I think you had the good fortune to qualify for social at a time when it was worth something, JIm. When I eventually get round to retiring a handful of years from now, my combined UK and Czech state pensions will still come to less per month than yours does now.
But my worst fear is that the index-linked state pension may end for citizens living in the EU (technically in the EEA) as it has already for UK expats in Canada and New Zealand, for example. Poor benighted fellows, their pensions' values were frozen at the very moment their boats departed the White Cliffs of Dover.
Austerity at its worst, Alex, and no country in history has ever healed itself by denying benefit after benefit. As an example, American social security offers a subsidiary benefit to those in my situation, and I tick off ALL the boxes for pretty much doubling my payment. Oops, not available to those living outside the US, even though we all paid for the same.
I wish you well, but governments that allow the 'best of all worlds' to their billionaire class had better figure out a minimum national income for their ordinary citizens, or it's going to be pitchforks and barricades...
I think you had the good fortune to qualify for social at a time when it was worth something, JIm. When I eventually get round to retiring a handful of years from now, my combined UK and Czech state pensions will still come to less per month than yours does now.
But my worst fear is that the index-linked state pension may end for citizens living in the EU (technically in the EEA) as it has already for UK expats in Canada and New Zealand, for example. Poor benighted fellows, their pensions' values were frozen at the very moment their boats departed the White Cliffs of Dover.
Austerity at its worst, Alex, and no country in history has ever healed itself by denying benefit after benefit. As an example, American social security offers a subsidiary benefit to those in my situation, and I tick off ALL the boxes for pretty much doubling my payment. Oops, not available to those living outside the US, even though we all paid for the same.
I wish you well, but governments that allow the 'best of all worlds' to their billionaire class had better figure out a minimum national income for their ordinary citizens, or it's going to be pitchforks and barricades...