Off topic thread (to the tower)

[Barry]

And I have lived in Portugal. If it is full of rich pensioners they must have been somewhere else.

I once drove over the border from Spain into Portugal, near Badajoz. We went from lovely cars driving along the road to what looked like Portuguese tinkers with donkeys pulling carts with scrap and rags on them. No, it wasn't one rag and bone man, the wole area seemed the same until we got to Evora where it was a bit richer thanks to the locals getting some cash out of the tourists visiting the roman ruins.

[Thomas]

Where's Thomas - we need a bit of logical, level-headed and impartial analysis on this one! :dncg:

you are too kind quackers.



unfortunately i dont have anything to offer in return , with your piss poor record of referendum and election predictions and navel gazing . ::

[papasmurf]

So you do fancy him?  

Very funny. He is a waste of Oxygen. I am really glad he does not live near me.

[Thomas]

Because they aren't filling in the right forms. All the ones I know live the life of Riley.



Sorry, when you say poverty, do you mean their two year old car needs replacing, or do you mean they can't afford their third foreign holiday ?

Wiggy is back to tell us some sunday afternoon drinking jokes. ::  :roll:



How did the golf go this morning wigg?

[Thomas]

Sounds a bit iffy if you don't mind my saying so Tommy. I once did a sum that showed that if I had invested my NIC personally I could buy my own hospital and pay off the National debt. And a mate did a similar sum and proved that if I took my investments I would be lucky to have the price of a tin cup to collect donations when I went begging.



And I have lived in Portugal. If it is full of rich pensioners they must have been somewhere else.

Dont shoot the messenger borkie.



Heres your heros in the torygraph saying the same thing...

UK state pensions ranked the worst in the developed world

[/b]

he British state pension is now worst in the developed world as it has fallen below Mexico and Chile, data shows.

[/b]



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/05/uk-state-pensions-ranked-worst-developed-world/">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/1 ... ped-world/">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/05/uk-state-pensions-ranked-worst-developed-world/



etc etc etc...

UK state pension worst in the developed world

[/b]



https://www.ftadviser.com/pensions/2018/02/13/uk-state-pension-worst-in-the-developed-world/">https://www.ftadviser.com/pensions/2018 ... ped-world/">https://www.ftadviser.com/pensions/2018/02/13/uk-state-pension-worst-in-the-developed-world/

UK has lowest state pension of any developed country - OECD

[/b]



https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/articles/2017/december/lowest-state-pension/">https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/ar ... e-pension/">https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/articles/2017/december/lowest-state-pension/



Im thinking once our government in brussells sorts out a european army , maybe next on the agenda can be raising the pension level in the british region of the eu to a higher level in line with  our more advanced and developed neighbours across the continent.Perhaps devolve the wee pretendy parliament in london with the power over roadsigns or something.



 :thup:

[Borchester]

As per earlier discussions , the uk has the worst state pension of any nation in the developed world....



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ENgRiX0XYAAvPz2?format=jpg&name=small">

Sounds a bit iffy if you don't mind my saying so Tommy. I once did a sum that showed that if I had invested my NIC personally I could buy my own hospital and pay off the National debt. And a mate did a similar sum and proved that if I took my investments I would be lucky to have the price of a tin cup to collect donations when I went begging.



And I have lived in Portugal. If it is full of rich pensioners they must have been somewhere else.

[Borchester]

Actually I never want to be anywhere near Wiggles. People with his ill informed opinions disgust me and make me VERY angry.

So you do fancy him?  

[papasmurf]

Because they aren't filling in the right forms. All the ones I know live the life of Riley.



Sorry, when you say poverty, do you mean their two year old car needs replacing, or do you mean they can't afford their third foreign holiday ?

FFS LEASED Motability cars HAVE to be replaced after three years the regulations state so. Also disability modifications HAVE to be carried out on new cars due to the regulations.

You are just insanely jealous of a system you have no knowledge of, and obviously prefer to remain in ignorance of.

[Bright Young Thing]

Because they aren't filling in the right forms. All the ones I know live the life of Riley.



Sorry, when you say poverty, do you mean their two year old car needs replacing, or do you mean they can't afford their third foreign holiday ?

None so blind as those who can't see eh.



Quite a fitting quotation for the current thread subject  :hattip

[Wiggles]

Why then smartarse are so many disabled people living in poverty:-

Because they aren't filling in the right forms. All the ones I know live the life of Riley.



Sorry, when you say poverty, do you mean their two year old car needs replacing, or do you mean they can't afford their third foreign holiday ?

[papasmurf]

It's correct that we have a very low pension, however we have so many scroungers and people claiming disability, there is little left for the pensions.



No, I'm not going to prove it  

Why then smartarse are so many disabled people living in poverty:-



More at link:-



https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN07096/SN07096.pdf">https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN07096/SN07096.pdf



8. Poverty and disability  

Poverty rates are higher among families where at least one member is disabled, compared to families where no one is disabled. In 2017/18:  • The proportion of people in relative low income before housing costs (BHC) was 21% for families where someone is disabled, compared to 15% for people living in families where no one is disabled.  • The rate of relative low income after housing costs (AHC) was 26% for families where someone is disabled, compared to 20% for those where no one is disabled.  People living in families where someone is disabled comprised around two-fifths of the population in relative low income in 2017/18, both BHC and AHC. This compares to 33% of people across the total UK population living in families where someone is disabled.  However, these figures take no account of the additional living costs that people with disabilities might face. If we could take these costs into account then it is very likely that more disabled people would be counted as living in poverty, but this is complicated by the fact that costs vary widely both in nature and level. Nevertheless, the measure of income used to calculate the relative low income threshold does include benefits paid as a contribution towards the extra costs of disability: Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Around 10% of the total UK population live in families in receipt of disability benefits. Excluding these benefits from income means more families with a disabled member are counted as being in relative low income:  

 

Using this adjusted measure of income, then people living in families where someone is disabled made up around 41% of the total population in relative low income BHC and 39% AHC.  Poverty rates are higher for children living in families where someone is disabled than for the population as a whole. Based on income excluding disability benefits, the rate of relative low income for children living in families where someone is disabled was 27% BHC and 35% AHC. Children in families with a disabled member were more than twice as likely to experience low income and material deprivation (20%) than children in families where no one is disabled (8%). Section 11 provides further information on material deprivation measures.  

Before

[papasmurf]

It's correct that we have a very low pension, however we have so many scroungers and people claiming disability, there is little left for the pensions.



No, I'm not going to prove it  

Because you can't prove your poisonous ill informed opinion.

Another problem with pensions is many people don't realise they are not paid automatically when you reach pension age, you have to apply for them.



https://www.gov.uk/state-pension/how-to-claim">https://www.gov.uk/state-pension/how-to-claim



Also tracing lost pensions is a handy website.  ( I found a pension my wife had forgotten about using this.)



https://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/pension-problems/making-a-complaint/common-concerns/lost-pensions">https://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org ... t-pensions">https://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/pension-problems/making-a-complaint/common-concerns/lost-pensions

[Wiggles]

It's correct that we have a very low pension, however we have so many scroungers and people claiming disability, there is little left for the pensions.



No, I'm not going to prove it  

[Thomas]

Quite and the government is about to remove £70 a week from 11000 OAPs with the excuse they will be able to claim Universal Credit instead.



(The government is ending the allowance for adult dependents in April.)

Its a national disgrace .From memory it has been remarked now for a while that not only has the uk the worst state pension in the developed world , but the failure of the tories roll out of automatic enrolment to company pensions , the weak take up and opting out ,along with the fact with the average uk pension pot only holding around £40 grand , the uk government has a ticking time bomb on its hands.



From what i have heard various charities are offering OAP help to fill in any forms and take on cases if there is a need to appeal.



Hopefully any savings the conservative government hopes to make will be massively outweighed by the cost of means testing and court action over many of these reforms.

Auto-enrolment has increased the number of pension savers in the UK but most are paying too little into their pots, according to industry experts.

[/b]



https://www.ipe.com/auto-enrolment-success-masks-inadequate-savings-rates-industry-warns/10031822.article">https://www.ipe.com/auto-enrolment-succ ... 22.article">https://www.ipe.com/auto-enrolment-success-masks-inadequate-savings-rates-industry-warns/10031822.article

[papasmurf]

As per earlier discussions , the uk has the worst state pension of any nation in the developed world....



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ENgRiX0XYAAvPz2?format=jpg&name=small">

Quite and the government is about to remove £70 a week from 11000 OAPs with the excuse they will be able to claim Universal Credit instead.



(The government is ending the allowance for adult dependents in April.)