Recent Early Day Motions

Some recent Early Day Motions signed by Paddy Tipping (and my own thoughts on the topics) are:

1. Public Sector Pensions - which supports the TUC lobbying parliament about, amongst other things, an increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65, which they identify as being a significant reduction in their terms and conditions. This is true but that would apply to many pensioners (not just those working in the public sector) - and the increase in the retirement age is pretty much the only practical way to deal with the pensions crisis.
   
2. Heritage Lottery Fund 10th Anniversary - which congratulates them on the good work done in the last 10 years.
   
3. Wheelchair passengers travelling in guard's vans on Southern trains - the old rolling stock used by Southern means that wheelchair passengers have to travel in the guard van with bars on the window etc. A fair point, but the cost of replacing trains is going to be rather high, particularly when compared to numbers of wheelchair passengers. I wouldn't have thought that was a 'reasonable' adjustment under the DDA. Perhaps Southern in the interim could allow wheelchair passengers to travel for free in recognition of the lower quality service it is providing to them.
   
4. Bird's Eye Factory Closure in Grimsby - A motion urging them to reinvest in the factory and keep it open, rather than lay off the employees and close it down. However, surely if they thought this was going to work, they would do it anyway?