Spread the word! More Brits in Thailand can now vote in the UK

[RobU]

56 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

A very small one that I use as petrol  and electricity money, I haven't lived in the UK for 55 years.

If you go back and declare you will stay, your pension will be increased to the full state pension. It is no longer dependent on how many years you paid in.  Everyone now gets the same.

[doctormann]

12 hours ago, lungbing said:

The problem will be receiving the voting form from your home constituency and then getting it back to them in time to count.  A proxy would get round that, but do you trust your proxy to vote the way you want?

Yes, the snail mail method of sending out voting papers can be a considerable problem.  I received my Brexit voting paper just one day before the deadline - not long enough to return it, even by EMS.  

A proxy would work - if you have one that you can trust.

[sandyf]

12 hours ago, lungbing said:

A proxy would get round that, but do you trust your proxy to vote the way you want?

A bit more to it than that. 

When I registered to vote a couple of years ago you had to use the polling station for your last address in the UK, too much travelling for any proxy I could use.

Unless they change the rules, proxy is unlikely to be any use to long term expats.

[scottiejohn]

13 minutes ago, RobU said:

It is no longer dependent on how many years you paid in.  Everyone now gets the same.

Rubbish!

State Pension (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

The State Pension is a 'contribution-based' benefit, and depends on an individual's National Insurance (NI) contribution history. To qualify for a full pension (amounts given above), an individual would require:

• basic State Pension: 30 qualifying years (years in which NI contributions were paid) for contributors claiming between 6 April 2010 and 5 April 2016;^[4][5][6]
• new State Pension: 35 qualifying years (years in which NI contributions were paid) for customers claiming from 6 April 2016.^[7]

In years where fewer than 52 weeks' NI were paid, the year is disregarded. With fewer qualifying years smaller, pro-rata, pension is paid. People who were contracted-out paid lower NI contributions will receive a lower state pension.

 

 

[soalbundy]

12 minutes ago, RobU said:

If you go back and declare you will stay, your pension will be increased to the full state pension. It is no longer dependent on how many years you paid in.  Everyone now gets the same.

I think you are delving in the realms of fantasy here, what is true is that I would get all the increases starting from the moment I arrived, that might bump my 153 pounds up to 180 or so but who on earth would want to willingly live in the UK (apart from the dingy people).

[Freddy42OZ]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

No state pension yet?

A very small one that I use as petrol  and electricity money, I haven't lived in the UK for 55 years.

 

 

Same here.  Have never lived in the UK, wasn't even born there. 

I have is a UK passport but any UK state pension I might be eligible for will be utterly pointless.

[MICHAEL DAVID STREET]

Vote for Reform and perhaps they will give us Ex Pats a pension rise and cancel the frozen pension.

[IvorBiggun2]

17 hours ago, CharlieKo said:

Our vote never counts!

It did in Brexit.

[IvorBiggun2]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I wonder if that's because so many Brits have left England

Shouldn't that be 'Brits have left Britain?' Doh

[BerndD]

This is nothing new for Germans. Germans who live abroad have always been able to vote for the Bundestag. If applied online at your last German place of residence, the postal voting documents will be sent by post abroad, including to Thailand.

 

[soalbundy]

12 minutes ago, MICHAEL DAVID STREET said:

Vote for Reform and perhaps they will give us Ex Pats a pension rise and cancel the frozen pension.

5555555555555555555555

[remobb]

Whichever party agrees to increase my pension along with the same increases they get in the UK I will vote for, otherwise they can go suck. 

[Griffo63]

Away from Thailand and looking at the bigger picture then this offers all those millions of expats with ‘frozen’ pensions a chance to build a much bigger collective voice. 

[RobU]

23 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

I think you are delving in the realms of fantasy here, what is true is that I would get all the increases starting from the moment I arrived, that might bump my 153 pounds up to 180 or so but who on earth would want to willingly live in the UK (apart from the dingy people).

Have you kept up with the change in regulations? The UK pension is no longer contribution based it is now a benefit available to all UK citizens regardless of how much NI has been paid. There is no minimum contribution any more. Everyone gets the same. It is topped up by the state

[brianthainess]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Those who have previously lived in or been registered to vote in the UK now have the right to vote in UK parliament elections.

Their records would have to go back a hell of a long time then, at least 30+yrs for me. 

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, RobU said:

Have you kept up with the change in regulations? The UK pension is no longer contribution based it is now a benefit available to all UK citizens regardless of how much NI has been paid. There is no minimum contribution any more. Everyone gets the same. It is topped up by the state

I still get 153 pounds so That means I would have to live there to get a full pension....no thanks.

[mrfill]

3 hours ago, Muhendis said:

I agree entirely and would also add that the whole idea of using a proxy is totally wrong in terms of the personal and private nature of the vote.

There is no reason why electronic voting should not be incorporated. Using the internet is good enough for banks so it should be plenty good enough for election voting then we could all vote whenever there is a snap election. 

What a great idea. Perhaps they could get Fujitsu to sell them a system at an astronomic price which will work as well as Horizon. What could possibly go wrong???

[crazykopite]

I will vote for the party who confirm they will unfreeze my OAP at the moment I lose 2,000 baht per week and in April it will be even more otherwise I won’t bother wasting my time and energy 

[crazykopite]

33 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Shouldn't that be 'Brits have left Britain?' Doh

Its now called the United

 

1 hour ago, RobU said:

If you go back and declare you will stay, your pension will be increased to the full state pension. It is no longer dependent on how many years you paid in.  Everyone now gets the same.

You have to have 35 years to qualify for the FULL state pension any less you get a percentage 

[scottiejohn]

43 minutes ago, RobU said:

Have you kept up with the change in regulations? The UK pension is no longer contribution based it is now a benefit available to all UK citizens regardless of how much NI has been paid. There is no minimum contribution any more. Everyone gets the same. It is topped up by the state

Why are you posting this rubbish?

The new State Pension: What you'll get - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What you'll get

Your State Pension amount depends on your National Insurance record.

Check your State Pension forecast to find out how much you could get and when.

[itsari]

Why bother voting, not much to choose from .

However if a party announced that the UK would make a social agreement with the Australian government that would get my interest. Then I may have a chance to get something from the pension points earned in Australia. 

[Denim]

45 minutes ago, RobU said:

Have you kept up with the change in regulations? The UK pension is no longer contribution based it is now a benefit available to all UK citizens regardless of how much NI has been paid. There is no minimum contribution any more. Everyone gets the same. It is topped up by the state

 

When did that start ?  My pension payments began in September 2023 and the amount was calculated according to my contributions. I do not get the full amount. It was calculated to be 665 pounds a month , not the full amount. 

[RobU]

43 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

I still get 153 pounds so That means I would have to live there to get a full pension....no thanks.

Correct

[john donson]

I am from some EU country and could vote but did not bother for the last 20 years... even you vote , the biggest party by votes, keeps on getting excluded by coalition of leftist parties that are all in to give away the country to illegals and non locals... hence the move here... and to prevent my daughter to be harassed by a certain imported group with different culture not compatible with the west

[baansgr]

Because pensions are not increased, at least 99% of Brits are still down as living in UK

[baansgr]

53 minutes ago, RobU said:

Have you kept up with the change in regulations? The UK pension is no longer contribution based it is now a benefit available to all UK citizens regardless of how much NI has been paid. There is no minimum contribution any more. Everyone gets the same. It is topped up by the state

It can't be classed as a benefit, benefits are non taxable. There is a minimum 10 years contributions required and the amount paid depends on how much you have paid

[RobU]

3 minutes ago, Denim said:

 

When did that start ?  My pension payments began in September 2023 and the amount was calculated according to my contributions. I do not get the full amount. It was calculated to be 665 pounds a month , not the full amount. 

It's called pension credit and tops up the state pension to the same as if you had paid full NI contributions 

[Denim]

2 minutes ago, RobU said:

It's called pension credit and tops up the state pension to the same as if you had paid full NI contributions 

 

Thanks. I'll get on this. A little extra never hurts

[baansgr]

1 hour ago, MICHAEL DAVID STREET said:

Vote for Reform and perhaps they will give us Ex Pats a pension rise and cancel the frozen pension.

No party will mention anything about pensions..I have emailed Dicky Tice and didn't even reply, put hundreds of posts on twitter, still no reply..13 million voters they are not interested..useless

[stargrazer9889]

My Brit friend moved to Thailand over 20 years ago, because he was tired of hearing the local mosque

doing their 5AM wake up call. His whole neighborhood was taken over by those

immigrants. He advised me to visit Scotland, where I had a better chance to see real

Scots. Maybr next June I will make a visit.