Monday 17 December 2007

Reasons to be cheerful

Back at the keyboard today after 10 days away from the office. What did I miss? 833 e-mails (not counting the ones filtered by the spam filter), a couple of stories about Peter Hain's deputy leadership campaign losing track of donations (easily done), a day out at the Welsh Grand Committee, Sian Lloyd got engaged (again), and another slight glitch in Eleanor Burnham's otherwise upwards trajectory towards the Liberal Democrat leadership.

And in what surely will be described as a snub/slap in the face to Wales, Rhydian lost the X-Factor final and Gethin was voted out of Strictly Come Dancing.

There's better news for former steelworkers at ASW, who have forced the Government into a substantial U-turn to compensate them for their lost pensions.

Brian Silver worked at ASW for 32 years and had expected to retire on a pension of £12,000 a year. Under the existing Financial Assistance Scheme, he says he would have received around £1,500. Today's announcement will give him 90 per cent of that £12,000 a year (£10,800) - leaving him almost £9,000 a year better off.

Small wonder he used an appearance on Wales Today this lunchtime to ask Mrs Silver not to go shopping before he gets home.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

yes yes all well and good - hows the new baby whats her name nad a picture as Glyn says would be nice