Canada and Australia….

[John Feltham]

G'day Folks,

Canada and Australia….

https://tinyurl.com/y3u5ctto

      ooroo

[Chris Hill]

Can't expect the UK government to raise this. Needs to be raised as part of reciprocal negotiations on trade agreements by all nations negotiating with the UK including Aus Canada and all 27 EU nations. Even Thailand is thinking of such negotiations!

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BAPA" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bapanews+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/C4878276-ECC3-4A6A-AAA8-86CF47D43052%40me.com.

[Tony Walsh]

That is interesting – it has been the policy for 70 years so they are not going to change it. On that basis they would still be hanging people and probably chopping off heads. They seem to be running out of excuses.

 

Tony

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

--

[elizabeth Harvey]

Just because, I quote   " This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years" doesn't make it right.

Elizabeth

Virus-free. www.avg.com

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/CAO-9o1X6rQ79pLqeuzTQRAkx8%2B8N%2BZ4ecMVC3%2B_MrXwQdywMUQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Chris Hill]

Just means they haven't let it be debated for 70 yrs. There is a standing committee on frozen pensions which constantly raises the issue so this "successive governments" statement is a lie!

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/35b50f%249v2nvp%40icp-osb-irony-out2.iinet.net.au.

[Tony Walsh]

Hi Chris

 

I disagree – they used to come out with excuses about there is no social security agreement etc and now seem to have fallen back onto it has always been so which means they have run out of excuses.  The Minister was correct that successive governments have refused to alter this policy the government being the executive - Prime Minister and Cabinet. Even parties that have supported us when in opposition have changed their stance in Government. The standing committee you are referring to is probably the All Party Parliamentary Group that recently released a report on the iussue supporting our case.  You can gain access to that report on http://frozenbritishpensions.org/

 

Tony

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/CAO-9o1XpEepGG57Eukq23vPEOU2jyeo9BYzAHTxUyyidk_Fy%3DQ%40mail.gmail.com.

 

[David Weston]

Please protect my privacy by deleting my email address before forwarding or circulating this email. Thank you.

There is a saying “If you feel that you are just getting a headache banging your head on a door that won’t open, do you take another Aspirin? No, choose a different door!”

The admirable efforts made by members of this movement over the years have resulted in nothing being changed. More efforts in the same mode will almost certainly produce the same results.

Appeals to the government or to individual members of parliament have produced a predictable outcome. Those individuals are either genuinely concerned about the issue but are outnumbered and powerless, or are looking just looking for something that will get them some attention but are not committed to finding a solution and will change their minds or lose interest once their immediate objectives have been achieved.

It seems to me that a more effective approach would be to keep raising the issue with the public at large. If the public shows support for something, the politicians will follow; NOT the other way around! The best way to get the public’s attention is to get the press interested and involved. But how to do this?

The press are always interested in stories that reveal politicians’ and government’s weaknesses and incompetence. The British public are by and large fair minded and critical of governments that are uncaring and unfair. But they are probably, for the most part, unaware of our pension issue. 

I wonder if a different kind of approach along the following lines may be worth considering:

1. Write open letters to MPs, Ministers, church leaders, local governments, etc., and to the media. When every recipient of such a letter knows about all the other recipients of the same letter, it is much harder for them to ignore or file it.

2. A new approach might be to write the letter along the following lines:

“Dear ___,

For the past _ years I have made my home in _____ . A significant part of my income comes from my UK pension that I contributed to on the same basis as my fellow employees while I was employed in the UK. But as a ______ resident, my UK pension, unlike theirs, has been frozen at the same level as it was when I first started to receive it _ years ago. In my local currency its value has been reduced by about _% as a result.

As I can no longer afford to live here I am considering returning to the UK to spend my remaining years there. I need to know where I stand with respect to my ability to do this and as to what support service will be available to me after I arrive. Please provide me with answers to the following questions:

1. Although I am now a ______ citizen, I never gave up my UK citizenship. I no longer hold a British passport. Am I entitled to one? Do I need one if I am returning permanently to the UK? Please advise me about the process and cost of obtaining it.

2. I will arrive in the UK with age related health issues and limited financial resources. Please advise me about the support services that I can rely on after I return. I specifically seek information on government provided or subsidized housing, health and dental care, personal care, transportation assistance, and any other essential support that an elderly resident can get that he cannot afford to provide for himself.

3. I realize that the cost to the UK of supporting me in these circumstances may well be much higher than the cost of updating my UK pension but if that is the path it chooses to follow, then so be it! I would much prefer to spend my remaining years here in _____ but your policies will have forced my hand.”

I think a letter like this appearing in the press or on TV may trigger a sympathetic response from the public and may embarrass the government into changing its position.

I know that right now the UK is consumed with the problems of surviving Brexit so this may not be an ideal time for this approach. But worth a try?

David Weston

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/dfe893%24aja2s9%40icp-osb-irony-out5.iinet.net.au.

[James Nelson]

David

 

I think it is worth while collaborating with two or three more members to implement your ideas.

 

But I would omit number 3 of your proposals. There is no need to offer them some sympathy for what you threaten to do. Let them decide for themselves that there would be a big cost to the treasury if large numbers of frozen pensioners moved back to the UK.

 

James

 

----- Original Message -----

From: DAVID

To: bapa...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Monday, January 18, 2021 4:00 AM

Subject: Re: [bapanews] Canada and Australia….

-----

It seems to me that a more effective approach would be to keep raising the issue with the public at large. If the public shows support for something, the politicians will follow; NOT the other way around! The best way to get the public’s attention is to get the press interested and involved. But how to do this?

The press are always interested in stories that reveal politicians’ and government’s weaknesses and incompetence. The British public are by and large fair minded and critical of governments that are uncaring and unfair. But they are probably, for the most part, unaware of our pension issue. 

I wonder if a different kind of approach along the following lines may be worth considering:

1. Write open letters to MPs, Ministers, church leaders, local governments, etc., and to the media. When every recipient of such a letter knows about all the other recipients of the same letter, it is much harder for them to ignore or file it.

2. A new approach might be to write the letter along the following lines:

“Dear ___,

For the past _ years I have made my home in _____ . A significant part of my income comes from my UK pension that I contributed to on the same basis as my fellow employees while I was employed in the UK. But as a ______ resident, my UK pension, unlike theirs, has been frozen at the same level as it was when I first started to receive it _ years ago. In my local currency its value has been reduced by about _% as a result.

As I can no longer afford to live here I am considering returning to the UK to spend my remaining years there. I need to know where I stand with respect to my ability to do this and as to what support service will be available to me after I arrive. Please provide me with answers to the following questions:

1. Although I am now a ______ citizen, I never gave up my UK citizenship. I no longer hold a British passport. Am I entitled to one? Do I need one if I am returning permanently to the UK? Please advise me about the process and cost of obtaining it.

2. I will arrive in the UK with age related health issues and limited financial resources. Please advise me about the support services that I can rely on after I return. I specifically seek information on government provided or subsidized housing, health and dental care, personal care, transportation assistance, and any other essential support that an elderly resident can get that he cannot afford to provide for himself.

 

----- OMIT the next paragraph

3. I realize that the cost to the UK of supporting me in these circumstances may well be much higher than the cost of updating my UK pension but if that is the path it chooses to follow, then so be it! I would much prefer to spend my remaining years here in _____ but your policies will have forced my hand.”

-------

[Brian Gillan]

Thank you David. I agree with you that we have been far too passive and respectful. Maybe it’s a British thing. But so far our efforts have failed. We need to raise our profile and win public support. I still maintain that the Queen is the head of the Commonwealth and we are the Commonwealth, and therefore we should be appealing to HRM but in a public way. A group of aging ex pats demonstrating outside the Houses of Parliament would make great press. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 19, 2021, at 3:55 PM, James Nelson <rain...@tpg.com.au> wrote:



--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BAPA" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bapanews+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/7AB819D673FA40B5B2DE1463E3440C5C%40Jimmy.

[David Weston]

James,

Thank you for your fast response with your comments. Regarding paragraph 3, although the wording appears to address that comment to the responsible government people, my hope I s that it will get the attention of those who are copied with the letter, in particular the press and subsequently the public, should we be lucky enough to get it to their attention. The idea is to embarrass officialdom when the letter’s contents become public rather than to expect any direct response. In no way is it intended to offer any sympathy.

David

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BAPA" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bapanews+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/7AB819D673FA40B5B2DE1463E3440C5C%40Jimmy.

[John Daly]

I totally agree

 

John Daly  Canberra  (age 91)

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BAPA" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bapanews+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bapanews/7AB819D673FA40B5B2DE1463E3440C5C%40Jimmy.