I had quite a surprise in my inbox on Wednesday. A researcher on BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show contacted me after reading this blog post on EOS, defending the rights of British expats to continue receiving the Winter Fuel Allowance (WFA). It's back in the news again, because George Osborne wants to apply a Temperature Test to the allowance. He'll take the average winter temperature of the warmest place in the UK, and if it's warmer where you live, you'll lose the allowance. The researcher asked if I'd be prepared to go on the Jeremy Vine Show and put the case for British expats in Spain. Would I ever!
I was a bit nervous, because I know Jeremy Vine can be a bit of a terrier, but as I listened to his introduction to the topic, it was clear he thought George's idea was impractical. So did Ros Altman, the former Government policy adviser and pensions expert who also appeared on the show. She called the Temperature Test idea 'eccentric,' and said it was one of those things you expected to hear on April 1st. According to Ros, more revenue would be raised if the WFA was taxed, and it would be less controversial.
When it came to my turn, I explained that it was about a lot more than temperature - houses in Spain are built to be cool in summer rather than warm in winter, and the fact that every Spanish house is built with a non-ornamental open fireplace should give you a clue on that one. As I said to Jeremy - I love name dropping, don't you? - George Osborne has obviously never been to the Costa Blanca in January or February. If he had, he'd realise the idea was a non-starter. Nick Clegg could have put him right on that one, though,as his wife his Spanish. However, the Boy Nick seems even more anxious to rob pensioners than George - he wants to stop the WFA altogether.
Obviously, people have the wrong idea about the financial circumstances of most expat pensioners, because the next question was, 'If you lose the WFA, will you have to cut back on things like eating out to make up for it?' Remembering I was on National Radio, I resisted the urge to make a two word reply. This is a family friendly blog, so I won't tell you what that reply was, but here's a clue - the second word was 'off!'
Then the communicator in me took over, and I explained that contrary to popular opinion, most expat pensioners in Spain do not live the Life of Riley. We cut down on eating out about three years ago, and so did most of our friends. Unlike George Osborne and his Parliamentary colleagues, we are on fixed incomes, which in real terms are worth less and less with every passing year.
Jeremy then made the point that as I had two homes - one in the UK and one in Spain - I could be considered a wealthy expat pensioner who didn't need the WFA. I soon put him right on that one. My apartment in Spain would fetch around 80,000 Euro - assuming I could find a buyer - and I have a static caravan in the UK worth about £15,000, so I can hardly be called Two Homes, can I?
When Jeremy asked me what I'd say to George Osborne, it was the easiest question to answer - I'd say, 'Hands off my Winter Fuel Allowance!' I was pretty chuffed with myself when Jeremy closed the interview by saying I'd made my points well. Today the Jeremy Vine Show - tomorrow the world! Form an orderly queue for autographs, and if you sell your story to the papers - 'I knew her before she was famous' - just keep it clean, please!
