Don't Lose Heart...!

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BENIDORM
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Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby BENIDORM » Sun Jan 18, 2015 5:59 pm

So now we have to wait to see what the outcome of the Winter Fuel Allowance lobby will bring..
But if nothing effective happens after all of the petitions have been perused I still think that there is a good chance that the abolition of the Allowance could be overturned.
As I said in my original topic , there is an important principle at stake here which could eventually affect everyone, not just people of pensionable age.
Perhaps the present Government doesn't consider Pensioners Abroad worth bothering about,not many votes lost, but maybe they have forgotten about all of the friends and families of the pensioners who do vote and hopefully they will also lose their votes too.!

Maybe 'Headwood' Duncan Smith will be fed to the lions for this massive misjudgement of Pensioner Power and I wouldn't be surprised to see his head presented on a fully microwaveable and dishwasher proof platter to the 'powers that be in Brussels'.!

The other day I poked my head out of my Igloo and gazed at the frozen frost that adorned the landscape ...
And I observed a near neighbour stood in her doorway attempting to eject her cat from the house, she was wearing at least a dozen layers of clothing and I did wonder if she was about to play a Spanish version of 'Pass the Parcel', maybe it's called 'Pass the Granny' here in Spain. :)
She smiled at me and the frozen stalagmite..( please note..Biribiri has won the prize for spotting this deliberate Mistake )... of the hag drip dangling from her nose shattered and cascaded to the ground like a minor avalanche...( maybe I should just have said that she had a runny nose ) :lol: .
Anyway I'm just trying to point out, for those that don't know, that the weather here in Spain during the winter really comes under the heading of 'Brass Monkey Weather'....
And maybe we spend a little of the W.F.A on a few bottles of vino plonko from Lidl, but of course that is only to help us forget how cold we are and to put a false rosy glow to our cheeks ( on our faces, not the other end........mind you.?..) :lol: ...

Keep WARM...
Gordon..part time Eskimo.... :wave:
Last edited by BENIDORM on Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

anyroads
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby anyroads » Sun Jan 18, 2015 8:41 pm

BENIDORM wrote:So now we have to wait to see what the outcome of the Winter Fuel Allowance lobby will bring..
Perhaps the present Government doesn't consider Pensioners Abroad worth bothering about,not many votes lost, but maybe they have forgotten about all of the friends and families of the pensioners who do vote and hopefully they will also lose their votes too.!

No they don't. However you will be aware of the Pensioner Bonds !.

That surely is going somewhat to buy the votes of the pensioners who can, and will vote.


anyroads

BENIDORM
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby BENIDORM » Mon Jan 19, 2015 9:18 am

I hear a faint cry from Anyroads .....

.....' No they don't. However you will be aware of the Pensioner Bonds !.

That surely is going somewhat to buy the votes of the pensioners who can, and will vote.'
anyroads '...

Interesting, but somehow I don't think that Pensioner bonds are going to win many votes ?
Most of the Pensioners I know are more interested in finding the money to pay for their Brooke Bonds ( Tea bags ), and I doubt many would be able to or could find 10,000 pounds to spend on a very low return investment ?
Anyroads , I think that your Mate David is just looking for some cheap loans to fund his dreams. :lol:
Regards,
Gordon.. :wave:

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby El Cid » Mon Jan 19, 2015 9:42 am

BENIDORM wrote: I doubt many would be able to or could find 10,000 pounds to spend on a very low return investment ?
Really? Apparently it has had the biggest opening sales of any retail financial product in Britain’s modern history. They are having to draft in an extra 100 staff today to handle the demand.

Low return investment? Where can the average pensioner get better than 4%?

Sid

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby Sandramay » Mon Jan 19, 2015 9:46 am

Sale of new government pensioner bonds 'hugely successful' as more than £1bn worth sold in first 2 days
By THIS IS MONEY REPORTER and ED MONK FOR THISISMONEY.CO.UK
PUBLISHED: 12:12, 17 January 2015 | UPDATED: 12:47, 18 January 2015


Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news ... z3PFs4DJDj

There seems to be plenty of money under mattresses somewhere :)
Sandramay

BENIDORM
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby BENIDORM » Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:58 am

Yes, I read the reports about record sales in UK, but how does that help the majority of pensioners in Spain..or elsewhere ?

Regards,
Gordon :)

olive
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby olive » Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:41 am

It doesn't.

However, as it has shown, there are plenty of folk around with money to invest. Up to 4% is a good return at current record low interest rates.

A report out today said that 48% of the worlds wealth is owned by 1% of the population of earth. An increase from 44% a handful of years ago. The average wealth of those 1% was 1.48 million. That must then include a fair few Londoners and their modest houses.

sorry amended from 445 to 44%
Last edited by olive on Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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firsttango
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby firsttango » Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:02 pm

I don't follow? increase from 445 what?

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country boy
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby country boy » Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:10 pm

An argument I would like to put to Cameron is, if the winter fuel allowance criteria is going to be conditional ,then surely conditions should be applied to all ex-gratia payments to pensioners and that the Christmas Bonus should not be paid to Jews, Muslems, Buddists and anyone who says Bah Humbug at Christmas time. See how that goes down!

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby masterob » Mon Jan 19, 2015 2:45 pm

I just don't follow the argument that British immigrants living in the EU should, of right, continue to be entitled to Government payments such as the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Why is the Government considering changing the entitlement rules? It is part of their efforts to reduce overall expenditure for the ultimate benefit of the UK and its residents.

So, why on earth would they feel the need to consider petitions from people who, of their own choice, upped sticks and moved out of the UK? In many cases, these folk draw their funds from the UK to spend in Spain thus no longer contributing to the UK economy? I include myself in that category having drawn pension funds for over 10 years and spent them in aiding the Spanish economy!

A controversial opinion on my part but I'm certain it will be the view of many living in the UK and not least of the Government!

Country Boy, out of interest, how would you determine who qualified given that you don't have to be of any religious persuasion to regard the Christmas story as being nothing more than just a story? An Army of Christian religious police?

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby olive » Mon Jan 19, 2015 3:35 pm

Well by that argument , you could say the UK government could withdraw all payments to anyone who has had the temerity to emigrate. That could include their pension too even though they are the lowest in Europe despite the UK being in the top ten richest countries in the world.

Great way of saving even more money to waste on daft projects for the folk of the UK.

Select any as you see appropriate from the following off the cuff list

HS2
Trident replacement
Iraq war
Syria war
Aircraft procurement for aircraft carriers

As for the Xmas bonus question. My solution to who would qualify would be to send all pensioners a quetionnaire. Q Are you a jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Humbugger? If they answer yes mark them for none entitlement. A bit like my mother having to answer "have you ever engaged in terrist activity"? She answered no and was eventually allowed to stay in the UK (where she had lived for 82 years already. Country Boy may have a different approach.

PS anyone who holidays abroad and then draws a UK pension could have their entitlement slightly reduced as they spent UK money abroad

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country boy
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby country boy » Mon Jan 19, 2015 3:42 pm

Masterrob, that is exactly my point...how do you determine criteria when making exceptions to otherwise simple "Blanket" rules.
We used to live in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, I now live in the mountains near Pizarra. The winter weather here can be just as cold as Purbeck, not always I admit but generally quite similar in many ways. My daughters live in Cumbria, their winters are far worse than ours were in Purbeck , you could argue that they should get more allowance pro rata for living 'oop north.
When the allowance was first issued, it was temperature based, then they did away with that rquirement because it very cumbersome and somewhat ridiculous , they are now being equally ridiculous,eg Italy yes, France no etc. It can never be fair and in my opinion it should be scrapped entirely, also the Christmas Bonus. They are past their time,; a decent pension for all is what is required...no exceptions.

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby elusive » Mon Jan 19, 2015 4:05 pm

Jesus us a very important prophet to muslims. Im half jewish would i only get 50% :wink: :D

happy easter!

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby luckyjim » Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:03 pm

There is a programme on at the moment called Living on Benefits. It appears that these wasters are more worthy of government money than we are. They don't work, don't want to and a lot of them can't be. They have all the latest gizmos mobile phones, telescope computers etc. They had the nerve to say they needed more!.

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby Manchesteral » Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:59 pm

masterob wrote:I just don't follow the argument that British immigrants living in the EU should, of right, continue to be entitled to Government payments such as the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Why is the Government considering changing the entitlement rules? It is part of their efforts to reduce overall expenditure for the ultimate benefit of the UK and its residents.

So, why on earth would they feel the need to consider petitions from people who, of their own choice, upped sticks and moved out of the UK? In many cases, these folk draw their funds from the UK to spend in Spain thus no longer contributing to the UK economy? I include myself in that category having drawn pension funds for over 10 years and spent them in aiding the Spanish economy!

A controversial opinion on my part but I'm certain it will be the view of many living in the UK and not least of the Government!

Country Boy, out of interest, how would you determine who qualified given that you don't have to be of any religious persuasion to regard the Christmas story as being nothing more than just a story? An Army of Christian religious police?

I agree with you wholeheartedly !

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby anyroads » Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:04 pm

Ditto !

Perhaps it should be re-titled

Don't Lose Heart, Just your WFA !


Anyway, it is good to see all those UK pensioners ploughing in for the Pensioner Bonds. Not all the rich pensioners have left for Spain !

anyroads

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby BENIDORM » Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:36 pm

First chance I've had today to read the replies,Wow ..you've all been busy.!
And I've spent all day sorting out my investments and consolidating my assets... :lol:

Amazing replies , they could almost be colour coded into different camps...some more camp than others... :)
And wouldn't we all be happy if we received decent pensions without all of the add-ons that they are now relieving us of.
I'm not sure that I believe all the propaganda reports about how wonderful the 'bonds' are and how people are queuing up for them, probably manipulated figures... :think:
I've only once put money into 'money schemes' , it was a rip-off, so I avoid them now, even if they are 'government controlled', and now all the pensioners who have put their mattress money into the bonds have alerted some gold-rimmed bespectacled actuary into working out when they can claim all of the money back for residential care..
If you want really good investments buy antiquarian books, small items of silver and gold and stamps and coins, better chance of earning more than a measly 4% and much more interesting.... :thumbup:

And now I'm going to have my cup of cocoa and get some much needed beauty sleep... :yawn:
Regards,
Gordon

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gus
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby gus » Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:18 pm

Are you really authorised to give investment advice, Gordon ?? :angel:

masterob
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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby masterob » Tue Jan 20, 2015 12:54 am

Olive wrote:
Well by that argument , you could say the UK government could withdraw all payments to anyone who has had the temerity to emigrate. That could include their pension too even though they are the lowest in Europe despite the UK being in the top ten richest countries in the world.

Great way of saving even more money to waste on daft projects for the folk of the UK.

Select any as you see appropriate from the following off the cuff list

HS2
Trident replacement
Iraq war
Syria war
Aircraft procurement for aircraft carriers

As for the Xmas bonus question. My solution to who would qualify would be to send all pensioners a quetionnaire. Q Are you a jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Humbugger? If they answer yes mark them for none entitlement.....
My point was that the priority of the UK Government has to be towards those living in the UK and contributing to its economy. How the level of UK pensions compare with those elsewhere is an another matter.

I can see that for someone living in Granada spending money of projects such as HS2 and on UK Defence might seem daft, perhaps if you lived in the UK you might feel differently.

As to your suggestion on the Xmas bonus issue, unless your tongue was firmly in your cheek then that strikes me as pretty daft! On the other hand, employing people to send out questionnaires and monitoring their return might help to further reduce unemployment!

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Re: Don't Lose Heart...!

Postby biribiri » Tue Jan 20, 2015 1:19 am

I'm shocked that nobody has pointed out that Gordon's neighbour could not have had a frozen stalagmite hanging from her nose, as every schoolboy learns that "mites" go up & "tights" come down. :)

Re the WFA I'm with masterbob on this subject. :clap:


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