Most British people regard themselves as proud to uphold core civilised values of fairness, equality and non-discrimination. Britain's current PM David Cameron appears to support these core values. In 2012 soon after the Tories' General Election success he was attributed with saying "Fairness is at the heart of everything we do". More recently, last year, speaking about gay and lesbian marriage he is said to have commented;
"I've a passionate belief in equality for all".
However, show these pious comments, attributed to David Cameron, to most of the 550,000 retiree UK expats who happen to now live mainly in Commonwealth countries, 158,000 in Canada, over 50,000 in New Zealand and 252,000 in Australia, and how do you think they would they rate Cameron's honesty and his practices, having regards to these core values?
Knowing much about the manner in which these expats are treated with regard to their part or whole UK pensions, for which we have all paid the same contributions, when living and working in the UK, these expats' feelings would be absolutely dismissive of Cameron's words.
From my own experience, when visiting the UK and speaking with people there, very few are aware that the British Government classes and treats these expats, mostly retired in Commonwealth countries, as second class citizens. For even although they are given a UK pension at age 65, when they leave the country or commence this UK pension abroad in these Commonwealth nations and some others, like Thailand, most of the smaller Caribbean nations, the Falkland Islands, Hong Kong etc, this UK pension remains the same for the rest of their lives. A £50 part pension started now will still be paid as £50 in 20 years time. The UK pension is frozen in several countries, never to rise again despite continuing inflation.
What irritates us is that UK pension increases do apply for 630,000 expats who live in various illogical countries like the Philippines. Turkey, Israel Mauritius, Barbados, the US and in the EU.
The British Government's excuse for this selective differential pension payment treatment is cost, although cost or budgetary considerations was recently declared as "not an acceptable reason for discrimination" in a UK Supreme Court case in February 2013.
The Government also claims it is legally acceptable and proven in several court cases, that there is no need to pay indexed pensions unless there is a reciprocal or bilateral agreement to do so, which applies with many countries but not in the countries without an agreement and where the pension is therefore frozen. Moreover Britain intransigently refuses to negotiate any more agreements, not that this is practical as concluded in a 1997 UK Parliamentary Select committee report on this issue, in which it concludes;- "A simple change in British law could enable [pension] up-ratings to be paid in any or all overseas countries provided the political will was there to do so"
So where does the Commonwealth now come in to this argument?
This year the Queen signed the Commonwealth Charter in which it states;-
"We [the Commonwealth] are committed to equality and respect for the protection of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all, without discrimination". "We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination whether rooted in any grounds".
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group [A collection of 9 Commonwealth Foreign Ministers] are supported according to the Charter "to address promptly and effectively all instances of serious or persistent violations of Commonwealth values without fear or favour".
It is the view of many expats residents in Commonwealth countries,who are suffering financially from a frozen, depreciating UK pension income because the British Government is persistently violating the Commonwealth Charter by not paying them pensions equally with their contemporaries resident in unfrozen countries that something drastic has to be done to remedy this persistent anomaly.
Therefore this persistent violation of Commonwealth values should be brought to the attention of the CHOGM in November 2013 in Sri Lanka and peer group pressure brought to bear upon the British Government to practice what David Cameron preaches and the Commonwealth Charter calls upon. For otherwise Britain should be suspended from the Commonwealth until it puts right its intransigent attitude which British Governments have adopted for over 60 years and the Government should comply with the conclusions of the HoC 1997 Select Committee report to make the simple change in British law so that all British pensioners are paid in the same way universally, irrespective in which country they are retired.
For more information visit www.pensionjustice.org www.telegraph.co.uk/frozenpensions/ & www.bpia.org.au
smile
Interview with the economist billionaires fear: this is how we get a wealth tax
