NZ begins free trade talks for 'comprehensive' deal with UK | RNZ News

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Chris Hill

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May 13, 2021, 12:14:54 AM5/13/21
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https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/419218/nz-begins-free-trade-talks-for-comprehensive-deal-with-uk 

Another opportunity to lobby on frozen UK pensions! I think NZ has a SS agreement with the UK but pensions are still frozen.

Marcus Wigan

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May 17, 2021, 12:30:35 PM5/17/21
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Negotation points
==================================
1. 230,000 Brits have had their (fully funded) pensions frozen for many years
2. This was not applied to Spain, USA and other countries of residence
3. The assertions that it was due to ‘lack of reciprocation’ are baseless given the fully funded basis of the NI pensions
4. The cost to Australia is many hundreds of millions of dollars every year..
5. There are recent Uk based reports pressing to lift the freeze and reinstate the pensions to what they should be (albeit not backdating the funds lost)
6. This is nice negotiating position for aFree Trade agreement, and handled well would deeply embarrassed the UK and might gain some real advantages in the negotiation
7. The Government needs all the help it can get at present: here is completely free multihundren million gain while defending 230,000 Australians-most in real fiscal difficulties… this is the kind of public move that might balance some of the other unfortunate aspects of recent events..

I would propose that making unfreezing these pensions, setting back to what they should be (but probably gaving to trade off the back payments due of course) would go down extremely well in Australia as a demonstration of genuine care for disadvantaged elderly-the majority of which are indeed women

It looks like a win win component of free trade negotiation that can be played out publicly to secure greater leverage.


Marcus Wigan
Melbourne

clive walford

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May 18, 2021, 3:12:46 AM5/18/21
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Congratulations Marcus.  I would suggest your post is the best plain language description of the FP policy written. There cannot  be any real argument against it. There will be though some people that will try to belittle it in some cause.  There always are, but that’s the way things are.

                 Your one post has done more for the recipients of the UK State Pension than all the comments raised over many years.

                I am sure you could produce a simple short paragraph over each of your numbered points that should end the story. I, and many others, will look to your post and attempt to back up your arguments. Ii hope all attempts will open with applause for your simple clarification of a political whim that has haunted us for far too long.

                Thank you Marcus.

Clive (Indonesia)





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Marcus Wigan

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May 18, 2021, 6:27:01 AM5/18/21
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Thank you Clive
It looks like my brain has finally recovered from nearly 9 months of low performance due to my new heart valve operation.

However I think I would like the other splendid people on this list to add the support fir each point

I’m not certain if the Appg or the uk association will have seen this. From you view perhaps it would be good if someone did send it to them!

Cheers

Dr Marcus R Wigan

Emeritus Professor of Transport and Information Systems Edinburgh Napier University


Associate Editor IEEE Technology and Society


Honorary Fellow, Conservatorium of Music University of Melbourne

PO Box 126 Heidelberg Victoria 3084 Australia

ORCID 0000-0002-8529-0785


+61421001699/+61394599671

www.mwigan.com

mwi...@mwigan.com







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On 18 May 2021, at 17:12, 'clive walford' via BAPA <bapa...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


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