So what if that UK based widow spends the GBP2,000 on a foreign holiday - or imported goods.

Do you really want to build a wall (economic or otherwise).

What I rather liked as a British citizen was the right to spend my salary/capital/pension/benefits just where I wanted to spend them. Are you saying you want to deny me, and many others, such rights.

Let's not make a drama out of a crisis - a few GBP2,000 Bereavement Payments + WPA and BA are not going to sink the British economy. There are many other targets for you to fire your arrows at before you get to widows in Thailand.

It's not just that particular payment. It's all the expat pensions as well. And the foreign holidays. And all the imports of goods. And the dividends being paid to the foreign owners of British companies and property. And the importing of most of the UK's energy. The list goes on and on.

Anyway, the problem is not the individual payments at all it's the global effect when every single month there is a net outflow of money from the UK economy. It simply cannot go on forever and people need to understand this (at least they do if they want the GBP to be worth anything at all in 10, 20, 30 years time). Luckily I'll surely be dead by then but sometimes I really worry for my teenage nephew. He could easily end up living in a cave well before he retires, along with just about everyone else in the UK.

Thailand does a pretty good job of imposing tariffs and reducing imports, and discouraging the export of capital, whilst at the same time encouraging inward tourism (which is one of the very best ways of improving the economy), and of course there are hardly any Thais living abroad and drawing a big Thai state pension. All of which has a great positive effect on the Thai economy.

Britain seems to go out of its way to do the opposite.

So what if that UK based widow spends the GBP2,000 on a foreign holiday - or imported goods.

Do you really want to build a wall (economic or otherwise).

What I rather liked as a British citizen was the right to spend my salary/capital/pension/benefits just where I wanted to spend them. Are you saying you want to deny me, and many others, such rights.

Let's not make a drama out of a crisis - a few GBP2,000 Bereavement Payments + WPA and BA are not going to sink the British economy. There are many other targets for you to fire your arrows at before you get to widows in Thailand.

It's not just that particular payment. It's all the expat pensions as well. And the foreign holidays. And all the imports of goods. And the dividends being paid to the foreign owners of British companies and property. And the importing of most of the UK's energy. The list goes on and on.

Anyway, the problem is not the individual payments at all it's the global effect when every single month there is a net outflow of money from the UK economy. It simply cannot go on forever and people need to understand this (at least they do if they want the GBP to be worth anything at all in 10, 20, 30 years time). Luckily I'll surely be dead by then but sometimes I really worry for my teenage nephew. He could easily end up living in a cave well before he retires, along with just about everyone else in the UK.

Thailand does a pretty good job of imposing tariffs and reducing imports, and discouraging the export of capital, whilst at the same time encouraging inward tourism (which is one of the very best ways of improving the economy), and of course there are hardly any Thais living abroad and drawing a big Thai state pension. All of which has a great positive effect on the Thai economy.

Britain seems to go out of its way to do the opposite.

I would disagree that the problem is paying pensions etc overseas. Giving free public travel, free prescriptions and winter fuel allowance to those over 60 but under pension age, would cost the economy more than the ( relatively ) small number of overseas pensions.

Also, having worked in the NHS, I can say that it is out of control with corruption, giving free operations to people that never contributed a penny to Britain, and overpaid consultants. Having free GP appointments is also a sure fire way of increasing costs ( not saying to make it expensive, but a small fee would cut down on useless consultations ie for a cold etc ). Get the NHS under control, and Britain would save a fortune.

Sigh. No wonder Britain is broke.

The entitlement state doesnt work! Imagine if they had to pay for their own mIlItarY! All they send to war is Prince Harry on a horse.....................lol.