Good afternoon folks,
It has been a while since I posted an update – not due to a lack of commitment, rather due to a lack of new things to report. However, this does not mean that work has not been continuing.
This is the latest update from the National Association of Retired Police Officers:
NARPO and the Police Federation continue to pursue this matter with the assistance and advice of their legal team, with the intention of making a claim in Court to right this terrible and immoral injustice.
In the meantime as they beaver away, we still have our share of the work to do.
Currently the petition stands at 135,814 signatures and amazingly continues to grow. I can’t begin to visualise that many people standing side-by-side, and to think that they have all taken the time to read and sign our petition - thousands have also left a comment.
I am saying ‘them’ rather than 'you' as a great many signatories will have signed and then unsubscribed; from that moment they will have stopped receiving my updates. They won’t have written to or met with their MP – they won’t know of our trips to parliament and the success we have enjoyed so far; the success that you have worked so hard to win, that together we have already achieved ‘the impossible’.
Every signature is precious, and those fantastic people will have moved on to lend their support to the myriad of worthy campaigns that currently flood the internet.
Those of us that are still campaigning need to do the work of those that have moved on.
We have to let the Home Office know that we represent all of the people that have signed; that every one of the 135,814 people care about the plight of the 22,000 police widows whose lives are overshadowed and blighted by the 1987 Police Pension Scheme; and we need to do so now.
To the faithful that have been writing letters, travelling to Westminster and making a general nuisance of themselves from day one – I will never be able to thank you enough.
To those members of our team that are not in a position to actively campaign; but continue to keep in contact and raise my spirits when the going is hard – you too have your place in my heart.
You guys are my family whether you like it or not.
The Home Office is aware of the commitment of NARPO and the Police Federation of England and Wales to our campaign, and I’m sure they are non-too pleased; imagine the impact if their endeavours were accompanied by an large influx of communications from those of us that remain.
If you can manage just a few lines to your MP asking them to contact the Policing Minister and Home Secretary on your behalf; if you ask them to convey that you whole heartedly support parity with Northern Ireland and lifelong pensions for all police widows - it will count.
If you are a police widow and can add another few lines detailing the effect that the 1987 pension regulations have on you and your family – it will count.
If you are a police widow and have benefited from the amendments of 2016 that were a direct result of our campaign, or if you could benefit from them in the future - and you can add a few lines to say why you believe all police widows should benefit from lifelong pensions – it will count.
The Conservative Party has a considerable majority – it no longer needs to work for our votes in order to win an imminent General Election; if you are someone that has ‘lent’ them your vote as you felt unable to vote for your usual political preference – add a few lines to remind them that your vote counted for them when they needed it most.
The Home Secretary undertook to take care of the families of police officers.
If you are a lifetime Conservative voter add a few lines to let her know of your expectations that she will keep her word – it will count.
Governing parties – especially those with a large majority, make changes when enough of their MPs express the view that changes need to be made. There are currently 365 Conservative MPs – a large number of them know nothing of our campaign, and they need to be persuaded to make their voices count on our behalf.
Those parties that fared less well in the General Election can still make a noise and may welcome the opportunity to make amends – they too need to stand up and be counted.
The Home Office finds itself in the spotlight at present and not for reasons it will welcome; now is the ideal time to give all concerned a lot more to think about.
We once more need to stand up and be counted; we are family – we have done it all before and we can do it again.
Our petition started with one signature, and thanks to you – it counted.
That first signatory sends you her best wishes as always x
CathrynHall11@gmail.com