TW
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Dear Sir,
It is amazing that we are discussing votes for prisoners. The expats who have lived outside the UK have no vote after 15 years of living abroad, so we may be worse off than prisoners, if the law is changed?
We are one of the few nations in the world who disenfranchise its expats, and many other nations allow their citizens to continue to vote back in their country of origin. Many expats have family, property and elderly relatives and our vote is very precious to us. Alas we don’t have it any more, neither can we vote fully in Spain, so basically we are living back in the dark ages politically.
An other subject, which I wish to recall with some of our letter writers, is that of the revenue which cruise ships bring to the island.
I recall some 2 years ago a letter which stated that, “most people stay aboard their ships” and that the whole cruise ship business contributed nothing to the island”. I beg to differ, it has obviously been worth while over the past few years otherwise the port authorities would not have built more and larger jetties. Secondly the crews of these vast ships, stock up their personal items in large numbers at the shopping centres, the visitors do come into town, and many use the services of local coach tours, Soller railway, cafés and taxis. Please don’t tell me that this has contributed nothing!
The last 2 days in Palma at some points there have been 12.000 passengers available in the port, many of them I have personally seen in the town which was wonderfully crowded for a late autumn season in Palma. This very type of tourism that the holiday business is seeking,  may only be here for a day, but what wonderful free advertising and perhaps many may be tempted to come back and linger longer?
Sincerely,
Yvonne Cotton
Palma Nova