Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners Visit us at www.BritishPensions.com Issue #2, 2015 WANT JUSTICE? If your membership expired in 2014, this is your final issue until renewal! Check the date on your address label or e-JUSTICE message It’s time to “flood” the DWP • June 15-29 • W hile the new UK Government is finding its feet in Westminster, we have a window of op- portunity for focusing attention on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and imposing pressure that, if it is applied by all of our thousands of supporters in unison, cannot help but percolate up from the department’s civil servants all the way to the political decision-makers. We are asking every member and sup- porter around the world to contact the DWP during a specific two-week period – June 15-29 – and with a specific message. Tell them that you are investigating your option of returning to the UK because of your frozen pension. Tell them that you need some information to help you with your deliberations. Ask what pension you would be entitled to if you do return, and also what other age-related benefits you might be eligible for. As well, ask any additional questions that come to mind. Even if you are not actively considering such a return please participate, as the whole idea is for a large enough number of people to “flood” the DWP with these queries that sufficient strain is put on the depart- ment’s resources to be noticed. In addition, the implication of a significant number of pensioners potentially returning to the UK, adding to the woes of the NHS and social services, will also be noticed. Thousands of individual drops are needed to create a flood. The success of this project is dependent on each one of you taking action and contributing your own “drop.” To contribute your vital drop… Please time your communication to arrive at the Pension Service between June 15 and 29. • Email: tvp.internationalqueries@dwp. gsi.gov.uk • Phone: +44 (0) 191.218.7777 • Post: The Pension Service 11, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1LW, UK Let us know how it goes. Government bragging rights I n November, the International Consortium of British Pensioners introduced to UK politicians an updated cost/benefit report* showing how Britain’s treasury stands to gain substantial financial reward by uprating frozen pensions. Not too surprisingly, there was little political will to make the necessary initial monetary out- lay in the lead up to an election. Things ought to be very different now, with a whole term of office stretching ahead. By applying global pension uprating sooner rather than later, today’s new Government could well be reaping a financial return it can brag about by the time the next election rolls around. And that return has the potential to climb to £1.25 billion a year in under a decade – surely a highly desirable prize for any Government or political party. * www.britishpensions.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Report-to-treasury.pdf INSIDE History is made 3 Top-up your pension 5 AGM info 6 & 10 Mailbag 9 WIN A NEW iPAD 2 AIR! See p.7 for details
Transcript
Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners Visit us at www.BritishPensions.com
Issue #2, 2015
WANT JUSTICE?If your membership expired in 2014, this is your final issue until renewal!
Check the date on your address labelor e-JUSTICE message
It’s time to “flood” the DWP• June 15-29 •
While the new UK Government is finding its feet in Westminster, we have a window of op-
portunity for focusing attention on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and imposing pressure that, if it is applied by all of our thousands of supporters in unison, cannot help but percolate up from the department’s civil servants all the way to the political decision-makers.
We are asking every member and sup-porter around the world to contact the DWP during a specific two-week period – June 15-29 – and with a specific message.
Tell them that you are investigating your option of returning to the UK because of your frozen pension. Tell them that you need some information to help you with your deliberations. Ask what pension you would be entitled to if you do return, and also what other age-related benefits you
might be eligible for. As well, ask any additional questions that come to mind.
Even if you are not actively considering such a return please participate, as the whole idea is for a large enough number of people to “flood” the DWP with these queries that sufficient strain is put on the depart-ment’s resources to be noticed. In addition, the implication of a significant number of pensioners potentially returning to the UK, adding to the woes of the NHS
and social services, will also be noticed.Thousands of individual drops are
needed to create a flood. The success of this project is dependent on each one of you taking action and contributing your own “drop.”
To contribute your vital drop…Please time your communication to arrive at the Pension Service between June 15 and 29. • Email: tvp.internationalqueries@dwp.
gsi.gov.uk• Phone: +44 (0) 191.218.7777 • Post: The Pension Service 11, Mail
Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1LW, UK
Let us know how it goes.
Government bragging rights
In November, the International Consortium of British Pensioners introduced to UK politicians an updated cost/benefit report* showing how Britain’s treasury stands to gain substantial financial reward by uprating frozen pensions. Not too
surprisingly, there was little political will to make the necessary initial monetary out-lay in the lead up to an election. Things ought to be very different now, with a whole term of office stretching ahead.
By applying global pension uprating sooner rather than later, today’s new Government could well be reaping a financial return it can brag about by the time the next election rolls around. And that return has the potential to climb to £1.25 billion a year in under a decade – surely a highly desirable prize for any Government or political party.
Greater Victoria: Alan McFarlaneTel: 250-995-9356 • Email: alanmc@shaw .ca
Nanaimo: Ian AndexserTel: 250-758-7594 • Email: iandexser@hotmail .com
Sooke Area: Fred Whittaker, Tel: 250-642-4968 • Email: seapeeps@telus .net
Squamish: Bill AveryTel: 604 896 1575 • Email: averysen@telus .net
Elsewhere: Ian AndexserTel: 250-758-7594 • Email: iandexser@hotmail .com
OTHER CANADIAN LOCATIONS & INTERNATIONAL: Kevin Meehan, Tel: 647-883-0554 • Email: ktmeehan@tpcg .biz
Please note: All comments, information, articles, opinions and answers appearing in JUSTICE or provided by CABP or its volunteers are offered in good faith but are not intended to be a substitute for informed professional advice .
I have observed many things during my 20 years of close connection to the campaign for pension justice. One of those things is that it is only but a Very Few who make everything happen. The majority of us watch from the
sidelines.During those 20 years I have also observed miracles wrought by the Very Few.
Who would have believed it possible that we would ever be invited to Downing Street to pitch our case after the legal system had washed its hands of us and we were left with only the tools of diplomacy? If that is not the closest thing to a miracle, I don’t know what is – and it has happened not once but twice within the past two years.
Who would ever have believed it possible that a majority of MPs in Westminster would publicly declare themselves convinced that pension freezing should end? In 2010, the last time we counted, such was indeed the situation.
Who would ever have believed it possible that a major British newspaper could be won over so profoundly that it officially championed – and continues to do so – our campaign to end pension freezing? The Telegraph (“the highest-selling of the ‘quality’ newspapers”) is such a paper.
It goes without saying that the amount of effort needed to create miracles is commensurate with the magnitude of the miracles themselves – and ours, you will surely agree, are gargantuan. They require copious amounts of research, strategizing, planning, teamwork, negotiation, implementation, diplomacy, fol-low through, follow up, and communication across continents and time zones via every medium of the 21st century. Such great effort can become too great to bear when shouldered only by the Very Few, whose numbers can usually be counted on the fingers of one hand – believe it or not!
The International Consortium of British Pensioners seeks the commitment of fresh people from around the world, people willing to learn the ropes and contribute their own vigour, creativity and personal, professional or technical skills to the service of the greatest good of all British pensioners. Please, apply to [email protected].
Tell Sheila that Rosalind sent you.
Deadline for submissions to the next issue: 22 June 2015
Editorial by Rosalind Tosh, Editor
WIN A NEW iPAD AIR 2!or Amazon.com gift certificatesSee p.7 for details
JUSTICE #2, 2015 - 3
The UK’s pension freezing policy has been identified as a barrier to emigration. At a time when 17 million ‘baby boomers’ in Britain are entering the ranks of the retired,
this creates a potentially ruinous situation in which the costs of providing age-related services such as housing, transportation and heating allowances will spiral – and none more dramatically so than healthcare.
This is an impending financial catastrophe that the Government’s own policy of pension freezing is exacerbating.
Our recent professional survey of members of Britain’s Black and minority ethnic (BME) population – particularly those who moved there for work in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s – confirmed the looming fiasco. Some 40% reported that they had planned to retire back to their country of origin within the decade, but on learning from us about the freezing policy they will now not be doing so. This translates to some 200,000 seniors who will be plugging into Britain’s costly
social welfare system even though they’d greatly prefer not to. This has to be a compelling motivation for scrapping the policy.
It certainly fueled pre-election comments by British Asian MP Keith Vaz, Pakistani-born MP Yasmin Qureshi (see http://theasiantoday.com/article.aspx?articleId=4699) and, once again, our staunch House of Lords ally from Trinidad, the Baroness Benjamin.
We are particularly pleased that media serving Britain’s ethnic minority populations have become active in informing their audiences, because we know that many in those populations are especially vulnerable to pension freezing and are very often unaware of it. The Voice, aimed at Britain’s African and African Caribbean communities, along with two other weekly news-papers aimed at British South Asians (the Eastern Eye and the Asian Voice) are now vociferous in their support.
Join the ICBP BoardWe would very much like a representative from the BME community to join our consortium’s volunteer board of directors and help to develop the “Drop the barrier to emigration” aspect of our campaign in Britain. If this is potentially you, please contact Sheila Telford of the International Consortium of British Pensioners at [email protected] .
The ‘saving’ grace of emigration
In an historic move, global pension parity has, for the first time ever, been declared an official policy of a respected
British political party. The Green Party manifesto issued in mid-April pledges to “make sure that all pensioners living abroad receive the same pension and annual pension increase as those living in the UK.”
The Green Party is possibly Britain’s fastest growing political party, its card-
carrying numbers doubling in the first three months of this year (13,000 signed up in one week alone). At a time when political membership has been in decline (only 1% of the population are currently members of the big three parties), this is indeed significant, and the party’s policies become ever more influential in the era of coalition governments.
Pre–election deliveryJust as Green Party leader Natalie Bennett had delivered on her word given to us in November (detailed in the last JUSTICE), so too did various MPs who continued to publicize pension freezing during the election campaign. In addition, Baroness Floella Benjamin (pictured right) initiated another debate in the House of Lords and Sir Peter Bottomley (far right), a founder of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions, made a passion-ate appeal in the Commons when the Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his budget in March.
With a new government in Westminster, we now have a new batch of MPs to bring up to speed on the issue. We are very grateful to those of you who helped lay the groundwork in this area by writing to the candidates in your ‘home’ riding, informing or reminding them of the injustice they would need to correct once elected to office.
Campaign history is made
“ I do not intend to tolerate for much longer the fact that half the pensioners in this country who retire overseas get inflation increases and the other half do not… It is one of those things that is just wrong .”
Sir Peter BottomleyHouse of Commons Budget Debate
18 March 2015Green Party leader Natalie Bennett pledges to end pension freezing .
Our political activities continue unabated during this time of transition in Westminster. Thanks to an idea presented by Norma Maloney (the force behind the revival of the
South African Expat British Pensioners group), we will use this period to inundate the pension service with so many demands for information that departmental mandarins and politicians will be forced to pay attention.
We are asking you to contact the Department for Work and Pensions between June 15 and 29, putting questions that call for answers and that also suggest the possibility of your potential
return to Britain because of your frozen pension. Please refer to the specific directions given in the lead article on p.1.
This is your campaign to wage, for your pension rights. It will take all thousands of us acting together. It is only by virtue of sheer numbers that it can achieve sufficient ‘nuisance factor’ im-pact, so please put the dates for taking action on your calendar.
The more members who are actively involved in any of our projects, the stronger and more effective the campaign for pen-sion parity becomes. At this point in time, I would like to thank again all of you who took action and wrote to MPs about pen-sion freezing during Britain’s election campaign.
No more Justice? No new iPad?The majority of CABP memberships expire at the end of the calendar year. For those whose membership continues to be un-renewed for 2015, this is the last issue of JUSTICE that you will receive, so be sure to check the expiry date on the address label on the back page of this magazine or at the top of the email that brought the electronic version to you.
All members in good standing can enter our latest contest (which we are very pleased to be able to offer) for an Apple iPad Air 2 or its value in gift certificates. Contest rules are detailed in this issue and we wish good luck to each of you.
Finally, another date to note down on your calendar. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our annual general meeting on June 20 (see notice on p.6). It is your oppor-tunity to meet CABP’s board of directors, hear the latest about our consortium’s activities, ask any and all questions, and tell us about yourselves. Until then!
Some pictures don’t speak; they roar
The arbitrariness of Britain’s pension freezing policy is nowhere more evident than this small community straddling the Canada-US border, where seniors living in homes that lie to the right of the white line have their pensions indexed every year while their neighbours to the left have theirs permanently frozen .
PENSION SERVICE PENSION SERVICE Contact information for overseas pensionersAddress: International Pension Centre The Pension Service 11 Mail Handling Site A Wolverhampton, WV98 1LW England
Then enter ‘State Pension abroad’ in the search box .
JUSTICE #2, 2015 - 5
The Telegraph blazed a trail some years ago when it declared itself on campaign against pension freezing
after hearing from us. Today, many other media also help expose to the unsuspect-ing ‘person in the street’ in Britain the impact of the freezing policy on their ability to freely choose where they will live when they retire – and the shocking reality that they could ever be denied the pension they paid for.
The Independent’s personal finance edi-tor Simon Read has once again sounded the trumpet for us, this time in a col-umn entitled Frozen in time: the expat British pensioners who deserve a better deal. The venerable London Times recently published a letter on the topic, and the Mature Times spread the word to Britain’s 55+ age group.
A rock and a hard placeOn Gransnet, a popular online forum in Britain described by the Telegraph as “a new dawn in grey power,” Cambridgeshire pensioner Rita Young wrote of her pain when she realized she would not be able to follow through with her plan to move to Australia to be with her son and his family because of pension freezing.
“I worry about what will happen to me when my health deteriorates and I’m left with nobody close by to call upon,” she revealed, alerting other grandparents to a heartrending and distressing effect of the freezing policy.
The Asian Voice (“Britain’s oldest and leading ethnic newsweekly”) presented the other aspect of this no-win situation. It recently detailed the dismay and anger of a gentleman who went home to India 18
years ago after four decades working in the UK and now is forced to choose between leaving his family and returning to Britain or continuing to suffer an unfair financial penalty that will only worsen with every passing year.
British media tell it like it is
Potential for pension top up
by Peter Wells
Current pensioners and men and women who will reach pen-sion age before 6 April 2016 are soon to be allowed to pay a new class of voluntary National Insurance contribution to top
up their current or future British state pension. For a limited time only (see dates below), they are able to make a lump-sum payment to increase their pension by up to £25 per week, even if they already qualify for a full basic pension.
The opportunity to make these “Class 3A” payments will be avail-able between 12 October 2015 and 5 April 2017 only.
The rates will vary according to age and will be the same for both men and women. For someone aged 65 the cost will be £890 for each extra £1 per week of pension, and for a 70-year-old the cost will be £779.
The maximum increase of £25 per week will add an extra £1300 per annum to a pension and will require an outlay of £22,250 at age 65 or £19,475 at 70.
The rates have been set to be actuarially fair for unfrozen pension-ers, but it is not necessarily a good buy for someone in Canada or any other country where pensions are frozen. A 70-year-old would need to live a further 15 years to recover the maximum payment lump sum. An annuity may give better value.
The article above applies only to men born before 6 April 1951 and women born before 6 April 1953. It does not apply to anyone who will reach pension age after 5 April 2016, as they will come under the provi-sions of the new ‘Single Tier’ pension.
Pension freezing traps Rita Young in Britain, thousands of miles from her family .
Increased NHS charges for visitors
by Peter Wells
As of April 2015, overseas visitors to Britain face increased charges for using the National Health Service (NHS). This includes former residents of
the UK.People who live outside the European Union should
now make sure they are covered by personal health insurance when they visit. Anyone who is not covered by insurance will be charged 150% of the NHS tariff for the care they receive.
Some services will remain free for everyone, includ-ing emergency treatment given in an A&E department or a walk-in centre. However this exemption from charges ceases once the patient is admitted to a ward or is given an outpatient appointment.
GPs have discretion to register any patient for free primary care, but being registered with a GP does not mean that the patient is entitled to free NHS hospital treatment.
Please see New rules to improve overseas visitors’ contributions to NHS care at www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-to-improve-overseas-visitors-contributions-to-nhs-care
6 - JUSTICE #2, 2015
CALLINGALL MEMBERS
Canadian Alliance of British PensionersANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
When: Saturday, June 20, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. • Registration opens at 1:00 p .m .
Where: Sir John Colborne Recreation Centre for Seniors1565 Old Lakeshore Road West Oakville, Ontario, L6L 6N1
How: • Old Lakeshore Road is accessed from Third Line immediately south of Lakeshore Road W
• Free parking on site
Agenda: 1 . Welcome and Introductions 2 . Chairman’s Report 3 . Board Reports 4 . Financial Statements for December 31, 2014 5 . Election of Directors 6 . Appointment of Auditor 7 . Other business 8 . Adjourn
✪ Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2014 will be available at the AGM or by contacting CABP’s office to obtain a copy free of charge at the office or by prepaid mail .
✪ Notices of resolutions proposed and seconded by members in good standing, and in accordance with the corporation’s by-laws, must be received at CABP’s office no later than June 12, 2015 .
✪ Only Members of the Alliance may vote at a General Meeting .
✪ To vote in absentia for the 2015-2016 Board of Directors and Auditor, please use the Form of Proxy on p .10 of this issue of JUSTICE and follow the instructions thereon .
FOR MORE INFORMATION: 416-253-6402 or toll free 1-888-591-3964
JUSTICE #2, 2015 - 7
How to enter the contestIt’s simple!
Recruit a new member to CABP – someone who has never before been a member or whose membership has been lapsed for at least one year.
Make sure the new member includes your name and/or CABP membership number on his/her application form.
Make sure the new membership application form arrives at CABP’s national office no later than 30 September 2015.
Repeat the above as often as possible! The more new members you recruit, the more chances you have of winning the grand prize and also of getting your own membership for free (see below).
CONTEST RULES• The contest is open to all current CABP members in good standing,
including volunteers and international members (with the exception of members of CABP’s Board of Directors) .
• For each new individual- or couple-membership application that arrives at the national office by 30 September 2015, the referring current CABP member will be awarded one (1) ballot .
• Every new membership application form (whether hard copy or online) submitted to CABP must include the referring member’s name and/or CABP membership number .
• For the purposes of this contest, a “new” membership includes both first-time members and the return of any member(s) whose member-ship in the alliance has been lapsed for over a year .
• The new membership must be for a period of at least twelve (12) months .
• There is no limit to the number of ballots that a referring member can earn .
• All ballots will be entered into a draw for the grand prize of a new Apple iPad Air 2 or $500 in Amazon .com gift certificates .
• One winning ballot will be drawn at random on 1 October 2015 .
• For every three new memberships a member refers, s/he will be awarded a free one-year CABP membership for her/himself . There is no limit to the number of free one-year memberships a member can earn .
• All decisions made by CABP’s Board of Directors regarding the contest are final .
For information on the iPad Air2: www.apple.com/ca/ipad-air-2/ For information on Amazon.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com#Retail_goods
Win an Apple iPad Air 2
or Amazon.com gift certificates
If they ask, tell them
you’re alive and kicking
by Margaret Wells
Fraud is an unfortunate fact of life, one that costs gov-ernments (taxpayers) enormous amounts of money. This even happens around pensions, some people
failing to report a relative’s death so they can keep on receiving the deceased’s pension monies. As an anti-fraud measure, the UK Pension Service sends a ‘life certificate’ to British state pensioners on a random basis to confirm that they are indeed still alive.
If and when you receive a ‘life certificate’ (form # IPC SU 698) from the Pension Service, you need to complete it and return it ASAP or your pension could be cut off – and it can take a long time to have it reinstated. You must respond within eight weeks from the date at the top of the letter. An addressed return envelope is provided in the package you receive with the form.
The completed form has to be witnessed by an ap-proved signatory who has viewed your photo ID, e.g., original passport, national identity card, driving licence or health card. An extensive list of approved witnesses is included in the package. It is not necessary to pay a notary as a “proof of life” witness – many CABP members simply go to their local police station or to a Service Canada centre (call 1-800-622-6232 for the closest one). If you are unable to leave your home or residential facility, your doc-tor can be the witness if you provide the requisite ID.
If at any time you discover your pension deposits have stopped without warning, contact the Pension Service immediately (Tel: 011-44-191-218-7777). They may well have sent you a ‘life certificate’ form that has not been returned because it went to the wrong address. It pays to ensure they are always informed of your most current mailing address.
WHERE DO BRITS HANG OUT IN YOUR ’HOOD?
If any reader knows of a local organization where Brits “hang out” (maybe a service or sports club, church or business group, or a cultural organization), please let us know! info@britishpensions .com
ACROSS 1 Toronto hockey player who likes a cuppa . (3-4) 5 March around the newspaper man,and be filled with delight . (7) 9 Frighten an upset row C for Dorothy,s friend . (9) 10 Sounds like the Caribbean spirit can be witnessed medicinally . (5) 11 Standoff a backward idiot . (5) 12 Former creation with a removal, could be just waste . (9) 14 One should be made about the award, (14) 17 Its unchanged in Pole movement for an old capital . (14) 21 Is man led to arrange a take down with nothing in it . (9) 23 Mineral on the way to be kept . (5) 24 The injection is part of the scene makeup . (5) 25 Saris need alteration to become well prepared . (9) 26 Established to begin with some engineers take time learning every
day . (7) 27 Sounds like a South African composition writer . (7)
DOWN 1 Sat back with man to see the sea . (6) 2 Sailor unaccompanied catches shellfish . (7) 3 Those saying yes to the fore, for a military parade command . (4,5) 4 A flower is a friend forever . (6-2-3) 5 Basic ownership includes whats in a bullseye . (3) 6 The light beer is included for the wedding walk . (5) 7 Spoil metal I ordered from the bar . (7) 8 Admit non organised to be prevalent . (8) 13 Create ID son made to be thoughtful . (11) 15 A company from America on the way to those in charge, by the
sound of it . (9) 16 A police department by a monster loch is sour when together . (8) 18 Easy and dry after a hard days work (2,5) 19 Toilets barely without stop are tied this way . (7) 20 Not as much,or we have the landlord . (6) 22 Make use of all voluntary and international leaders . (5) 25 Gathered at the end of a square . (3)
[ Solution: p .12 ]
Cryptic crosswordby Bob Waddell, Membership # 23483
The objective of all CABP’s marketing initiatives is to support and fund the campaign to end pension freezing by attracting more members to our rolls – with the side bonus of educat-
ing people of all ages about their pension rights, current or future. Our previous thinking was that ads in newspapers and maga-
zines were key, however the tracking system we initiated last year has revealed other sources to be the more common stimulus for people joining our ranks. We have discovered that the majority who signed up during the past number of months have done so as a result of being referred by an existing member or by coming across our website (www.britishpensions.com) while surfing the internet.
This reveals the very real power that you, as a current member, have. It proves the positive impact of members remembering to spread the word among friends and colleagues.
Indeed, referrals from existing supporters are so valuable that we have launched another “New member referral” contest similar to the one we held last year. To participate – and we hope you do! – please see details in this issue. The grand prize is an Apple iPad Air 2 or $500 in Amazon gift certificates – just our way of thanking you for helping to ensure the work on behalf of frozen pensioners can continue.
Coming up nextOur new tracking system has revealed a potential new promotion-al arena: referrals by retirement and financial planners. This could become a large resource, one that I am working to engage. These professionals should welcome us with open arms as by referring people to our alliance they could add to their own credibility concerning their clients’ financial situation in retirement. Surely an “everyone wins” situation.
We tried some new promotional platforms this winter, running commercials on a couple of Toronto radio stations for two weeks and placing print ads in local newspapers in the interior of British Columbia. The radio ads did not produce the results we antici-pated, however, and the impact of the focussed-location print ads is still being evaluated.
We have suspended further investment in print ads for the time being with one major exception – the consistently produc-tive British Canadian monthly newspaper. Our contract with Air Transat for publication in their in-flight magazine this summer hit a surprise roadblock when company executives got involved and decided they do not publish ads that reflect political advo-cacy.
At some point in the future, we may again run a commercial on national television. Even though the tracking system was not yet fully up-and-running when we last did so, it was quite evident at the time that it was indeed effective. In the meantime, I welcome any marketing ideas from members! Please send them to me at CABP’s office.
Your referrals keep the UK campaign going
by Malcolm Campbell, Marketing Director
JUSTICE #2, 2015 - 9
HAVING YOUR SAY…Doing what they can
I have written to my MP and the other general election can-didates in Lincoln, the city I left last year to join my daughter and her family in New Zealand. I have also written to the local newspaper to highlight pension freezing. My partner and I are fortunate in that we don’t have to rely solely on our British state pensions but we are nonetheless determined to do what we can to help right this atrocious wrong.
Jean FlanneryMembership # 32727, New Zealand
Charity begins… I have been reading in the International Express that many thou-sands flood into Britain from other countries every year and are given handouts to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds per month, and that much of this money is sent back to their home countries. The government is spending millions on things that are not really helping the British people.
David VoegeliMembership # 22530, Georgetown, Ontario
Ed: We have received various versions of the message you read in the paper. We double-check facts before using them in discussions with the government and have found that the claims made in most of these messages are inaccurate but have become so ubiquitous that there is now a briefing paper on the topic for MPs.
Parking privilegeIn the last issue of JUSTICE I noticed a letter from a member concerning the use in the UK of a disabled/handicapped parking permit issued in Canada. Britain and Canada are party to a reciprocal agreement through the OECD International Transport Forum which says in part, “(D)isabled motorists from...Member...countries are now entitled to the same parking concessions as nationals in all (Member) countries. The only condition is the display of a badge showing the international wheelchair symbol.” This recommendation is not legally binding, however, so it is a good idea to also print out and display a small notice provided on-line for this situation, placing it on the dash beside the parking permit: www.disabledmotorists.eu/download/parking_cards/notice_united_kingdom.pdf
Brian LagerMembership # 17549, Fall River, Nova Scotia
Let’s all move backI have noticed in JUSTICE that we still believe British MPs will help us with this pension freeze. Remember, it goes in one ear and out the other with them as they get a nice big fat pension of their own after a few years. And as for British vets, again they don’t give a “rat’s ass”. The only way we’re going to get a full pension is to move back to the UK. Let’s all move back. That will light a spark under their pants and maybe things will move faster.
Brian CollotonMembership # 31257, Clairesholm, Alberta
Ed: All of us can begin igniting that spark simply by sending a mes-sage to the DWP per the instructions on the front page of this issue!
Why indeed?We are now in Australia, having lived all our lives in Scotland and paying our taxes, etc. there. We are no longer eating into any of Britain’s healthcare money or aged care costs, so I cannot understand why we are being treated less than pensioners in other countries.
Maureen NeilsonICBP Supporter, Australia
Pain-free passport #1Further to the letter in the last issue about frustrations when renewing an old black- or blue-style British passport, once you do have the newer passport then future renewal is both easier and quicker – e.g., the application form is shorter as they use data already on file.
Brian Redway Membership # 14749, Delta, BC
Pain-free passport #2On a recent visit to the UK, I took the opportunity to renew my passport at a post office. The paperwork and photos were dealt with and forwarded to the passport office for a small fee (£5) and I received a new 10-year document in exactly five days! I would encourage passport renewal applicants to use a local British post office – they appear to be given priority.
E. RobertsonMembership # 23721, Port Dover, Ontario
Letters to the Editor should be sent to the National Office or to: [email protected]. The Editor reserves the right to edit letters for clarity or length.
10 - JUSTICE #2, 2015
The Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners
FORM OF PROXYTo be completed by Members.
I, _____________________________________________________, of the province/territory/country of
______________________, a Member in good standing of the CANADIAN ALLIANCE OF BRITISH
PENSIONERS, do hereby appoint:
Choose one of o Chairman of the Board, David Morris
Or o _____________________________________________ Other
as my proxy, to vote for me and on my behalf at the Annual General Meeting of the Alliance to be held on June 20, 2015, and at any adjournment thereof.
Dated at ___________________________________ this ______ day of _________ 2015.
David Acheson* (Since 2012) For o Against o Abstain o
Ian Andexser* (Since 2013) For o Against o Abstain o
Bill Avery* (Since 2013) For o Against o Abstain o
Malcolm Campbell* (Since 2014) For o Against o Abstain o
Hugh Fletcher* (Since 2013) For o Against o Abstain o
Kevin Meehan* (Co-Opted 2014) For o Against o Abstain o
David Morris* (Since 2013) For o Against o Abstain o
* Nominated by the Nominating Committee
2. Appointment of Auditor:
To retain the current auditor, Brendan Pennylegion, C.A., for the year ending December 31, 2015.
For o Against o Abstain o
To be valid, this form of proxy or a duplicate of it must be duly completed, signed, dated and forwarded to the CABP
national office at 202-4800 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M9A 1B1 so as to arrive not later than Friday, June 12, 2015. ALTERNATIVELY, the form may be brought to the meeting in person by the proxy nominee, in which case it
must be shown to an officer of the Corporation for validation not later than 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2015. Proxies
which arrive or are presented outside the foregoing time schedule will not be accepted.
JUSTICE #2, 2015 - 11
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FOR CABP OFFICE USE ONLY Auth . #: Date:
Thoughts on agingI’m going to retire and live off my savings . Not sure what I’ll do the second week .
When I was a child I thought nap time was a punishment…now it feels like a mini-vacation .
The biggest lie I tell myself is, “I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it .”
I don’t have gray hair: I have “wisdom highlights .”
The kids text me “plz” which is shorter than please . I text back “no” which is shorter than “yes .”
I don’t trip over things, I do random gravity checks .
At my age “Getting lucky” means walking into a room and remembering what I came in for .
Wouldn’t it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes and come out wrinkle-free?
Of course I talk to myself; sometimes I need expert advice .
