were previous Conservative Party members – Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, James McMurdock, Lee Anderson, Rupert Lowe, Nick Candy to name but a few.
Of these, Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, Robert Lowe, Nick Candy are all millionaires or multi millionaires. Following Richard Tice calling for lower public sector pay awards, Nigel Farage is now calling for lower pensions for public sector workers.
"Public sector pensions are the single biggest ticking bomb in our government finances. It's a massive, massive problem.” (Daily Express: 28/12/24)
Even though we only come 15th out of 30 places for European pension generosity, Nigel Farage describes UK public sector pensions as “gold plated", condemning the difference between public and private sector pension provision as “pensions apartheid”. Why he wants to devalue public sector pensions rather than argue for an increase in private sector pension provision is a question only he and his fellow Reform UK millionaires can answer.
Nearly 20% of the British workforce is employed in the public sector, so what we do know is that Reform UK is calling for the future impoverishment of over 6 million people. Only a few weeks ago Reform UK MP’s voted AGAINST the withdrawal of the winter fuel payments to pensioners. How you can logically vote for retaining pension payments one minute and then argue for a reduction in pension payments the next makes no sense.
“Nigel Farage demands Labour Stop winter fuel axe and ‘end war on pensioners'" (Daily Express: 26/09/24)
The cynical among us might think that Reform UK will say almost anything to gain votes no mater how controversial, immoral or illogical, but it does seem to work. Lets hope those that vote for Reform UK and its super-rich backers don’t find themselves the victims of their own political naivety.