The article gives some interesting information Mike. Clearly the policy of freezing old age pensions for claimants in certain countries is wrong and unjustifiable. Effectively it is discrimination based upon where the claimant chooses to live. Trouble is that putting it right would obviously cost a great deal of money and so the easy route for successive UK governments has simply been to ignore the issue.
Perhaps a concerted effort made by those adversely affected (via the internet and/or social media), could ‘help’ the UK government to change its ways.
A similar injustice is that of denying the vote to UK tax payers simply because they have lived abroad for 15 years or more.
This is just another example of kicking the people who are least able to fight back. But when this started, very few men lived much past the age of 70, so the actual loss to the individual was not great. But, once established, it becomes easy to say that it has been going on for 60 years and it is too complicated (expensive) to change things now. But for anyone in their 80s this results in a serious loss of income.
There were technical reasons why it was difficult for expats to vote in UK elections, but there is no excuse for denying them the right to vote in the Brexit referendum, especially as they are likely to be the most affected.
There have been efforts and MP’s have campaigned to no avail. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/oct/13/frozen-state-pensions-petition
Page 48 of the 2019 conservative party manifesto included this:
• Make it easier for British expats to vote in Parliamentary elections, and get rid of the arbitrary 15-year limit on their voting rights.
So same as 2010, 2015 and 2017 manifestos! But still nothing happens.
I should think that in these more modern times there are technical reasons why it should be much easier for expats to vote in UK elections. My American wife has recently posted off her absentee ballot vote in respect of the Democratic Party Primary Election being held in Virginia on March 3rd. The ballot paper and voting instructions come by email for us to print 1 month before the election date. After completing her ballot paper there is then plenty of time for the postal service to deliver her vote to the Election Registrar.
If the USA can do it, then surely there can no longer be any valid ‘technical’ reason why the UK can’t follow suit.
I think that we need to persist and perhaps start a letter writing campaign. Surely if MPs, Government Ministers, and newspaper editors started to receive a barrage of mail on the subjects of pension uprating and voting rights it might help to resolve the situation.
In the UK, the last date for nomination of candidates is 4 weeks before voting day. Then the voting papers have to be printed and posted to overseas voters. If you live in France, public holidays and strikes permitting, there is a reasonable chance that you will be able to send your vote back in time. If you live in Italy “Que sera, sera!” Other worldwide destinations - who knows?
The British have profound distrust of technical innovations that haven’t been proved to work for at least a century and stories about ‘hanging chads’ from America have only served to reinforce that attitude. And of course there is the final argument that people without computers would be excluded.
I think that ‘the powers that be’ make a lot of excuses. As time progresses I reckon that the number of people without some form of computer is progressively reducing, especially among voters abroad who tend to have such a machine with which to keep in touch with family and friends in other countries. Even those folks who still don’t have a computer know at least one person who does.
Sending the voting ballot paper electronically is virtually instant, and thus would allow a greater proportion of the available timescale to be allocated to the return of the completed ballot by snail mail. Goodness me; those who feel that it’s really important could even send it overnight by FedEx, or similar, if they wanted.
I reckon it is high time that the UK authorities moved with the times a bit.
Forgive me, I have sinned -
Encourage everyone to get involved in the conversation
You’ve replied 3 times to @Robert_Hodge in this particular topic!
A great discussion involves many voices and perspectives. Can you get anybody else involved?
And don’t forget, if you’d like to continue your conversation with this particular user at length outside of public view, send them a personal message.
Have you ? Well if you did then I didn’t notice. 
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Surely there are individuals who follow conversations without participating actively, without adding their own voice?
I benefit greatly from reading the exchanges of others on topics of which I know nothing. I can only guess at times at what is being discussed, but the exchanges are nonetheless fascinating to me, if only because they illuminate my ignorance of important aspects of life I take wholly for granted, but are essential to my enjoyment, to my safety, to my convenience, whatever.
And I feel a huge respect and gratitude that such people, experts, devotees, exist.
So keep it up, people. We are taking notice, even if we are too dumb or awe-struck to join in.
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I have been told ,when I have posted a few times on one thread ,that I should let other people have a go. I know it is how the forum is set up but I find it extremely rude and off putting
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Thanks for your support, folks!
It is a strange feeling being patronized by a piece of mindless computer code.
Especially when it doesn’t explain how to go about getting others involved.
But I seem to have discovered that trick by accident. . . .
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… . . . as I was going to say.
Of course I was playing devil’s advocate. Every citizen should be allowed to vote. I even have doubts about excluding criminals and the insane.
It could be argued that understanding how society works and being involved in the electoral process is an essential part of rehabilitation and learning to be a good citizen.
And if sanity is to be a qualification, you have only to watch vox pop interviews on television to have doubts about that. It has been said that there are more out than in and those who are confined to institutions are at least taking their tablets!
I agree with you. Paper votes are almost as antiquated as dropping pebbles in an urn. Since the Internet is regarded as safe enough for expats to apply for passports, it is hard to understand why they shouldn’t be able to use it to cast a vote.
I must admit that I am not too sure about the advisability of actual online voting, or indeed the ‘machine counting’ of votes cast, but surely sending out the ballot papers as an e-mail attachment shouldn’t be too much to ask.
But you would need a system in place to stop people printing off and returning multiple copies…
Indeed. The USA requires that a postal ballot has the name and address of the voter printed plainly on the outside of the mailing envelope so that they can check that person off the voters list upon receipt of the first ballot from them. Any further votes from that voter are both discounted and investigated as a matter of voter fraud.
This worries me a lot. I’ve never been subject to anything like this, although I’m a regular (some might say tiresomely so) contributor to navel-gazing threads (such a winning feature of SF). 
I have had my knuckles rapped personally by ‘her indoors’. Chastening experience.
Makes me wonder: Double Standards? 
I think it is what you get (as well as the American spelling checker) when you purchase a ready made website.
Being treated as morons is part of the price we pay for our special relationship. Americans don’t mind being told how to behave.
I am reminded of Bob Hope telling jokes -
Bob tells joke - silence.
Bob explains what is funny about joke - .silence.
Bob tells audience that finding it amusing isn’t un-American - everyone laughs and applauds!