I am getting fed up with the adverts from the DWP

[campo babe]

Every forum I go to, I am followed by the Adverts from the DWP about people commiting benefit fraud.

Its very spooky.

They must be spending loads of money to put these adverts everywhere. I only hope they do some good. I don't claim any benefits at all, and I am starting to feel guilty!!

[markwilding]

It's sod's law, The moment you complain about the ad, it changes.

[markwilding]

OMG...It's back

[Beachcomber]

Change to Firefox with Adblock plus. You will never see another advertisement ever again.

[janda_grant2]

Have now done that, thanks Beach- here's to an ad free life

[Jool]

You thought you could hi-jack our forum, you thought you would never be caught, well think again, we are watching and monitoring you.......and we have the feistiest Admin going......

[Miro]

Last year benefit cheats stole £50 million while working on their tans.
This year, the DWP is spending £100 million on internet advertising to tell them they're smarter than them.

[masterob]

Just out of interest, where did those figures come from?

[lenox]

It's funny - the British govt never helps us 'ex-pats' or takes any notice of us in any way... until they come up with some wheeze.

[Miro]

Just out of interest, where did those figures come from?

If you were asking me, I was being ironic. I was thinking of the MPs expenses investigation. The £50m came from their adverts, the £100m was just a joke / guess.

[masterob]

Yes, I was asking you as you posted the figures.

I suppose the Government would argue that there is a deterent element in such campaigns for which it is difficult to place an exact value. In the case of the MPs expenses, one thing for sure is that their expenses will be somewhat less and more measured in future so the cost of the investigation will have been money well spent.

Lennox, why should the UK Government take much notice of immigrants (or ex-pats if you prefer that term) who have chosen to up sticks and move elsewhere? It was our choice to move to Spain not theirs.

[lenox]

Masterbob - well, they don't (unless they want something - see the current Conservative efforts to get us to vote in the UK).
Fine - I don't care if we are left alone by the Brit Gov - but we should have some level of European protection/representation which we don't.
Although I suppose there's an extended essay into why we don't that needs writing. In brief, who can be our champion on the 'illegal homes' issue, or the 'no more resident card' issue or the 'lack of basic democratic rights' issue?
In short, who is our leader? Gordon Brown, President Zippy or Mynheer Rumpey?

[julian]

"who is our leader"

Isn´t "her indoors" the leader ??

[masterob]

lennox, as we can vote here in Spain for the European Parliament then I guess our advocate is whoever is voted in. Whether that works is another matter but it is not, in my view, the responsibility of the UK Government.

As we live in Spain, then, whether we like it or not, it is the Spanish Government of the day that is our "leader". If we don't like that then we shouldn't be here in the first place. As I said, we chose to come here warts and all.

[katy]

Well said masterrob

Re. the DWP pop-up...why would it bother anyone more than any other ad When I see it I imagine a few are getting an uncomfortable feeling which I hope they are Surely it's a change from ads about buying the cheapest ever bank repo in Spain

[Miro]

I guess I'm very naiive, but I have absolutely no idea what benefits anyone can be claiming while living here that they're not entitled to. If anything, the ads are making me wonder if I should be claiming something?

[janda_grant2]

Usually incapacity benefit and working or JSA non contribution based and being out of the cointry with the latter! Niether of which are legal.

[Retro P]

It's funny - the British govt never helps us 'ex-pats' or takes any notice of us in any way... until they come up with some wheeze.

That's because lenox you CHOSE to become an expat

[lenox]

I never said I was complaining!
I just think that we (the million of us living here) should have the same 'rights' in Europe as any other European. We don't, because we don't have proper representation. I'm not looking to London for this but to Brussels.

[markwilding]

This is one of the areas the EU rules needs to change.
Someone who has lived in another EU country for more than a certain period of time,say 5 years, should then have full voting rights in the new country at local, regional and national levels and not have to go through the process of changing nationality to get them