The most striking statistic from Liberal Democrat conference

Our place to talk – an independent website for supporters of the Liberal Democrat party in the UK.

The most-read independent website by and for Lib Dem supporters. Not paid for by trade unions or millionaires.

Advert

The most striking statistic from Liberal Democrat conference

By Mark Pack | Thu 22nd September 2011 - 8:50 am

Follow @markpack

Steve Webb, speaking to Lib Dem conference:

I found out that I was, indeed, the 11th different pensions minister in the last 14 years.

Read more by Mark Pack or more about pensions or steve webb.
This entry was posted in Conference.

Advert

2 Comments

Ian Sanderson (RM3) 23rd Sep '11 - 8:59am

The implication being that, with too frequent reshuffles, the department then becomes too much the creature of its civil servants.
Steve, of course, had the advantage of having having worked on the subject for a lot of the last 20 years, at least, and thus already understood his brief.
Pensions is one of the most long-term issues that a government deals with, and needs a wise and informed minister. (As an example, I have been a member of the same pension scheme, as contributor or pensioner, since before Steve was born.)
Old Codger Chris 25th Sep '11 - 11:18am

The state of some Occupational Pensions in this country is a national disgrace – legalised robbery in some cases. Eleven ministers in fourteen years sums up the neglect by governments ever since Barbara Castle tried to introduce a proper scheme.

I’ve heard that the Australian system works well.

Post a Comment

Lib Dem Voice welcomes comments from everyone but we ask you to be polite, to be on topic and to be who you say you are. You can read our comments policy in full here. Please respect it and all readers of the site.

To have your photo next to your comment please signup your email address with Gravatar.

Your email is never published. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

Website

Comment

Please complete the name of this site, Liberal Democrat ...?

Most Read

Op-eds

The only Tory MP to join the SDP (Cody Butler)
A Proposed Alternative to Coalition: The Reserved Time Confidence Agreement (Owen Driscoll)
ALDC by-election report – 5 November (Charles Quinn)
Tom Arms’ World Review (Tom Arms)
Observations of an Expat: Post Election Worries (Tom Arms)

Advert

Recent Comments

paul barker
If we want to seem relevant to young Voters Labour have given us a couple of good opportunities with the proposal to cut benefits for the under-25s & the w...
Chris Webb
Welcome Cody; “wetter than a Dogger Bank trawler” they said, not realising that even by then such craft were rarities. I left once they failed for a second ...
Mick Taylor
Referenda/Referendums?? How typical of LibDems to argue about semantics rather than the substantive point....
Mick Taylor
@Andrew Tampion. As the current UK constitution (unwritten) stands, then yes. You can't have one rule for things you like and another for things you don't like....
Andrew Tampion
"We elect MPs to make decisions for us. If a future government gets elected on a platform to join the EU, then consent would be there. We didn’t need a refere...