Pudding

.....selling to a French couple Stan.

Thanks Andy. Slightly off topic but I did a bank to bank transfer about five years ago - through the Post Office in the UK, and using a company called MoneyGram. We sent out £500 pound to our destitute son in Australia.... and it finished up in Canada! It was a real hassle sorting it out but we got the money back - eventually. I've not trusted such transfers since and do you know what the worst part was? the Post Office would not accept ANY responsibility for the loss.   

.....Seems the way things are we should have a forum with this heading, but anyway. I cannot see where this has been asked before but does anyone know if, when having sold your French home, you can ask for payment in sterling and if so, what would be the best way to determine the exchange rate? The reason for asking is that from experience it takes ages to clear an euro cheque in the UK - not to mention the charges. One recent example - we've just paid one into our UK account for Euro 5k and have been told it will take five weeks to clear at a cost to us of £35. Another example as if needed was asking for Euro 500 to be wired from Hamburg to Paris.... tens days plus a Euro 25 charge. I could have walked it quicker! Cheers folks.  

A bit naughty, but before we moved to France we had an unsolicited quote from Saga giving us a 50% discount because of our age. (We'd never owned or insured a car ourselves as we'd only ever driven company vehicles) We presented this to a French insurance company who immediatley gave us the same 50% discount on our new car.    

How do you think you pension is being sustained Ron? The CBI reported some time ago that a £1 trillion debt has been racked up by public sector pensions, and if you do not want to take my word for it let me quote them - "Taxpayers who are struggling to build up their own personal pensions will be lumbered for decades by the cost of public sector workers on risk free pensions". And yes, I suppose we are subsidising M&S or Tesco's when we shop there - I'd not thought of that. As my opening post said, I have now returned to the UK, and you'd be surprised at just how many contributions I've made to this excellent forum over the last 5 years.  And blog, what blog?    

A youngster embarking on a career choices, especially informed ones, must at the very least be daunting if not to say difficult. Additional pension provision was not a consideration as through their working lives they would pay their contributions and retire on a state pension. That was the promise, that was the Welfare State - and it is that provision that has not lived up to expectations. Many are envious of public sector pensions - who would not be? but as said the recipients are hardly to blame. The main beef is that in many cases along with tax payers, public sector pensions are subsidised by those whose private pensions have taken a hard knock and one that impacts on the governments ability to enhance the state pension - and it is this that needs to be looked at, and it is this debt that needs to be removed from existing and future generations.      

Well yes Clair... but this is a forum is it not? And maybe 'non participants' are not guilty of what myself (and others it must be said) consider an injustice, but a figure of close on to 500 would in part at least suggest otherwise. Critical debate I'd call it and, in an appropriate arena.    

Looking at the viewing figures for this topic lots of readers it seems are keeping their heads down. More ex public sector employees perhaps?   

Private sector pensions krusty were subject to the market, public sector pensions are protected/ring fenced/subsidised.... whatever you like to call it.  My feeling is why should one sector be allowed to decline whilst the other is not - and at the continuing expense of the British taxpayer? Sniffing the air here seems to indicate a smug silence from recipients of the latter. And as for low paid public sector workers, really? Some heads in the sand methinks. I worked many years and many hours over and above any public sector worker you care to name, self employed, and  making what I thought was a good provison for my retirement.  

As someone who has had to move back to the UK because of a failing private sector pension, I cannot help feeling a bit miffed to say the very least with those who have gold plated public sector pensions which, through income and local council tax, I am still obliged to subsidise. I've a good idea that there are many in both France and Spain sitting pretty on this,  so I'll throw this discussion to the wolves and see what remains. Envious? you bet.  Concerned about the tax burden being passed on to my kids? Oh yes.