Winter Fuel payment in Europe - Dept of Work & Pensions manipulation of Statistics.

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This message has been sent to all members of the Select Committee for Work & Pensions.

From the Campaign for Representation (votes) for Britons Abroad, and
Pensioners Debout! [Stand up!] France.
Look at the end to see what you can do.   This 'tail piece' was not included to the Select Committee members.

The Winter Fuel payment in Europe
The Manipulation of WFP and Temperature statistics by the DWP .

NOTE! ---A resumé of a much larger briefing paper to be viewed here
http://www.lefourquet.net/WFP-RBpaper-V4.pdf   (if the link fails please copy and paste the address to the left in your browser)

July 2011 -  Following a European Union Court of Justice  (CJEU)* judgement which in train confirmed  that ‘old-age benefits’ for eligible British Citizens should be paid across the EU, Iain Duncan-Smith said.

“We will fight these ridiculous EU rules. The Winter Fuel Payment is about helping British pensioners with heating costs and it is ludicrous that we could have to pay more pensioners living in hot countries.”

*http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf;jsessionid=9ea7d2dc30dba4e0f84c4b0945c091cdde9cc21fd65d.e34KaxiLc3qMb40Rch0SaxuMb3z0?text=&docid=107933&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=29792

June 2013 – George Osborne said “…. 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”

July 2013 the DWP said “The WFP-Temperature Link  proposal lists 7 countries (Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain) that will become out of scope for payment of WFP."

The DWP has consulted the Met Office but not the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia from where the temperature data originated. The DWP has used this data supplied by the Met Office to fit its policy. The  paper (available via the above link) details this history thoroughly.

An FoI request to request a view of the actual correspondence between the DWP and the Met Office, has been partially refused, though a copy of the Met Office report to the DWP has been received and can be read here - http://www.lefourquet.net/Report_to_DWP.pdf  [It is 70 pages in size]. (if the link fails - paste address into a browser)
The Met Office  has independently disclosed that they used the CRU data and “ the report provided two temperatures, one to include the French départements d'outre mer (DOMs), and one without. The average winter temperature for France (including the DOM's) is 7.0°C; without DOMs, it is 4.9°C.

The above report details temperature data for the SW region of England and computes an average winter daily temperature of 5.6 degrees C.  This temperature the DWP used as a standard to compare with temperatures of countries in Europe.

The chart below gives these comparisons

But in order to formulate France as  a ‘hot’ country, the DWP report  incorporates the Nov-March temperatures for the tropical French DOMs (Overseas Departments)  - i.e French Guyana, Martinique, Réunion,  and Guadeloupe [officially listed as Outermost Regions of the EU]  into the figures for mainland France. [Similar measures are used for Spain and Portugal.
This was done solely for political reasons – no other.
There is no professional geographer who would classify the DOMs as geographically part of France.
The data published by CRU (available to us) is not in agreement with the Met Office/DWP Report -
e.g for Italy the CRU gives 7.54 degrees C- The Met Office/DWP gives 5.7.- BOTH are above the 5.6 in the DWP report for SW England.  Yet the DWP has classified Italy as 'not hot'.  Statistics have been chosen to fit a policy.

To the left is the isotherm distribution for Europe (January) . The whole of  mainland France lies within the same isotherm distribution range as Britain and so does much of Spain and Italy.

The Outer Hebrides and Belfast lie on the same isotherm as Lyon.
Oddly, both Italy, and Ireland (marginally on the CRU data) have, warmer winter temperatures than SW England yet the DWP do not classify these countries as ‘hot’. Data -for Ireland CRU - 5.64 : Met/DWP  5.5
Why has the DWP  classified France and Spain as ‘hot’ and Italy (and Ireland?) as ‘not hot’? 
With Ireland, the data (from CRU or the MET?) may be related to the delicate political situation. To exclude Britons in Southern Ireland (eg Donegal) whilst retaining those in Northern Ireland would be politically unacceptable.  But there again -- to somehow define Italy as 'not hot' on these confusing set of statistics is a mystery.

Is not the true reason because the number of WFP payments for 2011/2012  are as follows?
Spain  33,815   -  France  18,155   - the two highest in Continental Europe.   The data is manipulated to save money, without consideration of the citizen.

Whilst Ireland has 7155 ,  Cyprus 5420, Portugal 2080, Italy 1425. Greece 1,405, Germany 1220, Malta 1110    ----  All other countries are below 400 each.

Aged British Citizens in straightened financial circumstances, who happen to have chosen to legally reside in other countries of the European Economic Area, recently delighted to have this extra help, would once again be deprived, unless this disgraceful affair is exposed.  These ageing Britons have no political voice, and if it were not for the concern of a very few of the more able of us, the matter would remain hidden.

Brian Cave (lefourquet@orange.fr)  (with acknowledgements to R. Boaden)  www.votes-for-expat-brits.com  http://pensionersdebout.blogspot.com

WHAT YOU CAN DO ----[This version is sent to all activists.]

Dame Anne Begg MP (Chair)	Labour
Debbie Abrahams MP	Labour
Graham Evans MP	Conservative
Sheila Gilmore MP	Labour
Glenda Jackson MP	Labour
Kwasi Kwarteng MP	Conservative
Stephen Lloyd MP	Liberal Democrat
Nigel Mills MP	Conservative
Anne Marie Morris MP	Conservative
Teresa Pearce MP	Labour
Dame Angela Watkinson MP	Conservative

1.  To the left is listed the members of the Select Committee for Work & Pensions.  Clicking in any one will raise a profile and an email address.  You can write as follows, but try to use your own phrases..
"Dear xxxx,  I am not one of your constituents* but I have no other way of stating my views. You will have received information on the manipulation of data by the DWP concerning the suspension of the WFP for people in continental Europe --- Here state your circumstances.  If you are hard up say so.  State the climate where you live. etc etc."

2.   *If you still have an MP, write also to him/her.  You can also claim attention from the MP of the constituency where you were last living in the UK.

3.  Get people to sign this petition [ http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085 ]  Few people realise the importance of this.

4.   Circulate this message.

Christmas message from Harry --- who?

A Christmas Message from Harry Shindler*

The right to vote is an important and a basic element in a democratic society.

Men and Women have died to win for us the right to vote. Wars have been fought to win back the right to vote when voting was cancelled by a dictator. There is of course the right to vote in the U.K. – but sadly not for all British Citizens.

Those who decide to reside outside the U.K. and within the European Union, are denied the vote after 15 years.

The campaign by the British Ex-pats, in France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Cyprus, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and Italy for the right to vote, with the removal of the 15 year limit, has won the recognition and support of the European Commission.
This note is to all British Ex-pats who have not reached the 15 years limit and hence still have the right to vote.
We, who cannot vote, are appealing to you to use your vote, to register to vote via the Town Hall at your last residence in the U.K.

One of the reasons given for refusing us the vote, is the low percentage of voting by those who can still vote.

VOTING IS IMPORTANT  --- IT IS ONLY WHEN WE LOSE THE VOTE
THAT WE REALISE JUST HOW IMPORTANT!

With every best wish for the New Year !

*Harry Shindler, Italy, December 2013   harryshindler@libero.it  Tel:- 00 39  (0)735658446  -93 years old - Fought to free Italy in the Anzio Beach-head 1944.  Worked tirelessly to commemorate the fallen. Proudly British - Yet... and yet.. and yet agian..  the British Government refuses to recognise his achievements.  All he asks for is to be allowed to vote! We must not let him down.

We would like to join with Harry in this message -
Brian Cave (lefourquet@orange.fr)

  & Graham Richards(graham.richards@orange.fr)

www.votes-for-expat-brits.com

To register to vote---

 link to:- http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote.aspx

or write to ‘The Electoral Registration Officer’  - at your last known Council Offices –
"“I want to register to vote. Please send me the necessary forms”"
and also sign this petition http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085
Circulate to Accumulate.

Ten Points for ACTION

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From the Publicity officer VOTES FOR EXPAT BRITS campaign

Members of the Votes for Expat Brits Campaign Team continue to get asked what can be done to keep promoting the campaign. Here are ten points for consideration:-

• Continue with writing to our last member of member of the House of Commons; http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

• Write to our last MEP; http://www.europarl.org.uk/en/your_MEPs.html

• Step up writing to both the four quality UK publications plus the many various English language expat publications who already give us both good coverage and support; http://www.world-newspapers.com/

• Continue to promote the various e: Government petitions; 
  Winter Fuel Payment      http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52121
  BUT FAR MORE IMPORTANT
  REPRESENTATION   http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085

• To attend the Viviane Reding, and her fellow Commissioners ,"Citizen Dialogue" meeting road shows across the EU; http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1080_en.htm?locale=en

• We need to encourage the younger professional/career minded expats and to do that we need to make much more use, "as a matter of priority," of Twitter and Facebook as this is how they normally prefer and like to communicate with each other and not necessarily by the more traditional form of e:mail.

• Make more use of pro active forums like SFN - France. If anybody knows of any others I would very much appreciate receiving details.

• Encourage more people to to set up their own campaign blog sites; http://www.clivewalley.com/292654985 & http://pensionersdebout.blogspot.com/

• We still need to keep networking ourselves and it is essential that we forward all mails to friends/family/friends

• The Electoral Commission is running an online registration and system testing campaign targeting British citizens living overseas in the countries with the highest number of British citizens; Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, UAE & USA. The online campaign will begin in mid February 2014 and it is essential that we boost the registration of the number of overseas voters and get ourselves involved.  

Defenceless people - derided and lampooned

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This cartoon appeared in the Daily Mail.

You can visit the deplorable original here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2507657/Mac--winter-fuel.html

A bigoted campaign, driven by the Daily Mail, and some other journals, certain internet forums and joined by shallow minded Politicians is exacerbating antipathy against British pensioners who have chosen to live abroad in Europe and further afield.  It reminds me of the early publicity campaigns in Germany in 1934, which derided and stereotyped innocent Jewish shopkeepers. They were scapegoats for the appalling austerity and inflationary economy of that Nation at that time.
The British pensioner, 70, 80, even 90 years old has little defence against a similar caricature today. Many fought for freedom against the Nazi machine to bring freedom to Europe. 

 See what he is doing now at 92.  Such a man echoes the true spirit of Britain, not the mean minded spirit that oozes from the cartoon.
Read from the following link about this aged man of HONOUR.
Consider again the spite generated against his age group by the Daily Mail and the cartoonist!
Does not your heart sink a little?

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/12/roger-waters-poem-veteran-henry-shindler-father

Throughout Europe and in Britain many active pensioners are volunteers in their communities. In Europe they spread the good qualities of Britishness.  Yet the Daily Mail is seeding and then feeding a hate against them, blaming the austerity on them. I never did imagine that any newspaper in Britain could perpetrate such tawdry yet dangerous rubbish.

One prays that the people of Britain will not be so easily led. But we have evidence enough that shallow bigoted minds even within the Government itself  is tending in that direction.   Read any cheap-minded forum site and you can read comments from residents in Britain damning those of us who have retired - even against those pensioners living in Britain. Their 'free' T.V.s and bus passes.

To the left is a picture of normal life of pensioners in winter in mid France.

We have at present the European Commission to protect us.  But let us be warned, if  Britain pulls out of the European Union, we are not safe from this insidious campaign against us and the distortion of the truth within Britain.
Do not assume that in Europe today your future is safe.  The British Pensioner today lives in mainland Europe because of treaties signed between the UK and the EU.  We can only be sure of our future if these treaties remain firm.   WE MUST be represented. We must take action.
The pensioners must Stand UP! and be counted -  They must not be so dishonoured.

What you and your friends can do...and what you do WILL make a difference

• Add your name to this petition - It demonstrates your need to be heard. If you do not speak out, no-one can listen and no-one knows what you feel.  --  http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085
  

• YOUR voice must be heard where it matters -
  
• Circulate to a politician, your own one, one you know,..., ·  http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps
• Where you read prejudice on a forum or other site, speak out against it.

 

Published in Poland

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The article below was written by Professor Tim Clapham of Warsaw University, translated into Polish and published in the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, a quality broadsheet newspaper.

It is an example of  the influence British people  have with their neighbours.

If the British Government could honour the British Abroad. Then they in turn could exhibit a pride in their relationship with the 'homeland' . Reward would be great for Britain.

The article is written to be read by Polish people.

Give us a vote your Majesty!

What would you think if you heard of a country that deprived its citizens of a vote merely because they have lived outside the national boundary for a certain period of time. For example depriving a Polish citizen living in Berlin of that democratic right because he or she had lived there for fifteen years, That citizen may have retired to Berlin to be close to their children yet their pension may continue to be paid by the Polish government. Perhaps  the citizen fell  in love and moved to Berlin to live with a partner. Perhaps there were no jobs in their part of Poland and they were effectively forced to move. The number of reasons why people may choose to live outside their own country are many and in today’s world it no longer represents a fundamental break with one’s home country.

 Indeed no significant democratic country considers it acceptable to deprive citizens of the fundamental right to elect a Government world purely on the grounds of a citizen living outside the national boundary. Governments have to accept responsible for the rights of their citizens as they  are ultimately responsible for determining that persons status in the world. Or most Europeans would think so. After all what is the difference between living in France or the UK for a UK citizen, it is even easier and quicker to get to London from Paris than it is from Edinburgh to London.

Oh Dear, It’s the Brits Again

There is however an exception and that is the United Kingdom. A country that boasts of its democratic credentials, contains the mother of Parliaments, has a rather nice Queen and very good beer ( now that proves I am English through and through,  what other nationality likes warm bitter beer with no bubbles).  Yet next year I will deprived of the vote as I will have lived outside the UK for more than fifteen years. I should mention that I pay taxes and pension contributions  to  the UK, I will receive a UK pension, I have close  family living in England (sons and grandchildren if you are interested), I have economically contributed to the UK in very many ways over the years. And of course many aspects of my life are controlled or influenced by decisions of whatever bunch of politicians control Parliament. Inheritance, decisions to go to war, access to health care, divorce, bank accounts, financial services, travel rights and so on and so on.

Last week one of the indomitable fighters for the right to vote Margaret Hales visited Warsaw drumming up support for a campaign to secure full rights for British citizens abroad (www.votes-for-expat-brits.com). Margaret Hales MBE (just in case you thought that the British Empire was history, that tag means Member of the Order of the British Empire) received the honour for public service in that part of the Empire known as Milton Keynes which is a new town just outside London. , She and her husband decided to retire to Spain and would you believe she will now be deprived of a vote, so even the favour of the Queen doesn’t stop you being deprived of a fundamental democratic right.

The Charm of Royalty

Incidentally Margaret told us a rather amusing story about the time she received the Honour. She and other recipients were in the rather fine art gallery in Buckingham Palace prior to receiving their award. They were addressed by a flunkey wearing metres of gold braid who informed them of the protocol such as what to call the various royals who would be present etc. It was around the time of the Charles, Diana imbroglio and the country had taken sides those for Charles and those for Diana. They were informed that Prince Charles was doing the honours . In front of Margaret was a rather strong willed female peace fighter from Northern Ireland who, on hearing  that Prince Charles would be honouring the recipients, went ballistic threatening to reject the award , tell Prince Charles what was what etc. She was calmed down, went in to receive her honour  and came out of the ceremony a changed person telling everybody just what a charming, thought and lovely man he was. Clearly they have some magical Royal dust to sprinkle around at such times.

Ignoring the disenfranchised voteless

But back to the fundamental  injustice being perpetrated by the UK. There are over 5 million British borne citizens around the world with some 1.5 million in Europe. Now not all will necessarily want to have a continuing relationship with the UK but all will be disenfranchised citizens after fifteen years unless they decide to adopt the nationality of their host Country. It places British citizens in a dilemma which is normally resolved by their ignoring their loss of political rights rather than adopt a new nationality.   In a globalising world therefore we have a growing number of citizens of a democratic county without a vote.

This is not acceptable and it is not purely an academic issue. The lack of political rights means that the interests of millions of people are being ignored.  In a couple of years there will be a referendum as to whether the UK will stay in or leave the EU. Many of the 1.5 million will have no say in something that is of vital concern to them and their families. The present government is currently attacking the rights of overseas British citizens to receive a winter fuel payment (it was an indirect way of increasing what is one of Europe’s lowest state pensions) they are also attacking the health arrangements for those citizens. It is worth remembering that many Brits like to retire to Europe after a lifetime in the UK as their pensions can go further and they represent a net saving for the British Health and Social security systems. Yet this and the significant contribution of UK citizens abroad to the UK economy can  be safely ignored by our British politicians as those overseas citizens are politically voiceless.

It need not be the case. French overseas citizens even have direct Parliamentary  representation and a number of other EU states are set to follow this route. Even Poland may face this demand in the not distant future. It’s a logical corollary to the free movement of citizens in the EU and the fluid global world in which we now live. For effective democracy a precondition  has to be the right to vote wherever you live and however long you have been there.

So my Polish readers the next time you hear a British politician talking about democratic rights and the importance of free and fair elections in some unfortunate part of the world agree, but remember to put some decent perfume on your handkerchief to obscure the stench of hypocrisy.

And so back to Margaret MBE who is fighting the good fight to secure the vote for all of us Brits abroad. She is following in the noble tradition of her ancestor Emile Pankhurst. Over one hundred years ago Ms Pankhurst fought to secure the vote for women. It is fitting that her descendent continues the fight this time for British citizens abroad. And it will be equally successful because the right to vote is fundamental for any country that considers itself a democracy. Good luck with the campaign Margaret.

Tim Clapham  14^th October 2013