British expats in Thailand feeling the misery as the UK pound drops to record low levels.

[partington]

On 10/2/2017 at 8:27 AM, jeab1980 said:

I have however always maintained a presence in said home country i have a rental property which i pay a megar tax on  i have a postal address registered there and regarding the NHS i paid full stamp for as long as I had to even though not living there. I am still registered with a quack over there whom i email every three months for a repeat perscription which is something and nothing but which keeps me on the radar there. I have not physicaly lived in the UK for some 30 years now. 

 

 

You are completely wrong about the NHS and your entitlement. The fact that you may have been able to fool the NHS into thinking you are a permanent resident in the UK does not mean that you are entitled to NHS services - simply that your deception has worked.

 

As a matter of actual fact entitlement to NHS services is not related to paying National Insurance Stamps in any way; neither is it related to owning a house or having a postal address in the UK, and it is not related to either having or having had at one point either a National Insurance number or a National Health Card number.   

 

It is ONLY dependent on whether you are a current long term resident of the UK.  However treatment at GP surgeries and in A&E departments are still free to everyone, again independent of NI status.

 

All these facts are stated absolutely unambiguously on the UK government's official NHS site: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-overseas-visitors-hospital-charging-regulations/summary-of-changes-made-to-the-way-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care

 

"Within England, free NHS hospital treatment is provided on the basis of someone being ‘ordinarily resident’. It is not dependent upon nationality, payment of UK taxes, national insurance contributions, being registered with a GP, having an NHS number or owning property in the UK. The changes which came into effect from April affect visitors and former UK residents differently, depending on where they now live."

 

Edited October 3, 2017 by partington

[jeab1980]

10 minutes ago, partington said:

 

You are completely wrong about the NHS and your entitlement. The fact that you may have been able to fool the NHS into thinking you are a permanent resident in the UK does not mean that you are entitled to NHS services - simply that your deception has worked.

 

As a matter of actual fact entitlement to NHS services is not related to paying National Insurance Stamps in any way; neither is it related to owning a house or having a postal address in the UK, and it is not related to either having or having had at one point either a National Insurance number or a National Health Card number.  

 

It is ONLY dependent on whether you are a current long term resident of the UK.  

 

All these facts are stated absolutely unambiguously on the UK government's official NHS site: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-overseas-visitors-hospital-charging-regulations/summary-of-changes-made-to-the-way-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care

 

"Within England, free NHS hospital treatment is provided on the basis of someone being ‘ordinarily resident’. It is not dependent upon nationality, payment of UK taxes, national insurance contributions, being registered with a GP, having an NHS number or owning property in the UK. The changes which came into effect from April affect visitors and former UK residents differently, depending on where they now live."

 

I dont care how I've done it.  The fact is i can use the services I have paid for over the years.

And long may it continue as i will xontinue to do as i do now.

This is taken from your link.

"Returning to the UK to settle

Citizens who return to the UK on a settled basis will be classed as ordinarily resident, and will be eligible for free NHS care immediately."

 

So it seems as long as you are a UK citizen and return on a settled basis you are fine

Edited October 3, 2017 by jeab1980

[partington]

1 minute ago, jeab1980 said:

I dont care how I've done it.  The fact is i can use the services I have paid for over the years.

And long may it continue as i will xontinue to do as i do now.

I edited my post to show that GP surgery treatment is still free to everyone- this means you are probably OK if this is all you need, and you never go to hospital.

 

Of course GP treatment is also free to someone who has never paid a single NI contribution in their life!

[jeab1980]

1 minute ago, partington said:

I edited my post to show that GP surgery treatment is still free to everyone- this means you are probably OK if this is all you need, and you never go to hospital.

 

Of course GP treatment is also free to someone who has never paid a single NI contribution in their life!

I also edited my post to include a paragraph from your link. 

Most people are reffered to hospital by there GP. So being registered and having an address would facilitate hospital treatment

Edited October 3, 2017 by jeab1980

[partington]

9 minutes ago, jeab1980 said:

I dont care how I've done it.  The fact is i can use the services I have paid for over the years.

And long may it continue as i will xontinue to do as i do now.

This is taken from your link.

"Returning to the UK to settle

Citizens who return to the UK on a settled basis will be classed as ordinarily resident, and will be eligible for free NHS care immediately."

 

So it seems as long as you are a UK citizen and return on a settled basis you are fine

No need to be a UK citizen either, as the quote in my post said entitlement is not based on nationality.

 

All you need to do is prove you live in the UK on a permanent long term basis on day 1 of your arrival and you will get free hospital treatment .  

 

However showing that this is the case is often requested nowadays, and can be tricky without long term lease, job offer etc.

Edited October 3, 2017 by partington

[jeab1980]

51 minutes ago, partington said:

No need to be a UK citizen either, as the quote in my post said entitlement is not based on nationality.

 

All you need to do is prove you live in the UK on a permanent long term basis on day 1 of your arrival and you will get free hospital treatment .  

 

However showing that this is the case is often requested nowadays, and can be tricky without long term lease, job offer etc.

Well as i have a house. And retiered i'll be fine as i said in yhe very begining.

[Airbagwill]

10 hours ago, jeab1980 said:

So you cant explain then . Got to love people who make a statement and when questioned on statement resort to the normal moronic standard answer. Ie your wrong im right absolute classic well done Air will.

I explanation  is above, life is too short to play pigeon chess with Brexiteers.

[billd766]

14 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

I explanation  is above, life is too short to play pigeon chess with Brexiteers.

 

 jeab1980 was correct then. You can't explain it.

[rickudon]

So where are we now, 15 months after the referendum? Pound still 15% down on pre-referendum levels. The carpetbaggers who came and bought up UK companies at bargain prices, or were able to buy UK goods at a discount, therefore giving a temporary boost to the economy, have moved on. The economy is now stagnating due to uncertainty.

 

So far, brexit negotiations have achieved nothing - The UK government STILL hasn't got a clear idea of what they want, let alone what is achievable. If we are going to meet the 2019 deadline, we really do need to have some clear plans by the new year if they are to be implemented - so far there is no evidence we have this. The government has belatedly woken up to this, hence the suggestion of a 2 year implementation period post march 2019. Also. a year to late, they have started a major recruitment exercise for the civil service to hire the extra staff needed.

 

And how have our 'friends' reacted? India declined to negotiate anything without concessions from UK first. Trump's USA have shafted Bombardier and is pushing for concessions on agricultural products - but offering nothing in return. As for the EU, even if we can negotiate a deal with the commission's negotiators, it has to be ratified by all 27 EU countries - fat chance.

 

So, only options would be a humiliating deal, with many concessions to the EU, or a hard Brexit. Or just possibly, No Brexit but that would start a whole new bun fight. It will take years to negotiate new favourable trade deals, and many more years to see the benefits. Any realistic analysis would show that it would at best be at least 5 years before the UK would be thriving again, and much longer before we get back to where we were in 2015. At worst, we could have a savaged financial services industry (who currently offset a large part of our trade deficit) and actually reduced exports - this would cause an uncontrollable deficit and even possibly default on our debts. Think of Greece or Portugal as a future ......

 

Brexiteers talk about the Benefits of Brexit - the only one i can see is more control over migration, the rest are purely hypothetical.

 

Finally, the future of the Union - Scotland may be pulling back from independence for now, but a bad Brexit will give it new life. And Northern Ireland WILL leave the Union at some time in the next 20 years, it is an unchangeable demographic fact (Catholics are now in the majority, and will increasingly be so).

 

Goodbye Great Britain, Hello little England.....

 

[scubascuba3]

It will be interesting what happens to Catalonia and their Cexit from Spain and maybe even EU and any knock on effect. Much more interesting than just going round in circles with brexit chat

[bomber]

4 hours ago, rickudon said:

So where are we now, 15 months after the referendum? Pound still 15% down on pre-referendum levels. The carpetbaggers who came and bought up UK companies at bargain prices, or were able to buy UK goods at a discount, therefore giving a temporary boost to the economy, have moved on. The economy is now stagnating due to uncertainty.

 

So far, brexit negotiations have achieved nothing - The UK government STILL hasn't got a clear idea of what they want, let alone what is achievable. If we are going to meet the 2019 deadline, we really do need to have some clear plans by the new year if they are to be implemented - so far there is no evidence we have this. The government has belatedly woken up to this, hence the suggestion of a 2 year implementation period post march 2019. Also. a year to late, they have started a major recruitment exercise for the civil service to hire the extra staff needed.

 

And how have our 'friends' reacted? India declined to negotiate anything without concessions from UK first. Trump's USA have shafted Bombardier and is pushing for concessions on agricultural products - but offering nothing in return. As for the EU, even if we can negotiate a deal with the commission's negotiators, it has to be ratified by all 27 EU countries - fat chance.

 

So, only options would be a humiliating deal, with many concessions to the EU, or a hard Brexit. Or just possibly, No Brexit but that would start a whole new bun fight. It will take years to negotiate new favourable trade deals, and many more years to see the benefits. Any realistic analysis would show that it would at best be at least 5 years before the UK would be thriving again, and much longer before we get back to where we were in 2015. At worst, we could have a savaged financial services industry (who currently offset a large part of our trade deficit) and actually reduced exports - this would cause an uncontrollable deficit and even possibly default on our debts. Think of Greece or Portugal as a future ......

 

Brexiteers talk about the Benefits of Brexit - the only one i can see is more control over migration, the rest are purely hypothetical.

 

Finally, the future of the Union - Scotland may be pulling back from independence for now, but a bad Brexit will give it new life. And Northern Ireland WILL leave the Union at some time in the next 20 years, it is an unchangeable demographic fact (Catholics are now in the majority, and will increasingly be so).

 

Goodbye Great Britain, Hello little England.....

 

Yep,billy no mates,and a poor economy,but we have our c ountry back,ha ha

[bomber]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

It will be interesting what happens to Catalonia and their Cexit from Spain and maybe even EU and any knock on effect. Much more interesting than just going round in circles with brexit chat

Cannot see it making much difference,and probably wont happen,catalans want to hope not,the UK WONT MANAGE,these people have no chance

[cyberfarang]

7 hours ago, rickudon said:

So where are we now, 15 months after the referendum? Pound still 15% down on pre-referendum levels. The carpetbaggers who came and bought up UK companies at bargain prices, or were able to buy UK goods at a discount, therefore giving a temporary boost to the economy, have moved on. The economy is now stagnating due to uncertainty.

 

So far, brexit negotiations have achieved nothing - The UK government STILL hasn't got a clear idea of what they want, let alone what is achievable. If we are going to meet the 2019 deadline, we really do need to have some clear plans by the new year if they are to be implemented - so far there is no evidence we have this. The government has belatedly woken up to this, hence the suggestion of a 2 year implementation period post march 2019. Also. a year to late, they have started a major recruitment exercise for the civil service to hire the extra staff needed.

 

And how have our 'friends' reacted? India declined to negotiate anything without concessions from UK first. Trump's USA have shafted Bombardier and is pushing for concessions on agricultural products - but offering nothing in return. As for the EU, even if we can negotiate a deal with the commission's negotiators, it has to be ratified by all 27 EU countries - fat chance.

 

So, only options would be a humiliating deal, with many concessions to the EU, or a hard Brexit. Or just possibly, No Brexit but that would start a whole new bun fight. It will take years to negotiate new favourable trade deals, and many more years to see the benefits. Any realistic analysis would show that it would at best be at least 5 years before the UK would be thriving again, and much longer before we get back to where we were in 2015. At worst, we could have a savaged financial services industry (who currently offset a large part of our trade deficit) and actually reduced exports - this would cause an uncontrollable deficit and even possibly default on our debts. Think of Greece or Portugal as a future ......

 

Brexiteers talk about the Benefits of Brexit - the only one i can see is more control over migration, the rest are purely hypothetical.

 

Finally, the future of the Union - Scotland may be pulling back from independence for now, but a bad Brexit will give it new life. And Northern Ireland WILL leave the Union at some time in the next 20 years, it is an unchangeable demographic fact (Catholics are now in the majority, and will increasingly be so).

 

Goodbye Great Britain, Hello little England.....

 

True, but of course for British expats living in Thailand who are receiving their incomes from the UK, this is a two way street.

 

If the baht should weaken then that would even up the score a bit. It is strange that nothing seems to knock the baht off it`s high perch, so in fact this is a kind of stalemate for British expats living here as far as the bank exchange rates are concerned. Personally I would be over the moon if the baht crashed to rock bottom.

Edited October 8, 2017 by cyberfarang

[adammike]

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

It will be interesting what happens to Catalonia and their Cexit from Spain and maybe even EU and any knock on effect. Much more interesting than just going round in circles with brexit chat

The only countries that will recognise and do business with a self proclaimed independent Catalonia will be Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea. The EU will not and the UK would not dare.they will criticise the heavy-handed police response though , the police have been moved out of local hotels to military barracks. The two banks of Catalonia have moved out already in response of the threat to declare independence. 

[SheungWan]

2 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

True, but of course for British expats living in Thailand who are receiving their incomes from the UK, this is a two way street.

 

If the baht should weaken then that would even up the score a bit. It is strange that nothing seems to knock the baht off it`s high perch, so in fact this is a kind of stalemate for British expats living here as far as the bank exchange rates are concerned. Personally I would be over the moon if the baht crashed to rock bottom.

If this, if that.

[taipeir]

GBP is cratering as a consequence of the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit negotiations. GBP is historically low against other major currencies but is likely to "mean-revert" once the post-Brexit situation becomes clearer ... although I doubt we'll get that clarity until sometime in 2018.

The pound was over valued for decades and Brits had it easy especially overseas.

Now is the new normal, partly the result of Brexit but also due to the pre existing fiscal situation in the UK.

The bank of England can't raise interest rates without a full blown credit and housing market collapse.



Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[taipeir]

You talk about the pound sterling loosing it's value and consequences of same. But does the situation not equally affect all the Europeans (using the Euro) and have been affected for a lot longer.
   Around 15 years ago the Euro was worth, at one point, around 54 Baht. Since then it has been steadly dropping. Now at around 38.5 Bt. after rising a little of late.
   It's something a lot of people have been having to adjust to for a long period now.

The Eurozone was also way over valued for many many years against strong US and Asian economies.
The current exchange rate seems more realistic.
The euro will rise some more if the economy in the Eurozone continues to improve.

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[AlexRich]

2 hours ago, taipeir said:

The pound was over valued for decades and Brits had it easy especially overseas.

Now is the new normal, partly the result of Brexit but also due to the pre existing fiscal situation in the UK.

The bank of England can't raise interest rates without a full blown credit and housing market collapse.



Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

"New normal" is the latest cliche ... Bank of England will increase by 0.25% in November, barring some major issue like a Korean War ... but it is unlikely to push rates a great deal higher unless inflation gets a grip. 

 

After the Brexit picture becomes clearer, GBP will improve. 

[bomber]

2 hours ago, taipeir said:

The pound was over valued for decades and Brits had it easy especially overseas.

Now is the new normal, partly the result of Brexit but also due to the pre existing fiscal situation in the UK.

The bank of England can't raise interest rates without a full blown credit and housing market collapse.



Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

The UK has too much household debt,is it best to raise rates to deter more or leave them and encourage more borrowing,a hard one to call imo,but seems as borrowers have had it good for 10 years now is the time for change imo,but carney will keep the rate low imo.

[William T]

On 8/27/2017 at 5:32 PM, cyberfarang said:

If I didn`t have such short fat stumpy ugly hairy legs, I might be considering that option myself.

Brilliant post on a serious subject. I know several British OAPs who can no longer afford to renew their Retirement Visa and have gone home.

[Craig krup]

For anyone being bullied one more day of bullying - considered in isolation - is better than a massive fight. But it's better to have a horrible end than horror without end. 

 

Where will the remoaners be if and when the great European war 2037-44 breaks out? Where will they be when the entire continent is riven with terrorist and separatist movements, all fighting to free themselves from the edicts of a (super)state which doesn't have a nation behind it which would give the decisions political legitimacy, and which would encourage those who don't benefit from decisions to nonetheless accept them? 

 

One of the things that amuses me is halfwits claiming that Brexit is a vote for and by the old to the disadvantage of the young. Brexit is for the young: it's so they can have a polity, and live in peace, with workable political decisions made by accountable politicians. 

 

Brexit is brawl and a broken nose. Better that than putting up with crap for fifty years, and with a murder at the end of it. 

[taipeir]

"New normal" is the latest cliche ... Bank of England will increase by 0.25% in November, barring some major issue like a Korean War ... but it is unlikely to push rates a great deal higher unless inflation gets a grip. 
 
After the Brexit picture becomes clearer, GBP will improve. 

It might bounce up a bit but good ole days are done and dusted.

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[taipeir]

For anyone being bullied one more day of bullying - considered in isolation - is better than a massive fight. But it's better to have a horrible end than horror without end. 
 
Where will the remoaners be if and when the great European war 2037-44 breaks out? Where will they be when the entire continent is riven with terrorist and separatist movements, all fighting to free themselves from the edicts of a (super)state which doesn't have a nation behind it which would give the decisions political legitimacy, and which would encourage those who don't benefit from decisions to nonetheless accept them? 
 
One of the things that amuses me is halfwits claiming that Brexit is a vote for and by the old to the disadvantage of the young. Brexit is for the young: it's so they can have a polity, and live in peace, with workable political decisions made by accountable politicians. 
 
Brexit is brawl and a broken nose. Better that than putting up with crap for fifty years, and with a murder at the end of it. 

Europe has never been more peaceful in terms of European wars and European terrorist movements. Thanks to the EU in no small part!

The EU is one of histories most successful alliances bar none.

Islamic fundamentalist terrorism should drop off as Syrian war wraps up, Iraq and other countries like Libya stabilise .



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[taipeir]

For anyone being bullied one more day of bullying - considered in isolation - is better than a massive fight. But it's better to have a horrible end than horror without end. 
 
Where will the remoaners be if and when the great European war 2037-44 breaks out? Where will they be when the entire continent is riven with terrorist and separatist movements, all fighting to free themselves from the edicts of a (super)state which doesn't have a nation behind it which would give the decisions political legitimacy, and which would encourage those who don't benefit from decisions to nonetheless accept them? 
 
One of the things that amuses me is halfwits claiming that Brexit is a vote for and by the old to the disadvantage of the young. Brexit is for the young: it's so they can have a polity, and live in peace, with workable political decisions made by accountable politicians. 
 
Brexit is brawl and a broken nose. Better that than putting up with crap for fifty years, and with a murder at the end of it. 

For God's sake look at the mess.that you call the UK govt.

As for accountable., The Queen, Lords, the toffs that own 1/3 of Britains land still and vast areas of London, the public school boys and tabloid owners that run the show....

Pull the other one.

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[Craig krup]

4 minutes ago, taipeir said:

Europe has never been more peaceful in terms of European wars and European terrorist movements. Thanks to the EU in no small part!
 

Post hoc ergo propter hoc. 

 

I think 1) being sickened by WW2, and 2) complex interdependence (which would have happened with or without the EU, and certainly without this present superstate version - so not Coal and Steel Community), produced peace.

 

The Catalans are rebelling over corruption, facilitated in part by membership of the EU, the Germans are rebelling against migration, in part the result of EU membership, the Visygrad Group are posturing, the Greeks hate the Germans (even more so than usual).....

 

You can't have a functioning state without an imagined community - a nation - and in the modern world you can't have an undemocratic state. Europe's trending towards being a state without a nation, and it isn't even democratic (don't give me the parliament). It'll fail. Or it'll retrench to economic cooperation and trade, and we'll have an organisation which we can rejoin, and which can subsist. 

[billd766]

31 minutes ago, taipeir said:

Europe has never been more peaceful in terms of European wars and European terrorist movements. Thanks to the EU in no small part!

The EU is one of histories most successful alliances bar none.

Islamic fundamentalist terrorism should drop off as Syrian war wraps up, Iraq and other countries like Libya stabilise .



Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

 

Really?

 

Have you forgotten what happened when Yugoslavia imploded?

[Airbagwill]

people seem to be basing their "valuations" of the poiuund - however wild or ill-informed on its performance over the past few years.

They are of course ignoring the elephant in the room - With Brexit, the pound is in effect a different currency - a hollow shell of its former self - no trade with its biggest partner, no financial centre in London. and no international confidence.

 

It will be traded like a banana republic, governments will have to platy with ever increasing fluctuations in interest rates, bind issues etc etc, whatever they can to try and keep the pound ay a viable level. In the mean time the money markets will siezethe opportunity to make as much mayhem as possible as the best way to make real money is with repeated boom and bust.

 

Under circumstances like this, I would think it is very unlikely that the averge Jo oil worker expat will be able to rely on his pension-cum-savings to see him through these vagaries .

 

i don't think it will be a mass exodus, but more of a gradual draining away as those unfortunate should gradually come to realise the untenability of their predicament.

some will get out quick whilst they have enough to keep them going in the UK fora bit and others will realise too late it ain't gonna get better. Others will end up jumping from their condos and end up as a short thread on TV where it is hinted that heir G/F planed it.

No-one ever submits that most of these jumpers are simply guys who have come to the end of the line in terms of money.

 

Sadly they won't be able to see or enjoy the irony 

[Airbagwill]

43 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

Really?

 

Have you forgotten what happened when Yugoslavia imploded?

have you been there since they joined the EU?

[MrPatrickThai]

It's 43.8! Hardly a record low.

 

In  Oct 1992 it was 38. And the US$ was 25.

 

I love it as it make my family's holiday much cheaper than a few year ago.

 

Let's hope it goes up when I retire in 15 years.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by MrPatrickThai

[MrPatrickThai]

10 hours ago, taipeir said:

The pound was over valued for decades and Brits had it easy especially overseas.

Now is the new normal, partly the result of Brexit but also due to the pre existing fiscal situation in the UK.

The bank of England can't raise interest rates without a full blown credit and housing market collapse.



Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

Exactly, the moaners should be happy they got a good deal for so many years.