STATE pensions, and those of an age to receive them, are not normally topics which excite the interest of the media or the general public - despite the fact that most of us will one day hope to draw one.

That may all be about to change however thanks to a Green Paper, published by the Government, entitled "A New Contract for Welfare. Partnership in Pensions". This document states, alarmingly, that one in four pensioners live in poverty and that in the year 2050 there would still be one in four claiming benefits.

The Green Paper, which is currently out for consultation, excited strong emotions among delegates at the Pensioners Parliament conference in Blackpool - which I recently attended - organised by the National Pensioners Convention, whose president is Jack Jones.

The conclusions I have been obliged to draw do not sit easily with me. I have been a member of the Labour Party for 40 years and have been an extremely active member for the last 30. However, my grave misgivings about the changes proposed in this document leave me little option but to rally others to the cause of not only today's pensioners but also those of tomorrow. If the Government is not prepared to take action to eradicate poverty and deprivation among a large number of pensioners now, the inevitable result is that thousands of people will die having been denied the opportunity to live in a dignified way.

It must be recognised that this government has taken steps to relieve poverty that the previous Conservative government never even contemplated. But, when the acid test of whether the proposals will raise the incomes of pensioners enough to at least abolish poverty is applied, this Green Paper is a failure.

An obvious way to achieve a better quality of life for pensioners is for the Government to return to the policies it held under the leadership of Neil Kinnock and John Smith and restore the link between the state pension and average earnings. Had Margaret Thatcher not abolished that link a single person's pension today would be worth £94 per week.

Pensioners, it should not be forgotten, have paid their dues while creating the nation's wealth - today's pensioners fought for, and won, the conditions and lifestyles everyone enjoys today. Their fight for a fair deal spans the generations - pensions are now 15 per cent of earnings and are still falling. Estimates show that by 2020 that figure will fall to nine per cent.

Rest assured that this Paper will not be accepted without a fight. The twelve million pensioners across the country today will ensure that it is high on the political agenda this year, next year and every year until they get what they deserve.

If any of readers wish to join this debate, I would urge them to begin by lobbying their MPs to show the decision makers in Westminster that they have a real fight on their hands - it is in the interests of every one of us to make ourselves heard in this debate.

STAN SKINKIS

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.