Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

A tale of two humans

This morning I went to the terminus of our local bus route to catch a bus down to the town. Presently, a local, aged perhaps five to ten years younger than me (I am below retirement age), sat down beside me to wait for the same bus. Cyprus being a warm, friendly, open place where the locals are only too happy to strike up a conversation with foreigners, we started chatting.

My Greek is limited and the other fellow spoke no English, but even so we managed to communicate. It seems that he worked in Harringay, London for seven years, and has been back in Cyprus for five. Having said that he lived in London, I double checked to see if he spoke any English, but he really didn't. I tend to deplore the way that a lot of my compatriots never learn any Greek despite living here for years, so it is interesting to note that the reverse also occasionally applies. Anyway,it transpired that in all the five years that he has been back in Cyprus, he has only worked for one month - he had a job in a supermarket but didn't like it and the pay was bad. Apparently he gets about 500 euro a month in state benefits. I expressed some surprise, because I thought there was a six month cap on entitlement to unemployed benefit. At this he laughed, and said he just had to get a doctor to sign a slip of paper from time to time. The bus was due any minute and we were both holding our bus passes ready. He proudly showed me that he had a free bus pass. He seemed to find it quite amusing that he was getting so much for nothing - or perhaps he just had a very jolly disposition. So, in return, I showed him my paid-for annual bus pass, pointing to the price shown on it of 300 euro.

Now, I am not some rabid right winger railing on about malingerers living off the money that I pay in taxes. Far from it, I am great supporter of the welfare state and believe that those like myself who are willing and able to work should support with the taxes they pay the safety net for those less fortunate. One should never jump to rash conclusions, and just because somebody managed to hold down a job in London for seven years and looks perfectly fit and healthy doesn't automatically mean that they cannot have some disability. This fellow told me that there was no work ("Douleia den eshi. Tipota den eshi" to quote his words) I know somebody in our neighbourhood who moved from Greece to Cyprus 4-5 years ago and has held the same steady job ever since, but, OK, not everybody has the same skill set so let us not fall into the trap of saying that there is plenty of work out there for those that want it.

Even so, the simple truth is that as a foreigner who is self employed in Cyprus it is mandatory for me to pay into the social insurance fund. I started paying in too late to ever qualify for a an old age pension from this fund, and being self employed I do not qualify for unemployment benefit, capped as it is at six months. Yes, as I said, I support the notion of the welfare state and do not object to making a contribution to keeping it going. Even so, I must say that I am alarmed at the rate at which my contributions are going up. I see that in September 2004, when I first made my first quarterly socil insurance contribution, this was 145.12 Cyprus pounds, which is roughly 250 euro. My most recent contribution was 580.06, and I was told that it will be 628.40 next quarter. This increase is well above the rate of inflation and, if you extrapolate on this trend, the day will come when the amount of the contribution will exceed my income. So, while happy to do my bit, I think there does come a point where one questions if it is not getting a bit expensive.

The reason that this gets my hackles up a bit is because I was recently informed on another thread by a spokesperson for the racist, fascist ELAM that people who do not have Greek DNA are not entitled, in their party's view, to stay in this country for more than two years. Now, of course, I accept that this disabled Greek Cypriot is perfectly entitled to live in his own country and obtain benefits from his own government, in fact, I accept this regardless of the make-up of his DNA. I am happy for him to live in the UK or any other place where he is legally entitled to do so - of course, it would be rather hypocritical of me to criticise him for having lived in my country when I am now living in his - but I can't help noticing the irony that the payments I am making as a hard-working, tax-paying foreigner (who also pays into the social insurance fund and pays bus fares too boot) is actually helping to subsidise this person who is less fortunate than myself. It does make the insinuation that, since I have no Greek genes in my DNA, I have overstayed my welcome in this country, a little hard to stomach.

In fact, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Speaking for myself, I would say: ΓΕΛΑΜΕ (we are laughing).

[CBBB]

A tale of two humans

This morning I went to the terminus of our local bus route to catch a bus down to the town. Presently, a local, aged perhaps five to ten years younger than me (I am below retirement age), sat down beside me to wait for the same bus. Cyprus being a warm, friendly, open place where the locals are only too happy to strike up a conversation with foreigners, we started chatting.

My Greek is limited and the other fellow spoke no English, but even so we managed to communicate. It seems that he worked in Harringay, London for seven years, and has been back in Cyprus for five. Having said that he lived in London, I double checked to see if he spoke any English, but he really didn't. I tend to deplore the way that a lot of my compatriots never learn any Greek despite living here for years, so it is interesting to note that the reverse also occasionally applies. Anyway,it transpired that in all the five years that he has been back in Cyprus, he has only worked for one month - he had a job in a supermarket but didn't like it and the pay was bad. Apparently he gets about 500 euro a month in state benefits. I expressed some surprise, because I thought there was a six month cap on entitlement to unemployed benefit. At this he laughed, and said he just had to get a doctor to sign a slip of paper from time to time. The bus was due any minute and we were both holding our bus passes ready. He proudly showed me that he had a free bus pass. He seemed to find it quite amusing that he was getting so much for nothing - or perhaps he just had a very jolly disposition. So, in return, I showed him my paid-for annual bus pass, pointing to the price shown on it of 300 euro.

Now, I am not some rabid right winger railing on about malingerers living off the money that I pay in taxes. Far from it, I am great supporter of the welfare state and believe that those like myself who are willing and able to work should support with the taxes they pay the safety net for those less fortunate. One should never jump to rash conclusions, and just because somebody managed to hold down a job in London for seven years and looks perfectly fit and healthy doesn't automatically mean that they cannot have some disability. This fellow told me that there was no work ("Douleia den eshi. Tipota den eshi" to quote his words) I know somebody in our neighbourhood who moved from Greece to Cyprus 4-5 years ago and has held the same steady job ever since, but, OK, not everybody has the same skill set so let us not fall into the trap of saying that there is plenty of work out there for those that want it.

Even so, the simple truth is that as a foreigner who is self employed in Cyprus it is mandatory for me to pay into the social insurance fund. I started paying in too late to ever qualify for a an old age pension from this fund, and being self employed I do not qualify for unemployment benefit, capped as it is at six months. Yes, as I said, I support the notion of the welfare state and do not object to making a contribution to keeping it going. Even so, I must say that I am alarmed at the rate at which my contributions are going up. I see that in September 2004, when I first made my first quarterly socil insurance contribution, this was 145.12 Cyprus pounds, which is roughly 250 euro. My most recent contribution was 580.06, and I was told that it will be 628.40 next quarter. This increase is well above the rate of inflation and, if you extrapolate on this trend, the day will come when the amount of the contribution will exceed my income. So, while happy to do my bit, I think there does come a point where one questions if it is not getting a bit expensive.

The reason that this gets my hackles up a bit is because I was recently informed on another thread by a spokesperson for the racist, fascist ELAM that people who do not have Greek DNA are not entitled, in their party's view, to stay in this country for more than two years. Now, of course, I accept that this disabled Greek Cypriot is perfectly entitled to live in his own country and obtain benefits from his own government, in fact, I accept this regardless of the make-up of his DNA. I am happy for him to live in the UK or any other place where he is legally entitled to do so - of course, it would be rather hypocritical of me to criticise him for having lived in my country when I am now living in his - but I can't help noticing the irony that the payments I am making as a hard-working, tax-paying foreigner (who also pays into the social insurance fund and pays bus fares too boot) is actually helping to subsidise this person who is less fortunate than myself. It does make the insinuation that, since I have no Greek genes in my DNA, I have overstayed my welcome in this country, a little hard to stomach.

In fact, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Speaking for myself, I would say: ΓΕΛΑΜΕ (we are laughing).

A slow day Tim?

[Tim Drayton]

A tale of two humans

This morning I went to the terminus of our local bus route to catch a bus down to the town. Presently, a local, aged perhaps five to ten years younger than me (I am below retirement age), sat down beside me to wait for the same bus. Cyprus being a warm, friendly, open place where the locals are only too happy to strike up a conversation with foreigners, we started chatting.

My Greek is limited and the other fellow spoke no English, but even so we managed to communicate. It seems that he worked in Harringay, London for seven years, and has been back in Cyprus for five. Having said that he lived in London, I double checked to see if he spoke any English, but he really didn't. I tend to deplore the way that a lot of my compatriots never learn any Greek despite living here for years, so it is interesting to note that the reverse also occasionally applies. Anyway,it transpired that in all the five years that he has been back in Cyprus, he has only worked for one month - he had a job in a supermarket but didn't like it and the pay was bad. Apparently he gets about 500 euro a month in state benefits. I expressed some surprise, because I thought there was a six month cap on entitlement to unemployed benefit. At this he laughed, and said he just had to get a doctor to sign a slip of paper from time to time. The bus was due any minute and we were both holding our bus passes ready. He proudly showed me that he had a free bus pass. He seemed to find it quite amusing that he was getting so much for nothing - or perhaps he just had a very jolly disposition. So, in return, I showed him my paid-for annual bus pass, pointing to the price shown on it of 300 euro.

Now, I am not some rabid right winger railing on about malingerers living off the money that I pay in taxes. Far from it, I am great supporter of the welfare state and believe that those like myself who are willing and able to work should support with the taxes they pay the safety net for those less fortunate. One should never jump to rash conclusions, and just because somebody managed to hold down a job in London for seven years and looks perfectly fit and healthy doesn't automatically mean that they cannot have some disability. This fellow told me that there was no work ("Douleia den eshi. Tipota den eshi" to quote his words) I know somebody in our neighbourhood who moved from Greece to Cyprus 4-5 years ago and has held the same steady job ever since, but, OK, not everybody has the same skill set so let us not fall into the trap of saying that there is plenty of work out there for those that want it.

Even so, the simple truth is that as a foreigner who is self employed in Cyprus it is mandatory for me to pay into the social insurance fund. I started paying in too late to ever qualify for a an old age pension from this fund, and being self employed I do not qualify for unemployment benefit, capped as it is at six months. Yes, as I said, I support the notion of the welfare state and do not object to making a contribution to keeping it going. Even so, I must say that I am alarmed at the rate at which my contributions are going up. I see that in September 2004, when I first made my first quarterly socil insurance contribution, this was 145.12 Cyprus pounds, which is roughly 250 euro. My most recent contribution was 580.06, and I was told that it will be 628.40 next quarter. This increase is well above the rate of inflation and, if you extrapolate on this trend, the day will come when the amount of the contribution will exceed my income. So, while happy to do my bit, I think there does come a point where one questions if it is not getting a bit expensive.

The reason that this gets my hackles up a bit is because I was recently informed on another thread by a spokesperson for the racist, fascist ELAM that people who do not have Greek DNA are not entitled, in their party's view, to stay in this country for more than two years. Now, of course, I accept that this disabled Greek Cypriot is perfectly entitled to live in his own country and obtain benefits from his own government, in fact, I accept this regardless of the make-up of his DNA. I am happy for him to live in the UK or any other place where he is legally entitled to do so - of course, it would be rather hypocritical of me to criticise him for having lived in my country when I am now living in his - but I can't help noticing the irony that the payments I am making as a hard-working, tax-paying foreigner (who also pays into the social insurance fund and pays bus fares too boot) is actually helping to subsidise this person who is less fortunate than myself. It does make the insinuation that, since I have no Greek genes in my DNA, I have overstayed my welcome in this country, a little hard to stomach.

In fact, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Speaking for myself, I would say: ΓΕΛΑΜΕ (we are laughing).

A slow day Tim?

It was, but I have suddenly got a pile of work, so cheerio.

[Get Real!]

It’s a long story and I’m pressed for time so I have to use my speed reading technique for this…

This morning I went to the terminus of our local bus route to catch a bus down to the town.

In fact, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Speaking for myself, I would say: ΓΕΛΑΜΕ (we are laughing).

Good one!

[GreekIslandGirl]

Well, I think you put it very well, Tim.

Unfortunately, this ability to skive off the state is what we were told determined the sophistication of a country and the UK led the way. Now it is seeping through to other countries as they become more "sophisticated" and civilized enough to allow "scroungers" to live off a wealthy welfare system.

It is truly a British invention, is it not?

(Coincidence he may have honed his skills working in the UK?)

Personally have no time for this sort of person. But accept they must be fed and watered to stop ruining my patch.