After the General Election – the pro-EU campaign

Well the General Election over, at least there is no more second guessing what the outcome might be and what that means for a pro-EU campaign in the UK.

The EU leaders that were previously hoping the problem would go away are now asking what can be done to address the UK’s concerns. That isn’t surprising as many of them are having to deal with the same concerns.

What ever happens during the discussions and negotiations a pro-EU campaign will be needed, not just to make sure that there is a pro-EU result to the referendum but also to shift the UK’s inherent scepticism about the EU.

That will not be an easy thing to do, nobody should underestimate the effort required. But the prize is worth the effort.

The pro-EU campaign will be based on the people, the voters, the decision makers, so that the politicians are left in no doubt about the wish of UK citizens to be part of the EU.

The campaign will need people like us to “move and shake” the views and opinions. It will need to happen outside of party political affiliations and beliefs, being for or against the EU is not a party political issue except for a few.

Posted in pro-EU campaign, referendum | Tagged , | 1 Comment

HSBC move – because of the UK’s EU uncertainties and the first of many?

The news that HSBC is conducting a review of where it should be headquartered has perhaps inevitably been taken as a sign that the uncertainties about whether the UK will remain in the EU.

But is this actually the case?

Looks like HSBC’s motivation may not have anything to do with the threat of a Brexit. Shareholder pressure, increased regulation, higher taxation are reported to be the reasons.

The Board have asked management to conduct a new review. HSBC used to review the question of where its HQ is every three years, that hasn’t done that recently.

Organisations such as HSBC will routinely conduct these reviews as part of their contingency planning. Even if HSBC hasn’t conducted a formal review recently, it would be no surprise to find that the last plan has been kept up-to-date and is ready for HSBC’s management to review it and add the executive summary.

The uncertainty of the UK’s position in the EU isn’t likely to go away until the UK public are considerably more pro-EU than they are at the moment.

But the smart money seems to be on HSBC moving back to Hong Kong where it still has a substantial operation and not elsewhere in the EU, reinforcing the notion that the threat of a Brexit is not the major factor.

Standard Chartered is also said to be contemplating a move from the UK for similar reasons, with analysts saying Singapore would be the likely location.

The costs would not be that high in multi-national banking terms and could soon be recovered from lower taxation and regulatory costs.

One final point for those who to want to wait until a referendum is declared before starting a pro-EU campaign and say that business will then get behind such a campaign,

HSBC’s share price went UP after the announcement.

The directors, as they are obliged to do, are looking at shareholder interests and it seems that the shareholders think that moving from the UK/EU is a good idea.

It serves to illustrate that some fundamental rules still apply, strategic reviews such as these may be triggered by factors in the economic, political and regulatory environments. But the decisions will be based on how the shareholders perceive such a move.

The question is not whether business will get behind a pro-EU campaign, it is whether the shareholders will think that it is in their interests to get behind such a campaign.

Posted in consequences | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Butterfly Effect – “Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee” – thanks Muhammad Ali!

The anti-EU voices are setting the political agenda in the UK and are managing to do so without mentioning the EU much, if at all, during the current election campaign.

Politicians, through complacency and/or lack of political competence, are following that agenda. None of them are safe hands for the UK’s future in Europe.

Until there is a strong pro-EU voice, which is not the same thing as just combating the anti-EU voice, in the UK there will be, at best, marginal support for the EU – see my piece about Britain’s Love/Hate relationship with Europe.

We absolutely cannot wait until somebody calls a referendum or “business” decides its best interest is served by getting involved.

Pro-Europeans must make their voices heard, must work together and change opinions. If each one of us convinces just one other person to speak up for the EU, and that person in turn convinces just one more, it is possible to change the UK’s scepticism about Europe for ever.

This is the “Butterfly Effect” by which we, the decision makers, the people, the voters, will decide the future of the UK in Europe.

Posted in pro-EU campaign | Tagged | Leave a comment

Why the EU needs Britain as much as Britain needs the EU.

Following on from my piece about Britain’s Love/Hate relationship with Europe this piece from the EUObserver Why the EU needs Britain as much as Britain needs the EU explores some of the same ground and explains why we can’t do without one another despite what many people think.

Posted in reflections | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Britain’s Love/Hate relationship with Europe

One of the members of our Facebook group  UK Citizens In The EU asked the question

“do you think the cultural bonds between the UK and continental Europe are stronger than those between the UK and the rest of the Anglosphere (US, Australia, NZ, Canada), or viceversa?”

That started me thinking about Britain and Europe and why we have this scratchy antagonistic relationship with the EU.

Over the centuries the Britain hasn’t really been part of Europe politically/culturally and that goes someway to explain why the British public is inherently sceptical about Europe.

We don’t have the shared experiences that many European countries do, invasion, revolution, dictatorships. Nor have we been invaded and had our boundaries redrawn by war, annexation and treaties. The last time anybody invade Britain is nearly a thousand years ago, if you accept the Normans invaded as opposed to coming to collect their inheritance.

As a seafaring, trading nation our focus was elsewhere and Britain probably more than any other country in the world has had its culture and heritage shaped by where that seafaring, trading tradition took us. It has shaped our language, the food we eat, our diverse culture.

Since the early part of the 20th Century that has changed, in part due to two World Wars, in part due to the change from a British Empire to a Commonwealth of Nations.

Even as recently as the 1960’s very few British people had been to the continent other than as part of the armed forces.

In the past 20 years though there has been a dramatic change as more and more people have taken advantage of the EU’s 4 Freedoms to live, work, study and play in the rest of the EU.

I don’t think there is a single answer to the question it will depend on the people you speak to. For me, living in France, I think Europe, certainly western Europe, is culturally “closer” But others I know would say they have stronger links with Africa or New Zealand for example. Yet others would say that anything outside Britain is strange, different and unlike their culture.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Impact of Brexit good reason to vote?

The myth of expatriates not being affected by UK decisions is exposed as a falsehood by the potential consequences of a Brexit.

Votes for Expat Brits blog

From the standpoint of repealing the 15-year-rule for expats, the impact of a Brexit should provide a clear example (certainly for those resident within the EU) of the importance of British citizens not already excluded by this rule to make sure that they do register and vote in the 7th May, 2015 general election..

The more British expats who register and vote, the more evidence we have to convince the political establishment that there really is a significant body of expats out there who would vote if not already excluded or demotivated by this 15-year-rule. 

The fact that expats resident within the EU would be impacted by a Brexit (and for which the government currently seems to have no contingency plan or will not reveal it), also counters one argument of those who resist removing the 15-year-rule i.e. British citizens not living within the UK should not be able to vote in a UK election because they will not be affected by the policies of the government subsequently elected.

This key issue of a possible Brexit and the…

View original post 64 more words

Posted in voting | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What are expatriates and why are they ignored?

There seems to be a common misconception that expatriates have not only left their native country but also renounced it.

Expatriate derives from “ex – out of or from” and “patria – country”.

An expatriate is very different to an ex-patriot.

A Scot is generally recognised and accepted as such no matter where he lives in the world. Nobody would consider a Yorkshireman any less of a Yorkshireman just because he happens to live in London.

So why is it that an expatriate is considered to be less of a citizen of his native country than the other citizens?

People are expatriates for many reasons; to study, to work, to take advantage of opportunities to explore the world, to serve their country, to live in a climate that suits them better, to make a meagre pension go further. Some choose to be expatriates temporarily, others intend to be expatriates permanently.

All have connections with their home country; family, friends, history, culture, income, taxation.

So why are UK expatriates denigrated and treated as second class citizens?

Some have their pensions frozen; what would the Yorkshireman think if he was told “if you move to Cornwall when you retire you won’t get any pension increases”?

Others have the right to vote taken away; would it be considered fair if the Kentish Man (or the Man of Kent) had his right to vote taken away after living outside Kent for 15 years?

Yet more have benefits and allowances removed even though they are still paying tax in the UK.

So what do the UK political parties have to say about expatriates?

The Conservative Party is the only one to say that it will make a manifesto commitment to giving all UK citizens the right to vote for life. On the other hand it is the party that has penalised expatriates, using very dubious tactics, to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance and cut back on reciprocal health care arrangements.

The leader of the Liberal DEMOCRATs supports the point of view that one of the fundamental DEMOCRATic rights is time limited, and expatriates ought to become citizens of the country in which they live if they wish to be “politically active”.

According to one of his spokespersons, Nick Clegg supports the 15 year limit for voting rights for expatriates and apparently believes ” it is intuitive that they would know about and be directly affected by the issues of that country. If they want to become politically active, then they ought to register to vote in the country they have settled in.” That is pretty clearly a “go away and don’t bother me” statement.

The other parties don’t seem to have a stance on expatriate voting rights.

Given that the UK has some of the oldest democratic institutions, it seems surprising that it still hasn’t grasped one of the basic concepts of democracy.

Posted in expatriates, VotesforLife | Tagged | 2 Comments

Reflections from France – 50 shades of Brexit?

Some people take the extreme stances on the consequences of a Brexit; “we will lose everything” or “nothing will change, other arrangements will be put in place”.

The scaremongers say that pensions WILL be frozen, we WILL be disowned by the UK and our host countries WILL throw us out.

Some expat journals reinforce this point of view with predictions of rights and benefits being withdrawn and restrictions imposed that go well beyond what is involved in a UK withdrawal from the EU and a return to a pre-1973 situation.

Even if the UK does leave the EU, something that is not as certain as some would have you believe, there will not be a one size fits all outcome for the UK citizens living, working, studying in the rest of the EU.

Don’t get me wrong I DO NOT think we can be complacent about the possibility of a Brexit.

Even if there is not a Conservative led government after the May elections, what is there to say that the government of the day will not seek popular approval for its success (or otherwise) on EU reform?

The major parties have all modified their position on a referendum over the decades, what is there to stop them doing so again?

Labour is still under pressure to make a manifesto commitment to a referendum on EU membership.

There are even those that argue that you need the commitment to an In/Out referendum to have a strong negotiating position on EU reform.

The seemingly “safe” option of making sure that the Conservative party doesn’t lead the government after May may not be as safe as all that.

The issue, which many treat as party political, could turn into cross party free-for-all as it did in 1975 when some very unusual and contrary alliances were struck for the referendum campaign.

The only things that are certain is that the debate will become hotter and more complex, and not electing a Conservative led government is no guarantee that the threat of a Brexit will go away.

We can not afford to let up in our efforts to make more people aware of the potential effects of a Brexit on the aspirations, finances and livelihoods of UK families and individuals across the EU.

There may not be 50 shades of grey to the outcome but whatever it is it will not be simply black and white.

 

Posted in consequences, referendum, reflections | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Right of Residence in the EU – France

Following on from the post about Permanent Residence in the EU here are links to information about how to obtain a French “carte de séjour – UE” or a “carte de séjour – UE séjour permanent”.

The pages are in French (not surprisingly) but certainly Google translate makes a very good job of translating them. If the translated versions are read in conjunction with the pages in English on the europa.eu site EU – Residence they should be quite understandable.

When applying at the Prefecture it is quite likely that you will be told that you don’t need one and even that they are no longer issued for EU citizens (ressortissants). You may have to persist, but by pursuing the “I’m sorry but French isn’t my first language but the Vos Droits web site seems to be saying that…” and showing copies of the web pages you should be able to get past any initial resistance. If not asking to see the Chef de service would be the next step.

This link Européens en France takes you to a page on the French administration site “Vos Droits” on which there are various links covering the requirements for EU citizens travelling to, residing in and/or working in France.

They not only cover the requirements for EU citizens but also how to obtain a “carte de séjour” for spouses who are non-EU citizens, dependant children and other dependant relatives. N.B. the requirements for spouses and dependants are simpler when an EU citizen is involved.

This page on the “Vos Droits” site gives details on how to apply for a carte de séjour – UE

This one, again on the “Vos Droits” site, gives details on how to apply for a carte de séjour – UE séjour permanent

Posted in EUrights, France, Information, Residence | Tagged , | Leave a comment