Thursday 11 May 2017

15-Year Rule to Still Apply in the UK General Election in June

15-Year Rule to Still Apply in the UK General Election in June
British voters will still not be allowed to
vote if they have been out of the country
for over 15 years

The controversial law stating British expats aren’t legally allowed to vote in General Elections and national referendums if they have been overseas for over 15 years will still be in place and applicable during the June 8 snap election.

There has been several times when the law was due to be scrapped, most recently for the 2015 general election, and then again during the EU referendum of last year that saw Britain vote to leave the EU.

Both of these occasions saw the issue of giving British citizens back their full democratic rights was slowly pushed off of the table. Last Friday it was confirmed by the British Cabinet Office confirmed that there isn’t going to be enough time to change the law before the election in June.

The result is that over one million British people living overseas are going to be denied the chance to cast their vote in the upcoming election; causing Dave Spokes – a founding member of the Expat Citizens Rights in the EU support group – to express how disappointed the inaction of the Conservative government left him.

He had the following to say on the matter; “The people most affected by the EU referendum were not allowed to vote in it, simply because they exercised their right to live in another EU country.”

Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for expats to be given the right to vote following the government’s confirmation that the law would not be changed.

The campaign was set up by Chris Madsen – a resident of France – in the hopes of pressuring the Conservative government into pushing back the date of the general election to make time to change the law, or push the administration to allow long-term expats to vote through.

Masden set up the petition on change.org, in which he wrote that it was wrong for the UK to disenfranchise their own citizens like this at such a time, especially given that they announced plans to abolish the 15-year rule.

Even though it’s unknown how long-term expats would vote in the general election, it appears to that many of them would likely be against the Brexit. They would most likely vote for the parties that aim to reverse the Brexit if they would win the election.

Wednesday 10 May 2017

The “World’s Most Dangerous Footpath” Has Opened Back Up, But Dare You Walk Down It?


The “World’s Most Dangerous Footpath” Has Opened Back Up, But Dare You Walk Down It?
Visiting Caminito del Ray is a must for Thrillseekers


The “World’s Most Dangerous” footpath is the Caminito delRay footpath. While this moniker might be a little unfair, it is true that five deaths happened at the trail before it was closed in 2001. So, perhaps there is some truth to it.

The pathway is now set to be reopened for the third summer season following a makeover totalling €5.5 million over a 14-year hiatus. Thrillseekers looking to edge along this footpath are already on sale. The footpath hugs against the sheer cliffs of the Gaitanes Gorge, above a 330 foot drop to the Gualdahorce river.

The route can be found in El Chorro, near Malaga. It was closed following the deaths of five people between 1999 and 2000. Spain has always considered the rough parts of the country to be more “enter at your own risk”, but it seems the additional levels of health and safety has no doubt been welcomed by tourists; the route has brought in 600,000 visitors since it reopened in 2015.

The summer season begins on the 22nd of April this year, and the organisers of the attraction have decided on a limit of 1,100 visitors per day. This is to keep the crowd numbers low and improve visitor safety. Tickets can be purchased for €10. Visitors can make their way along the entire four0mile pathway and see the beautiful gorge for themselves –if the weather allows it of course.

There are many brilliant natural attractions in Spain, but not many of them are as white-knuckle as El Caminito del Rey. If you don’t mind taking the risk, then you should try to take on the pathway yourself and see the beautiful hills of Malaga.

The most important thing is; never look down!
Find out more at www.caminitodelrey.info/en/.

Monday 8 May 2017

Find out Why Wine Consumption Increases in Spain for First Time in a Decade


Find Out Why Wine Consumption Increases in Spain for First Time in a Decade


Spanish wine is the best in the world
One of the most simple pleasures of life in Spain is drinking so wonderful wine and relaxing by the side of a pool, on the beach, or in a bodega.

Even so, the reality is that wine consumption in Spain has been falling for the past few years. No one understand just why it happened either. The economy might have been partly to blame, of course, but people will often turn to affordable, simple treats during tough times so they can get through them easier. There’s nothing quite as cheap in Spain as local wine.

There is also the suggestion that Spanish wine has become boring and staid, especially among the younger generation. Younger Spaniards appear to prefer drinking spirits like rum and gin, and beers, rather than wine.

However, in 2016, it looks like this trend is reversed. The latest data from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (Observatorio EspaƱol del Mercado del Vino) showed a 4% increase of Spanish wine consumption, with a total of 9.8 million hectolitres consumed.

Spain is the present world leader in producing wine, with a total of 42 million hectolitres made each year. Even though Spain is the leading producer of wine, it’s one of the lowest as far as consumption goes when compared to other top producers. By 2014, the annual wine consumption in Spain was just 21 litres per head; down from over 40 in 1970.

The figure has now risen to around 22 litres per head, which puts it on par with the UK, but still very far below the average annual wine consumption in the other leading wine producing nations of Europe.

The official shows, for example, that Slovakians and Croatians are drinking around 44 litres of wine each per year. The French are drinking around 42.5 litres, while the Portuguese are drinking 41.7 litres and the Italians are drinking 33 litres.

While these countries might have high average wine consumptions, they all pale in comparison to The Vatican. This small country has an average wine consumption of 53.83 litres per person per year.

Spanish wine regardless of the consumption with young people still represents some of the best wine in Europe due to quality and price.