Pension..............

[cappy]

Our wonderful socialist Labour Minister Gordon Brown Robbed millions out of Pension Funds. bent berstered. I saw him yesterday on TV he was sat by swimming pool in a Luxury Hotel in Nigeria. He is now a .....
as is his Bent mate, Phony Bliar,... a `UN Special Envoy.` I guess they all look after each other, and stuff the pensioners.
Brian

########never shows his face here .......but plays the big man round the world all expenses paid.......nigeria is in a big enough mess for the ordinary people......god knows what a cock up he will cause there ......miliband has sent him out the country while the elections are on.......perhaps hes trying to get the gold he sold at less than price back ........it makes my blood boil......they cant get out the bloody trough ........any news on bliars son as an mp yet no doubt he will be given a safe seat........his ist venture into the trough as our prescotts son .......its just not on.......and yet people still fall for it

[j.sabourn]

Cappy I know a lot of us me included harp on about our political system and what (b)anker is in power. The more we do this, as far as I am concerned the better, all posts appertaining to politics and world events will be picked up and studied by governmental analysts. We as old age pensioners can now say what we beleive in plus the fact we still have a vote to go against these despoilers of the country. If I was still working I would have been more circumspect in what I say as would probably have found myself out of employment. However when I was working was also very outspoken if necessary but not to the extent I am now. Give Hell to these people whenever the excuse arises, it is the only way to have some impact on them when they feel public opinion is going against them, which at the moment in the western world dont think most of the electorates are too enamoured with their respective so called leaders and the bad decisions they make continuously. The worse one ever made for the UK as far as I am concerned is the Umberella of Europe which to me has always been suspicious and always will be. Some go for it I dont and really sorry that the UK never had a referendum on it. The boy wonder in now is not going to save himself at this late date on offering such if he gets in again, he signed his own letter of resignation when he has refused repeatedly to have. Both them and the Labour party are in it up to their thick heads. They still dont get whats at stake, which is the sovereignty of the UK. Keep on disparaging these (c)ankers. Cheers John S

[Keith Tindell]

Definitely vote Farage, i get my chance to vote for him at the end of the month. Obviously you will never see him as PM, or UKIP in power, but he`s got them all worried, thats why they are digging furiously into his background, hoping to find something to disgrace him, up to now the best they can come up with is he employs his wife!!, compared to duckponds, switched properties, etc etc, they have found nothing, KT

[j.sabourn]

#1... Don havent looked through all your replies, but if no one has answered..........You have to have been a member of the MNOPF, if you were you will have been issued with a pension number.... all you have to do is prove who you are, quote your number and they will do the rest. You will know if you are a member as would have been deducted from your wages whilst working, was 5 per cent of your earnings, which was increased later to 7.5 percent of salary, the shipowner also paid in a similar amount, slightly higher I beleive. Cheers John S

[Don Rafferty]

Copied from a Vindi site:



Merchant Navy Pensions

From time to time, questions are asked about MN Pensions. It has recently been raised again and I was able to direct the enquirer to a contact link in the Department of Work and Pensions who deal historic schemes which have now closed. The DWP passed on the enquiry to the RMT Union, successor to the National Union of Seamen, who replied.

"Individual members of the Union were entitled to receive a "Retirement Benefit" called an Old Age Grant, but only if they retired from the sea and had completed 25 years of membership (of the Union).
An industry-wide pension scheme, the Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Scheme, was established in 1978. Pension entitlement for service prior to that date would have depended on being a member of an individual employer's occupational pension scheme which unfortunately few employers operated in the 1950's and 1960's, particularly for seafarers on the Register"

[robpage]

I listened to Nigel farage on BBC Question Time Thursday Night , with a get out at all costs agenda , and no sensible manifesto . He has made some assumptions , similar to Alec Salmon and his party , they all assume that a free trade agreement will be available if we are out of the EC , They all assume that European based companies will stay here , They all assume that ex patriots from non EC countries will retain their rights in their EC domicile ( over 2,000,000 Brits live in France , Spain , Greece , Portuguil etc ) . farage , Salmon and a few others all ASSUME , I would not assume anything , our manufacturing and service industry is growing , slowley , but growing , if Mrs Merkel and Hollandaise , get a chance to choke us , by not giving us a Norway style agreement , what makes the politicians think they won't , That means that if the free trade goes , so will Nissan , Honda , Toyota , Mini , severeal pharmacutical companies and a chunk of the finance world . How did Norway get teh agreement , Well ask yourself , how many of the EC's laws have they adopted , they might be Norway's laws but they were crafted in Brussels . My note of caution is stop believeing some fancy orators assumptions and trade in facts

[cappy]

####12 agree john ...they dont like it up em

[j.sabourn]

#15... We are talking about two different pension schemes. The MNOPF was for Mates and Engineers and in ships that were in the scheme with Pursers I believe. Not all British ships were in the scheme, mostly all those that were federated. Cheers JS

[Don Rafferty]

Thanks for all the info so far but I need a bit more help - the names of the companies I sailed with, if anyone can put shipowners to the ships I was on, it would be much appreciated.

Orcades - 4 trips P&O

M.V. Caxton

S.S. British Lancer - BP

M.V. Partington - ShellmexBP

Methane Princess

S.S.Oronsay - P&O

Antrim

M.V. Baltic Star

M.V. Ashington

S.S Rollo

Oriana - P&O

M.S. Verdaguer

M.V. Cavallo

Any help with company names would be really appreciated.

[Keith Tindell]

Hi Don, Baltic star, united Baltic shipping co, Verdaguer, was one i was on, and she was Mcandrews shipping co, hope that helps a little KT