Here
is a piece from the BBC web
site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23065510
---- This is a report of George Osborne’s Financial statement of Wednesday 26th June.
---- This is a report of George Osborne’s Financial statement of Wednesday 26th June.
“Expats who live in seven warm European
countries will lose their winter fuel payments under a "temperature
test" announced by the chancellor.
George Osborne said that the payment
would be withdrawn from people living in warmer countries from autumn 2015. This will affect those living in a European
country with an average winter temperature higher than the UK.
The move would save the Treasury about
£30m, the Spending Review documents revealed.
Expats in seven countries will lose the payment. They
are: Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain.” [Odd- Where is Italy?]
George Osborne
actual spoken words were.
“EU
law now says that people living in the European Economic Area can claim Winter
Fuel Payments from us even if they didn’t get it before they left the UK. Paying out even more money to people from all
nationalities who may have worked in this country years ago but no longer live
here is not a fair use of the nation’s cash. So from the autumn of 2015, we
will link the Winter Fuel Payment to a temperature test. People in hot countries
will no longer get it.“
The misinformed, misleading, nature
of Osborne’s phrases are disgraceful. He
has chosen loaded words which are meant to colour the thoughts of the listener
so that the listener is made to understand something other than the truth. The
most famous propagandist of the last century said “The point of a political
speech is to persuade people of what we think is right.” This is not truth, the whole truth, but it is
‘propaganda’.
Read and note…..
‘people
from all nationalities’. The overwhelming
majority of recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment in Europe,
are like myself, British people descended from generations of British, indeed in my case,
English people. This phrase is used to suggest that the money is not going to
British people. Would he have dared say
‘British Citizens’
‘who
may have worked in this country’
They receive a State pension, thus they most certainly worked in Britain. The word ‘may’ is used to imply a sense of
idleness. Would he have dared omit the word ‘may’?
‘Is
not a fair use of the nation’s cash’
Why is it not?
‘In
hot countries’. The word ‘hot’
suggests what? Searing temperatures all the year round? It is an exaggeration and suggests to the
listener exceedingly warm all the year round.
Which of course is George Osborne’s intention. Would he have dared say ‘the southern countries of the EU?’
He desires the resident
population of Britain,
especially those who are readers of The Mail and The Sun to believe that what he says is
the truth.
The BBC
web site says that the Climatological Unit at Norwich
compiled figures to show that the 7 countries are warmer in winter than SW
England. Tell that to the
expatriates in Brittany,
or in The Auvergne, and the towns of the Spanish hinterland or of Italy.
OK! The Azores, and Majorca are
warmer. But there is not a scrap of
difference between Lille (France)
and Tournai (Belgium),
just 20 km to the east.
The continental climate is
characterised by hot summers and cold winters.
True - the Winter Fuel payment is
a stupid payment - but it should be administered equably everywhere. My opinion is
that it should be incorporated into the State Pension but paid as an increase
to the regular monthly payments in December (incorporating the equally bizarre £10
Christmas bonus!) and also making the whole taxable. In that manner the better-off would lose some
of it.
You may find an item written one
year ago stimulating! It concerns the neglect of the citizens in France
in the 19th century, but it still resonates today.
FINALLY
– Is it not apparent that a certain dictatorial element lies in the thoughts of
the party-body-politic in Britain. The expatriate has no vote. Antipathy is
raised against the expatriate in
Parliament, and in the press.
We have no effective vote. Is it
not time that we had a political voice?
If you have not already done so,
send a Statement of Evidence to the Parliamentary Committee which one
sincerely hopes is seriously considering the Representation of Overseas electorate………….
Send to Jonathan Blades at the Palace
of Westminster
jonathan.r.blades@gmail.com
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