Catalonia Lays the Groundwork for Another Secession Referendum from Spain

Catalan Government are pushing again for independence

The Catalonian regional government are preparing to put together another referendum vote on secession from Spain – even though such a referendum would likely not have any legal standing in Spanish law.

Two years ago Catalonia held a symbolic vote by pro-independence campaigners. Over two million voters turned up keep to gain independence from Spain, but there wasn’t much turnout overall because the referendum would have no real effect on Catalonia’s independence.

The Catalan government recently issued an opinion that showed some 45.3% of Catalans support secession, while 46.8% are against it.

It’s unlikely that there will actually be a legally binding vote. The Rajoy government and Madrid have said on numerous occasions that they are not going to countenance talk of an official referendum, and even placed sanctions and brought charges against some of the senior politicians that were involved in the last vote.

Raul Romeva, former MEP and the foreign policy chief of the Catalan government has said that he would be willing to face such consequences as he continues to push for a referendum vote in September.

Romeva says that the referendum is being prepared because Catalan needs to be ready, whether the referendum is agreed on or not. The Catalan government recently met with the Madrid government, but it’s unknown if secession was a topic of conversation or not. There have been rumours that the Spanish government has put together an offer for moving forward, but there’s been nothing concrete announced so far.

Romeva says that the Catalan government is ready and keen to start negotiating. They have given the Spanish government an offer for agreeing how and when the referendum the can be held. Romeva added that Catalonia is still going to organise and hold a referendum vote, even if Madrid doesn’t agree to it.

There has been strong demand from some Catalans to separate from Spain, with the amount of voices calling for secession growing in recent years. Catalan is wealthier than the rest of Spain, leaving many Catalans believing that it could survive and thrive as an independent nation without the need for its wealth to be funnelled and used to support poorer areas.

However, the calls for referendum seem to be falling following the strong recovery of the Spanish economy. With the Brexit and the idea of Scottish independence still on the table, some Catalans are worried that they could be shunted out of the EU at a time when it looks like membership is non-negotiable for many.

Expats Urged By David Cameron to Vote “Remain” At EU Referendum

Expats Urged By David Cameron to Vote “Remain” At EU Referendum

British Expats need asked to Vote to stay in the EU

UK Prime Minster David Cameron has said that the benefits for British expats will definitely still be on the table if the UK stays in the EU, while the future for them is unsure if the UK was to leave.

He delivered a speech at the headquarters of Easyjet in Luton in which he called for all expats living abroad to vote to remain in the EU if they wanted to guarantee their rights to live and work abroad.

The PM was rather passionate during his speech in which he talked about the benefits that expats receive such as reciprocal healthcare, their inflation-adjusted pensions, and the right to buy property, are only guaranteed if the UK stays. They are not guaranteed if the UK was to leave the EU.

Brits living in other EU countries are currently able to benefit from many agreements designed to allow people to move freely between member nations. Spanish expats are also able to benefit from the reciprocal healthcare agreement. This essentially means that the NHS pays the Spanish healthcare system to cover the medical costs of British people living there.

Spain returns the favour and pays for the medical costs of Spaniards living in the UK. This deal was arranged under the rules of the EU. David Cameron is unsure this agreement can last if the UK was to leave Europe.

Another deal in place for British expats is that their pensions in Spain will rise along with inflation each year. This deal was made under the umbrella of the EU. Without the EU there is a strong chance that such an agreement would be rescinded and British pensioners abroad shall have their pensions frozen instead. This is the case for British retirees living in places like Canada, Australia, and the USA.

When it comes to property it is definitely possible for a non-EU citizen to purchase property in Spain. Without the EU agreements however people have to jump through many hoops due to requiring visas, residency permits, and there is a lot of work involved in getting a mortgage. Brits are currently able to purchase a home in Spain with the difficulty, or lack of, that it takes to purchase a home in the UK. While it is true that Spain would no doubt want to set up an agreement to protect the British market, one of their strongest for real estate, there is also the chance that the Spanish government will see the Brexit as a chance to charge British buyers fees in return for keeping it simple.

It would be almost impossible for Spain to pass such fees and regulations while both countries remain in the EU.

Cameron and his other politican allies in the “Remain” camp such as Labour leader Jeremy Corbin, understand they need to speak carefully when talking about the EU. One problem with all the talk about staying and leaving is that there is no guarantee about what will happen if the UK does leave the EU.

Cameron took all of this and delivered a pitch-perfect speech, focusing mainly on the certainties of staying - with a focus on free movement, healthcare access, fewer regulations on buying property, and better pensions – over the uncertainties that could come from a Brexit.

It seems like all the campaigning from the Remain camp has managed to deliver the message.

It’s Official: Long-Term British Expats Are Ineligible To Vote In EU Referendum

It’s Official: Long-Term British Expats Are Ineligible To Vote In EU Referendum

Its official if you have lived outside the uk for 15 years
you can not vote

This past weekend the British High Court ruled against a legal challenge issued by two long-term British expats. They were fighting to overturn the controversial rule that expats of over fifteen years are not eligible to vote in the EU Referendum set for June 23^rd in which Britain will decide whether it should remain in the European Union or not.

The case was put forward by 94-year old war veteran Harry Shindler, who now resides in Italy, and British lawyer Jacquelyn MacLennan, who now resides in Belgium.

They argued that the law, which prevents British people from voting in general elections and national referendums if they haven’t lived in the UK for more than 15 years, was actually technically illegal under rules set out by the EU. They were confident in their case as Prime Minister David Cameron himself pledged to repeal the law as part of his political campaign. He claimed that the rule was unfair.

The High Court ruled that there was no reason to change the law as it stands. They followed the idea proposed by the government that to change the ruling now, so close to the vote, would only cause confusion and would likely lead to the date of the vote being changed.

Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Mr Justice Blake said they felt there were significant practical difficulties about changing the law. In particular it would be necessary to create a new electoral register that included all of the expats who had been out of the country for more than 15 years.

While the estimates of what that number is vary there are approximately 700,000 Brits living outside of the UK who are currently unable to vote because they have been out of the country for more than 15 years. To add these names to the registry would be difficult, even though the Conservative party promised numerous times to make these changes.

An official spokesman for the Cabinet Office released a statement about the ruling. He said that the government welcomed the decision reached by the High Court. They added that the EU referendum had been debated and agreed by both Houses of Parliament before becoming a recognised piece of legislation.

Mr Shindler was disappointed by the outcome and expressed his sadness that there are still people in Britain that are fighting for the right to vote when Britain is supposed to be a democracy.

This issue has become a major issue across all of Europe as there seems to be an equal amount of people both for and against the 15-year rule.

The barrister who represented the pair said that their rights were threatened by the ruling, along with the rights of the thousands of other Brits who are ineligible to vote. They rely on Britain being a part of the EU so that they can live and work in Europe, as well as own property in Europe and eventually retire there. They need Europe to receive their health care from the NHS.

This isn’t the end of the fight however. The barrister and lawyers representing Shindler and MacLennan have declared their intent to take the case to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.

Even though there is a lot of demand for a Brexit the polls currently suggest that Britain will remain. The polls show that 53% wish to remain in the EU while 47% wish to leave. Three quarters of the Brits who live outside of the UK are in favour of Britain staying in the EU according to data released by Angloinfo.

The Electoral Commission said that some 106,000 Brits from abroad registered to cast their vote in the last general election in May.

Brits In Spain Need to Speak Out Soon or Miss Their Chance With EU Referendum Vote

Brits In Spain Need to Speak Out Soon or Miss Their Chance With EU Referendum Vote

The numbers may be shocking but it’s worth taking another look at them. There are currently just 283,000 Brits officially registered as a Spanish resident with the padrón. This number is small because it’s only around one quarter of the actual Brits living in Spain. Of this number only 11,000 of them are still registered to vote in the UK.

These are statistics that should worry every Brit with an interest in politics outside of the motherland. It doesn’t matter if they are in Germany, Spain, France or anywhere else in the European Union. They need to correct this oversight.

Brits in Spain need to register their vote

David Cameron recently told the European Commission his plans to renew the terms of the UK’s membership of the EU. He set out a series of reforms, proposals and promises that he would offer British people to entice them to stay in the EU. The vote will still be left to the British people though and a referendum vote could happen as early as June.

Nobody is quite sure what the so-called “Brexit” would do for the EU or Britain itself. There is one thing for sure though. If the British leave the EU then it makes things difficult for the millions of Brits who are already outside of the UK and living elsewhere in the EU.

This is why the British emabassies in Spain and France have launched awareness campaigns to get Brits living there to go and register to vote in the referendum. It’s called the Your Vote Matters campaign and, given how much they will be affected, it’s hard to argue with the name.

Foreign Office Data suggests that only 5% of overseas voters have registered to be involved in the referendum. Other embassies, such as those in Germany, Ireland, Poland, Austria and Denmark are getting involved and using social media to further the awareness campaign.

The British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, met with a community of expats living on the Costa del Sol to show his support for the campaign.

He said that even though expats are interested in the referendum not enough of them are really aware of it. He urged the expats to become more aware about the referendum and how they can get involved. They can register to vote through the government website (www.gov.uk) and you should encourage other people you know to do the same.

Brits who have been abroad for less than 15 years are able to vote through the constituency they used to live. It is pretty simple to register from overseas but it can take longer than most people realise.

This is why expats with properties inland Spain and elsewhere are being encouraged to visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. They should have their passport with them and their previous UK postcode ready to speed up the process.