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Brexpats in Spain leader tells it like it is
| Published: | 17 Dec at 6 PM |
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Anne Hernandez, head of the campaign group Brexpats in Spain, told the media she was hugely disappointed with last week’s general election result.
Comparing the Tory victory with Margaret Thatcher’s 1987 result, she said the vote must have represented what the majority of Britons thought they wanted, but added she finds this fact very hard to believe. Hernandez is now telling it like it is in that UK expats living in Spain who were disallowed from voting must now accept their futures have been decided by UK residents in the home country.
People in the UK, she believes, are now relieved the political wrangling has ended and closure is beginning, even although those who now wish to emigrate will have new rules and regulations to follow. She adds that, for those who relocated to Spain some years ago, all has now changed. British expats are now in desperate need of help from the Spanish government as well as needing binding bilateral agreements between the two countries.
Britons living in Europe, she said, are out of sight and mind for UK citizens, the vast majority of whom have little or no interest in UK expats’ futures. One issue bound to have a negative effect on UK citizens is the lack of free movement across EU member states, with Hernandez saying she believes ignoring this issue is short-sighted at best.
It’s not just relocating to Spain which will become very difficult, it’s also that holiday travel will require specific visa requirements and students may well find it impossible to study at the affordable European university of their choice. Travel, she believes, is vital in gaining life experience and making good decisions as regards further education and lifestyle.
For those who believe achieving Brexit will be plain sailing from now on, Hernandez has a message in that Boris Johnson’s carefully created present-day persona is still just one man. Even although he’s now the front-man for a new kind of UK, he’s still a cog in the massive machine which is Europe itself. She’s certain that, even if January 31st is the day, rewriting 750 EU laws and bringing them into effect simply can’t be done in a single year with any hope of success. It’s not, she believes, over yet, and will continue to fight for British expats in Spain throughout this difficult time in their lives.
Comparing the Tory victory with Margaret Thatcher’s 1987 result, she said the vote must have represented what the majority of Britons thought they wanted, but added she finds this fact very hard to believe. Hernandez is now telling it like it is in that UK expats living in Spain who were disallowed from voting must now accept their futures have been decided by UK residents in the home country.
People in the UK, she believes, are now relieved the political wrangling has ended and closure is beginning, even although those who now wish to emigrate will have new rules and regulations to follow. She adds that, for those who relocated to Spain some years ago, all has now changed. British expats are now in desperate need of help from the Spanish government as well as needing binding bilateral agreements between the two countries.
Britons living in Europe, she said, are out of sight and mind for UK citizens, the vast majority of whom have little or no interest in UK expats’ futures. One issue bound to have a negative effect on UK citizens is the lack of free movement across EU member states, with Hernandez saying she believes ignoring this issue is short-sighted at best.
It’s not just relocating to Spain which will become very difficult, it’s also that holiday travel will require specific visa requirements and students may well find it impossible to study at the affordable European university of their choice. Travel, she believes, is vital in gaining life experience and making good decisions as regards further education and lifestyle.
For those who believe achieving Brexit will be plain sailing from now on, Hernandez has a message in that Boris Johnson’s carefully created present-day persona is still just one man. Even although he’s now the front-man for a new kind of UK, he’s still a cog in the massive machine which is Europe itself. She’s certain that, even if January 31st is the day, rewriting 750 EU laws and bringing them into effect simply can’t be done in a single year with any hope of success. It’s not, she believes, over yet, and will continue to fight for British expats in Spain throughout this difficult time in their lives.
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