NormanH

Your serve

[quote user="Dick Smith"][quote user="NormanH"]Was very disappointed by a vapid programme ill-presented by an inarticulate lout. [/quote] He speaks well of you, too. I assume you are simply reacting to his accent - he is a PhD and a professor. I thought it had some interesting cultural insights. [/quote] Well there you show your subjectivity! 'interesting' for you therefore proven. Of course you could do the hard bit and try to explain your bald statement. ' a PhD and a professor' so automatically worthy of respect? Again this as  is subjective as your assumption that my reaction was any thing to do with his accent. My (subjective)  reaction was partly to do with the clumsy expression with an inadequate vocabulary, as well as the 'Willy Russell'  academic image. I believe I detected the same thing in French, with quite a few grammatical errors surprising in a 'Professor of French' but there I will of course bow to our French posters.

He will only need 30 years contributions to qualify for a full OAP.

If they were entitled they would be getting it. They don't come into that category . Of course you can argue that the criteria are wrong, either because of the weird demands of where one lives on a certain date and age, or because of a belief that such a benefit should be means-tested. I don't however think that anybody has said that somebody entitled isn't getting it.

"My personal view on the winter fuel allowance is that if you are a UK taxpayer, resident or not, you should qualify to be means tested to receive it." I agree with that.

A table here

RH 'Lots of pencils with his name on' As long as there is plenty of lead in them..[;-)]

What has happened to you is scandalous, and you are honest about your reasons for wanting to come to France. I don't think that things are as easy here as they might seem, and if his pension is paid in £ it could be even harder, so I would advise caution. My equivalent of 'council tax' is 1200 euros a year, not far off yours. See the costs in many towns in France here I don't understand the point you and  Ba F make about not being able to 'afford to stay in the UK', however. Do most OAPs have any option?.

Where are all the Original expert posters from this thread?

I suppose it had to happen one day! I agree with SD![:D]

According to this site the average household  income in Quillan is  12 286 euros Some of these Brits will be in a couple with two pensions, so could easily have double this. My point is that they are comparatively well-off, that despite this they could qualify for the French allowance for oil heating  if they don't pay tax here...but they are still moaning.

Quillan "When the question comes up about how much you need to have to live in France most people on the forum say about 20k Euros if you live really frugally" But the Smic and the RMI (soon RSA) are nowhere near this.  Poor families in France have to exist on much less than these people. Of course there is APL, but these British people own their houses so don't need it. They are comparatively well off. But ironically because they probably don't pay tax in France (as they pay in the UK)  they would be be entitled to the 'prime à la cuve' intended for low income families (quite reasonably means-tested in France for those who DO pay tax here) ...

Was very disappointed by a vapid programme ill-presented by an inarticulate lout.

A link to the other thread on the topic I presume they won't be averse to picking up the €200 euros allowance  from France if they have fuel oil..a point conveniently forgotten in the programme.

The main person being interviewed said he was on a 'modest' Police pension. I can't imagine that that is less than £15,000 a year... maximum pension of ½ final salary plus a fixed lump sum of 4 times the pension maximum pension after 35 years

Here are two links (in French ) which might help: http://www.apf.asso.fr/vivreauquotidien/indexN2.php?rubr=9 http://aides-techniques.handicap.fr/#3.0.0.0.0

I think it could be very helpful. On a recent rare visit to the UK I was struck by how much better disabled access is over there.

Pinched it from RH [:)]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/politics_show/7745864.stm

Will try to catch it later on iPlayer revise it... it's available here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/politics_show/7745864.stm

From the link in my first post above: l'institut Ipsos a sondé la consommation des Français au cours des six derniers mois, avec une attention toute particulière pour les habitants du Languedoc-Roussillon. Résultat : le pessimisme ambiant se traduit effectivement par une évolution sensible des habitudes, notamment alimentaires : 74 % des habitants de la région disent avoir réduit leur consommation de viande, 69 % mangent moins de poisson, 51 % moins de fruits et légumes, 37 % moins de produits laitiers.

It's useful to remind people in any case. I paid my CSG on-line too, which was a first for me.

Just the standing charge alone is 65euros a year. Yes I am in a small city, and there are all sorts of local taxes to pay + Tva on taxes etc. Basic price per cubic metre around 3,2 euros, then all the rest on top Plus there was an underpayment from last year..when I had some spendthrift 'friends' in the place while I was away for 3 months.. Présentation simplifiée de votre facture annuelle détail au dos VOTRE CONSOMMATION 176 m3 m3 Prix moyen* du m3 Montant TTC Abonnement 62,35 Consommation 176 3,16 556,75 TOTAL 619,10 Solde antérieur 371,29 Sorry for taking the thread away from food...

"The next bit could be tricky talking to a French Dell-!" But they are bi-lingual. They are based in Montpellier....

I solemnly swear that 'No-Nonsense Norm' is not me, despite any seeming resemblance[:)]