Brexit 3

Expats are also to be given the vote for life. Shame they didn't think of that before the referendum.

Jess EU nationals are not allowed to vote in General Elections, only local and MEPs. Same for us here in France. Well maybe not MEPs ever again.
Interesting to see that they are dropping the fifteen year rule for us to vote in UK GEs and planning to give us a vote for life (as other nations do for their expat nationals).
Now if that had been the case before the referendum....

Thanks for the link DJ. But really, the rules for any exiting nation from EU and negotiations are VERY clear, and Juncker is only sticking to them.

Maybe it has dawned through their resilient skulls that EU nationals are entitled to vote here. So that is 4million voters they are potentially pissing off.
Then there are a lot of commonwealth citizens who are also entitled to vote, with not a few of them either working in the NHS or having relatives who do so.
Add to that all the business owners who are really not happy about the idea of publishing the nationality make up of their workforce. There are many business sectors that would have to close their doors the next day if it was not for EU and commonwealth citizens working for them. And wasn't this the government that was going to reduce "red tape"? Managers of hotels, restaurant chains and software companies across the land will be rebelling in their tens of thousands.
Truth of the matter is that Teresa May struggled to meet Cameron's ill considered targets to reduce net migration.
Suggest they just remove foreign students from the the figures. That would be a start. They are one of our best exports rather than being "immigration".

For any other expats, as well.

Granjura, have you seen this?

inews.co.uk/essentials/news/uk/british-expats-suing-jean-claude-juncker/

This is good news for EU nationals living in UK.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/08/home-office-says-eu-nationals-living-in-uk-can-remain-after-brexit

Gives an interesting picture, though.

Oh good grief -should have proof read.

I am beginning to think that the Government is losing the plot. academics that are not British Nationals have been told that they canning contribute to the Brexit negotiations/ government work. What is the matter with them?? Not even sure it is legal.

Petty minded and xenophobic. This is not looking good.

Jeremy Hunt has had lots of criticism about not wanting foreign doctors.

www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/07/jeremy-hunt-plan-to-end-nhs-reliance-on-foreign-medics-could-backfire-hunt-told

'The home secretary’s new stance on immigration has been sharply criticised by her own brother, who accused the government of “denigrating foreigners”.

Financial PR guru Roland Rudd said the public do not want an “intolerant Britain”, after Amber Rudd set out tough immigration proposals designed to bring down numbers in the wake of the Brexit vote.

They include plans to force UK businesses to publish the number of foreign workers they employ - a move that drew widespread criticism.

In a key speech delivered at the Tory Party conference this week, Ms Rudd said businesses and universities could face new restrictions on recruiting overseas workers and students.

Speaking about the new approach to immigration, Mr Rudd told BBC Radio 4:

I do not think people voted for an intolerant, closed Britain. I think denigrating foreigners is wrong, treating eastern Europeans as second-class citizens is shameful, and hate crime is appalling, and I hope it’s time that good people everywhere actually are counted and speak out.

Mending free movement of people doesn’t mean you end it and I think the language you use towards people who are different is incredibly important. We don’t want a society where we just only talk about what’s right for British workers as if people who’ve come from Europe who now live and work here are not part of society - they are. We need a big, bold move from this Government to immediately say now that every European that lives and works here can stay and live and work here.” '

Disagreement in the Rudd family.

Just had four days of Tory conference speeches and just about everyone mentioned immigrants. The only who mentioned them in a good way was Ruth Davidson.

Brexit is all about immigration, I agree, suzied.

At the moment immigration is being talked about a lot. There are plenty of other issues to be discussed further down the line.

How do all those people feel who said Brexit was NOT about immigration...to find out that now is IT all about immigration?..

Indeedy Mamie of course. We are here because this is where I was born and raised, where my parents lived when we moved over- where we have many excellent friends- and in a part of Switzerland which is probably the cheapest to live. I am NOT looking for sympathy from anyone, just saying it as it is.

Not the only British pensioners here btw- I've met quite a few. Some of our excellent friends from Kent have had a flat over here for quite some time and intended to move over on retirement- but have sensibly cancelled their plans.

No doubt that the pound is doing extremely badly against the Swiss franc GJ, but the number of British pensioners in Switzerland must be pretty small compared with the eurozone? (Not that it makes it any easier for them!).

politicalscrapbook.net/2016/10/watch-tory-leave-eu-mps-are-asked-to-sign-350m-cheque-to-nhs-but-they-run-away-instead/

20% down would be a dream- 55% is serious concern.

MargaretX- this discussion is currently about the £ dropping and the effect on UK pensioners abroad. Of course younger expats in Switzerland are having a ball- earning much higher salaries than in UK, saving for much higher pensions- and now having a massive windfall due to Sterling rates dropping. They are talking about renovating their properties in the UK, buying expensive trips booked via their UK bank accounts, buying property in the UK, etc, etc.

Read the NHS thread. There might not be an NHS soon to come back to.

It is the prospect of Brexit! Been a false war since the vote.

I think it is the prospect of "hard Brexit" which has sent the pound crashing since the Conservative party conference MargaretX..

Not all expats are dependent on the pound Sterling, many are young and paying into foreign pension schemes. It would be hard to go back to the Uk, you get used to a continental lifestyle, but I suppose that those couples on UK pensions will soon have to pack up.
It is really annoyong how we expats who want to remain in the EU have the financial burden of the sinking pound.

I can't believe that the pound will not go up again some day, that the UK will rally and growth will continue - I suppose that they will carry on trading with the EU but on EU conditions.
Whether that will save the NHS and produce more doctors I don't know but if I were a a European doctor or midwife then I wouldn't go to the UK until things were more settled.

Well indeed. But the sustained loss of approximately 20% of income and the possibility of no access to health cover (and no possibility of private cover for anyone who has a pre-existing condition such as the need for BP medication) suggests to me that such people might be pretty well off?

Mamie We all have different ideas as to what is 'rich' don't we ?