How was 65 originally arrived at as retirement age? My guess would be that, as with so many things, there was a bit of guesswork going on. When it was set there were not that many people getting to that age at all, let alone living another 10-20-30 years after retirement. As I see it, demographic changes have made that unsustainable, bitter pill though it is.
Our original retirement age was in fact set at 70 in the 1908 Act and subsequently reduced to 65.
We are well on course then for a return to Victorian values.
