HANDS OFF OUR BENEFITS

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Conference
2014 National Retired Members Conference
Date
19 June 2014
Decision
Carried as Amended

Conference has on several occasions made policies regarding our determination to hang on to the small (but valuable and much valued) universal benefits elderly people have such as bus passes, free TV licenses etc. We must now recognise that there is yet another political threat to these: leading UKIP figures have made no secret of their desire to abolish or at least means-test these benefits should they ever have the political strength to do so. Whilst even a year or so ago that seemed a very remote possibility, their recent successes in the local and European elections, and the virtual demise of the Lib Dems, conjure a nightmare General Election result next year of a no overall control Government led by the Tories with the balance of power held by UKIP. We must recognise – and make our members, who proportionately turn out very well to vote – that UKIP are not our friends, whatever we feel about the EU.

Conference therefore calls on the National Retired Members’ Committee to work with our NEC and both our Political Funds to make it very clear to our members and the public exactly how union-unfriendly UKIP’s policies really are, and how negative their attitude towards elderly people (as well as women and gay people!) actually is.