Jason MoorePalma09/12/2019 09:53
TW
3

Millions of people will go to the polls in Britain next week in an election which will decide the future of the United Kingdom for years to come.

Sadly, only a small percentage of British citizens living in Spain will be able to vote even though the outcome of the election will have a direct impact on their lives and future prosperity. This is the Brexit election and I think you can safely say that it will be expat Britons who will feel the full consequences of Brexit when and if it happens.

It is just sad that some of those who are in the frontline have no say on anything. I believe that the British government should abolish the 15 year rule on voting and give expats the vote for life and also I think the time has come for a Minister for Expatriates to be created.

For people living in Britain this may seem to be an outrageous assertion; votes for life and our own Minister but why should some expats be quietly forgotten and denied the vote just because they moved away from their country of origin? It is a stupid state of affairs and frankly rather undemocratic.

In the short-term I suspect that Brexit will mean much upheaval for many expats, already the alarm bells have been ringing and a sizeable number of British citizens are returning to the United Kingdom. As we all know the whole Brexit process was not really thought through and it has left many people in the dark about their very future.

Thankfully Spain realises the importance of the British to the Spanish economy and I suspect they will do their best to fight our corner. But, long-term expats do deserve the vote and their own Minister.