The appalling duplicity of the Civil Service and politicians

In his spending review, the Chancellor said under a new "temperature test" the Winter Fuel Payment would be removed from people living in portugal, spain, greece, france, gibraltar & cyprus. Note Italy is not included?????

The appalling duplicity of the Civil Service and politicians in Britain has been revealed with regards to the Winter Fuel Payment being withdrawn from pensioners who live within France.

Apparently Minister Iain Duncan Smith’s Department of Works & Pensions has included temperatures for France’s tropical territories - Martinique, Reunion, Guadeloupe, Mayotte, and French Guiana - with those of Metropolitan France to create typical winter average!  Obviously with the sole objective of  depriving UK expats in France of the Winter Fuel Allowance.

According to them French tropical islands help determine what the average temperature Winter or Summer is for Metropolitan France - does anyone need to spell out such idiocy. There are no more than 30 British pensioners in the overseas départements of France,  but > 59,600 in mainland France.

Perhaps the Dept of Works & Pensions should now include the average temperatures of Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos Islands, the Leeward and Windward Islands, plus maybe a few other exotic British possessions, Dominions, and territories – to that of the UK, in that way they could stop the payment of Winter Fuel Payment to ALL pensioners.

Minister Iain Duncan Smith has lost all sense of reality, certainly political reality, in his desperate bid for political stardom, and save his Department some money. Perhaps he should concentrate on getting rid of the full time Union representatives ‘’embedded’’ in all sectors of the Civil Service and Public sector, and being paid for by the UK Taxpayer to the tune of at least 36 million sterling a year, and by some accounts, as much as120 million sterling  a year.

By denying a number of UK expat - pensioners, who all worked and paid into all the UK systems, all their working lives - he might, just might, save 30 million, providing he is not defeated in the EU court,  when it is challenged by a disgruntled pensioner –  another total waste of time taxpayers’ money

Meanwhile what is happening to over 400,000 non UK nationals being paid a variety of benefits.

Apparently new figures showed there were 407,000 non-UK nationals receiving hand-outs last year, a rise of more than 118,000 since 2008, with the total bill running to hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

Child benefit payments which EU residents are entitled to claim even if their children live abroad are not included. According to latest figures the taxpayer foots the bill for payments to 40,000 children overseas at a cost of £36 million a year. None of whom have contributed anything whatsoever to the UK economy in taxes –-  claiming anything they could get in benefits and welfare!  Unlike UK Pensioner Expats, who paid in all their working lives. Let Ian Duncan Smith’s Department crack down on non UK national benefit scroungers.

  

Stop the Governments victimisation of pensioners living abroad who have contributed to the welfare state by withdrawing their winter fuel payment

Many pensioners have decided to move abroad for their retirement. All of these pensioners have contributed to the welfare state via taxes and national insurance throughout their working lives. Withdrawing their winter fuel payment is unjust.

How can Iain Duncan Smith get away with it? It is quite simple, ex pats are denied the vote and can have no say in government policies, even when they are most affected. In 2015 the Prime Minister has promised a vote on continued membership of the EU and some of the people most affected will be Ex pats, who once again will have no vote on the matter. Our soldiers are fighting in Afghanistan for democracy and yet the British government deny their own citizens that basic right.

It appears that Iain Duncan Smith is beginning to make a habit of getting things wrong

Blow to Iain Duncan Smith as Universal Credit plan is branded 'unrealistic': Auditors warn scheme should be delayed to prevent further losses to taxpayers

     National Audit Office says Universal Credit is beset by ‘  weak management, ineffective control and poor governance’

The scheme is designed to ensure that it always pays people to take a job.

Auditors warn the £2.4bn project has not achieved value for money

  

Iain Duncan Smith’s flagship welfare reform has got off to a disastrous start and should be delayed to prevent further losses to the taxpayer, auditors warn today.

The findings are a major blow to Mr Duncan Smith, who has staked his reputation on delivering the complex project on time.

He should now also look at WFP for ex Pats.

The WFP petition has added nearly 1400 signatures in two days being now 3661 - but at least 10,000 are needed - ask all your relatives to sign and those British friends who are not yet pensioners!

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52121

And do not forget the need to have political representation -

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43238

A permanent vote is crucial!  This the politicians respect.