Category Archives: Politics

The Regulator’s not for turning; in conversation with David Fairs,

Posted on November 23, 2020 by henry tapper

  David Fairs and I were born within a couple of months and have both spent our careers in pensions. We enjoy each other’s company so when David suggested that we spent the last 90 minutes of the business week … Continue reading →

Posted in age wage, Blogging, pensions, Pensions Regulator, Politics, Public sector pensions | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Do you work in the bullshit economy?

Posted on May 17, 2020 by henry tapper

Stefan Stern has kindly shared an opinion piece he’s written in the Guardian, which I like very much. You can read it for free here (thanks to the Guardian’s enlightened sharing policy) Five years ago, Stella and I moved back … Continue reading →

Posted in Occupy London, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Treasury flies a pension kite on a stormy weekend

Posted on February 8, 2020 by henry tapper

For as long as I’ve been advising on pensions, the weeks running up to the budget have been filled with rumours of draconian reductions in the subsidies available to the rich to featherbed their retirement. This FT story has the … Continue reading →

Posted in age wage, pensions, Politics, Treasury, welfare | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

12/12/19 #OKboomer v #snowflakegeneration

Posted on December 15, 2019 by henry tapper

The most coherent research I have seen coming out of the voting patterns of last Thursday is this. While support for Liberals is consistent over ages, the vote for the binary propositions of conservative and labour governments is highly dependent … Continue reading →

Posted in age wage, leadership, pensions, Politics, Popcorn Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For pity’s sake.

Posted on December 3, 2019 by henry tapper

      I’ve just read a very funny and moving article about a grandson’s changing attitude to his grandfather’s dementia. The article is a little stylised as it’s on Vice and is rather longer and more thoughtful than the … Continue reading →

Posted in poetry, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Ignore promises of profligacy or face the tragic consequences.

Posted on September 30, 2019 by henry tapper

Really important piece by @ChrisGiles_ Philip Hammond always worried that if HMT allowed fiscal credibility to slip, the Tories would end up fighting (and losing) an economic argument with Labour about who could spend mosthttps://t.co/OsnZVUKY2K — George Parker (@GeorgeWParker) September … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, pensions, poetry, Politics | 2 Comments

Whitbread – you must pay up on the Government’s pension promise

Posted on November 18, 2018 by henry tapper

This blog calls on Whitbread to pay the incentive outstanding to many of their staff before the sale of Costa to Coca Cola. If Whitbread refuses to do so, the Pensions Regulator should block the sale. If Whitbread wants to … Continue reading →

Posted in auto-enrolment, Blogging, napf, Payroll, pensions, PLSA, Politics, Retirement, Ros Altmann | 4 Comments

What do we do with pension good news?

Posted on August 12, 2018 by henry tapper

. Despite taking on pension schemes from employers including Carillion, Toys R Us and Hoover, with deficits totalling £1.2 billion – the highest total value to date, the PPF’s funding position has strengthened. The PPF has reported a continued growth … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions, Pensions Regulator, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

A lot not happening! PLSA update

Posted on October 20, 2017 by henry tapper

  As the PLSA conference winds down and attendees return home, they will be left wondering what hasn’t happened. A lot of debate didn’t happen because those most wanting to debate were not at the Conference. Thankfullly we had expert … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions, Politics, Popcorn Pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Let these politicians do some work!

Posted on September 26, 2017 by henry tapper

We have had so many referendums and elections and leadership battles and cabinet reshuffles over the past two years, that politicians may have forgotten they are here to govern the country. We elect 650 people every five years to do … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions, Politics, Popcorn Pensions, Public sector pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments