how can so many British immigrants in the EU have voted for Brexit?

There is another question we should ask "Why should anyone who does live here, working and paying taxes, and has done for many years, like my German friend who has been here thirty years, not be allowed to vote in a referendum on our EU membership which affects them, more than most voters? "

As far as I am aware there is no hard evidence at all of how many migrant Brits in the EU voted for Brexit. There are innumerable TV and newspaper reports from journalists taking a quick trip to a bar on the Spanish Costas, but never any attempt to do any serious research. As a remain voting migrant pensioner in France, I am fed up with the stereotyping of the popular press.
I don't spend a lot of time with other British migrants, but I have never met anyone who voted for Brexit. The people I know speak the language, are part of their local communities and are trying to get on with their lives whilst dealing with the huge administrative and financial worries that Brexit has brought us over the last three years.
Lazy journalism, lazy thinking.

wadesnan I think that too. If you don’t live here why should you get a say. Others say they want a vote for their families but surely their family’s get to vote for themselves.

A polish man was in charge of my brothers dementia care. He was brilliant. A polish man built my sons extensions he was fantastic. A polish group of men took over a couples house while they were away and instead of the building work they were supposed to do they slept in their bed, ate them out of house and home, used their Sky network and ruined their home leaving them £17,000 out of pocket. So, as in all walks of life and and in all cultures, some good some bad.

varian if your German friend applied for British citizenship then surely he would be allowed to vote.

Not at all surprised by this I have a few migrant friends and they are the first to say no more immigrants, they are in, that’s it shut the door!.

varian why would someone live, work and pay taxes in a country for 30 years and not apply for citizenship.

I have no problem with immigrants voting - as long as they have shown their commitment to the country (any country) by becoming a citizen.

Yes, Joelsnan I do realise that! Why do they not call themselves immigrants when they are in whichever country or why don't our immigrants call themselves ex-pats from wherever they come from?

Grammaretto Tue 03-Sep-19 17:02:19 your Polish neighbours seem to be following a trend. Poles came here to work hard and send money home. EU helped Poland to improve its economy and the value of the £ fell so it became less attractive to work in the UK. Many of them have now gone home to a much better life than they had before they left. That means we can sell more to them so a win, win.

Wadesnan an EU citizen didn't need to become British because they were free to live and work here. Now that has all changed and when we went to a citizenship ceremony 2 years ago most of them were from the EU.

What is the correct terminology for somebody who is fortunate enough to have a foot in both camps?

Semi ex?

Resident/holidaymaker sums it up for me - I live in north Wales and have a lot of holidays at our home in Spain.

I don't get it, how people who enjoy the holiday maker lifestyle ( and why shouldn't they?) and so keen to protect our country from any connection with Europe?

I really, really hate to admit it but I share your feeling, jura2.

I am not aware of any statistics, but I just have this feeling that many non-EU migrants resented the EU migrants' right to freedom of movement, forgetting that it was mutual. We could travel to other countries in Europe, work or study there or retire there - in a way we are not free to settle in third countries from which some migrants are descended.

This is all the sadder - to me at any rate - because the majority of migrants here are non-EU migrants who have come to this country for a much longer period of time. Whatever other reasons they might have - quite legitimate - for supporting Leave, I can't help feeling that for some there was an element of resentment.

Of course, that is not true of all non-EU migrants and maybe even generalising is dangerous.

Oh dear - so sorry Jura 2.

Looks as though I got the wrong end of the stick. You were saying that it was the BRITS who chose to move to the rest of the EU who voted LEAVE in large numbers?

Am puzzled too. Turkeys voting and all that ?

Well, one way or another, it does look a bit, doesn't it, as if people may have voted LEAVE for all sorts of reasons, some more emotional than others

I agree with lemon's post yesterday evening. The british people we knew in France were still involved with their UK families, as we were. And got news from them about attitudes to the EU. And planning to return, as we did.
We didn't have a vote, as we'd been there more than 15 years.
I'm still ambivalent about it, as is my husband.
Those british people we knew who have chosen to stay in France are remainers, as far as I know.