"On the 1st day of Christmas, the Government said to me
No more winter fuel payment from 2015..."
But then I realised that 12 days were not enough to cover all the aspects of discrimination that the UK Government - past and present - have dished out to pensioner expatriates living legitimately and legally within the EU.
So instead I have decided to focus mine (and hopefully your) attention on three current issues, dominating the headlines over recent days, that make a complete and total mockery of the current government's arguments, relating to the savings they need to make by the removal of £200 per year from expatriate pensioners, who have paid into the UK system all their working lives and, indeed, many continue to pay taxes to the UK even in their retirement.
The first of these issues is, of course, the proposal of raising MP's pay by £7,600 PER YEAR from 2015. That equates to 38 YEARS of £200 winter fuel payment. And, dare I say it, a reasonable percentage of pensioners are unlikely to get to the grand old age of 92 in order to fully enjoy receipt of a total of £7,600 over their entire retirement. But IPSA deems it perfectly acceptable for MPs, already in receipt of nearly 12 TIMES the basic State Pension (£66,400 vs £5,727), will have that amount landing in their bank accounts annually! And if this story headline in The New Statesman is to be believed (and I have no reason not to), then maybe our MPs should bear that in mind when considering their electioneering strategy in the lead-up to May 2015: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/12/just-10-mps-sign-parliamentary-motion-opposing-pay-rise
Secondly, why-oh-why is the UK sending over £27 MILLION in aid to China each year? If the government are prepared to sacrifice pensioners to cold winters in northern Europe, by withdrawing the £200 additional funding for paying our fuel bills, to save a proposed £30 million per year, then why not stop China's aid instead and allocate that money for pensioner expatriate's winter fuel payment? What is wrong with looking after your own? Since the financial crisis of 2008, many EU-based British pensioners have found their purse-strings ever tightened... just take a look at the sterling-euro forex rates for that period. Yet the UK government feels it perfectly acceptable to cast them to one side while funding a country that has just put a rover on the moon! You just couldn't make it up: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10519964/UK-paid-more-than-27m-in-aid-to-China-last-year.html
And last but not least... a round of cynical applause please for the audacity of Lord Hanningfield as he clocks in at Westminster for a matter of minutes to claim his daily £300 attendance allowance*. £300 PER DAY! Seems that his Lordship claimed £5,700 in attendance allowance over a month, with an additional £471 in travel costs (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/17/lord-hanningfield-clocking-in-expenses). Given that the government will not even fund the travel costs for legitimate disabled claimants to attend required benefit tribunals in the UK, then even the payment to his Lordship of £471 travel costs is an insult to all concerned in that particular campaign.
So as we make the final approach to the season of goodwill, it might just be worth reflecting a little on the above and making a New Year's resolution for change by making your voice heard by the Parliamentarians.
Unlike Christmas, all it will cost you is a little time...
If eligible, register to vote:
https://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/british_citizens_living_abroad/register_to_vote.aspx
Then sign the petitions:
Create an MP for expatriates: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085
Winter Fuel Payment: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52121%20%3Cbr%3E
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
*Attendance allowance in this case refers to a member of the Lords claiming for "attending" Parliament and should not be confused with the Attendance Allowance paid to disabled pensioners, which only equates to £2,756 (low rate) or £4,115 (high rate) PER YEAR.
