Your Money or Your Life: When Will We Ever Learn?

In memory of every life dismantled by a promise that turned into a penalty.

I was in Westminster yesterday.

Not as a politician. Not as a pundit. But as a witness. A witness to pain—raw, articulate, and unforgiving. A room filled with victims of financial betrayal, footballers among them, still picking up the pieces after being cheered on—yes, cheered on—by the government to pour their earnings into HMRC-approved film schemes.

They were told it was patriotic.
They were told it was smart.
They were told it was safe—by advisers regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Seven times. Seven different governments. Same story.

And then—the switch.

Suddenly, HMRC called them tax dodgers. Not investors. Not supporters of British culture. But criminals. And for over a decade, these families were hounded—interest, penalties, courtrooms, stigma. One father broke down. Another lost his home. A wife told of her husband’s breakdown.

All for following advice from those who were supposed to know better.

Let that sink in: these were victims of state-sanctioned deception.

See: “Betrayed Twice: The Parliamentary Voices of Investment Fraud Victims”

And Now, They’re At It Again

Same sleight of hand. New deck of cards.

This time, they’re coming for your pension.

Under pressure from the Treasury, seventeen of the UK’s largest pension funds—Aviva, L&G, Phoenix, Royal London—have “volunteered” to divert £25 billion into UK private markets.

Sounds good, right?

But here’s the trick: they’re gambling with your retirement money to fund their growth agenda. Mandates are being dressed up as patriotism. Again. And the Mansion House Accord, like the film schemes before it, hides risk behind nationalistic rhetoric.

They claim it’s for your future.
They claim it’s for the country.
They’ll say it until it’s too late to say anything else.

This Is How It Starts

First, a “voluntary” commitment.
Then, subtle pressure.
Next, barriers removed “for growth.”
And soon? Mandates. Compulsion. No choice at all.

Torsten Bell is reviewing pensions investment rules. Watch closely. When they say they’ll monitor progress, read: we’ll enforce this if you don’t comply.

But here’s the truth:
You can’t solve a productivity crisis with people’s pensions.
You don’t build an economy by strip-mining retirement security.

We’ve been here before.
And it ends in tears.

Mixing Politics with Your Life Savings Never Ends Well

History screams the warning, but no one’s listening at the top. Because when the crash comes, it won’t be the advisers who suffer. Not the MPs. Not the regulators.

It will be you.

The ordinary saver. The trusting citizen. The one who thought the system worked in your favour.

So What Now?

We can’t wait for the system to reform itself. It won’t.

We can’t trust regulation alone. It’s been captured.

And we can’t keep outsourcing our futures to people whose bonuses depend on how much risk they offload onto us.

But we can do this:

Learn the rules of the game. Not the ones they teach you—the real ones.
Build your own financial plan. One aligned with your values, not their agenda.
Say no to blind trust. Demand transparency. Ask hard questions. Withdraw consent.
Join the rebellion. Become your own adviser. Or help others do the same.

Because If We Don’t Learn From the Past…

We will repeat it.
We will fund it.
We will become it.

The victims of the film scheme scandal still suffer today. And if we don’t act now, the victims of the pension investment mandate will be in Parliament twenty years from now—telling their stories. Holding their pain. Asking the same question:

When will we ever learn?

If this resonates—share it. Speak it. Stand up.

Because the system won’t save us.

But together, we can save ourselves.

🛡️ Your Money or Your Life.
✊ Choose both.

🙌 Stand With Ian. Speak the Truth. Spark the Change.

Ian Davis fought not just for himself, but for all of us.
If you’ve been affected by financial crime, or if you believe no one should ever suffer in silence—share this story. Raise awareness. Demand reform. Reclaim your power.

🔗 Share this post with someone who needs to read it.
📣 Join the movement to unmask the robbers and rebuild lives.
✍️ Leave a comment to honour Ian or share your story.
🤝 Volunteer or collaborate with the Academy of Life Planning or Transparency Task Force.

🕯️ Let’s make sure no voice like Ian’s is ever silenced again.