A pensions dispute means that all kinds of people turn out to be pensions experts. From union conveners to nervous institutional managers everyone has had an opinion on the intricacies of, say, valuation Test 1 (which generally accords with the speaker’s own preferences).Into this free-for-all has stepped a small number of genuine experts, with an even smaller number able to describe their position to the layperson on the picket line.
This latter group includes Otsuka, a political philosopher working at LSE who has enlivened and informed the debate with considered and intelligible blog posts, for Wonkhe, the superb USS Briefs, and others.
The fact that his writing on pensions is so far outside what we might consider his day job is simply testament to his flexibility and intelligence. We love finding experts in unexpected places.
The sheer volume of protest played a huge part in the slow and ongoing resolution of the dispute in the interest of USS members. But arguably an equal part was paid by the high quality analysis offered by those who had taken the time to get to know the field.