Each person's situation is unique. I just tried to cover all the possibilities.
I for one cannot vote in the UK. That's just the way it works. I accept that.
What you interpreted to be a lesson in geography wasn't one.
It is a fact that even in the different nations which make up the United Kingdom there are different regimes as far as medical treatment and retirement are concerned. Not evryone knows about them, so it isn't inappropriate to mention them. Knowledge is power. If you wait around till the government tells you what your rights are, you could wait a very long time.
When you wrote '1', I thought that you meant that you only enjoy ONE right, that to vote. Still no sarcasm on my part.
I am not even sure I meant you when I mentioned cherry-picking. If you used that term, then I probably did. If you didn't use it, then I didn't.
Yes, there is one right that I miss out on that would apply to me - voting in a general election.
I used the phrase cherry picking because that is the phrase used in your exchange with Andrew which I've pasted twice but I'll remind you again: "I think the cherry-picking is being done by those who have left their precious UK for some reason, but who still want to have 100% of the rights enjoyed by the people who actually live there" hence my question, as one who left my precious UK, what the rights were you were referring to.
The answer Valerie is the same as the rest of British citizens. We exercised our legal right to live in the EU and we need protection now that this being withdrawn.
I have just posted a link (which I'll put up again, in case you missed it), which demonstrates that everything is in a state of flux economically, the EU is very far from the solid rock that you appear to think it is and is quite likely to be in deep 'do-do' before very long.
There are 2 or three paragraphs that refer specifically to the rifts widening in the EU and the rest makes for interesting reading (I have printed it out to keep for the 10 to 15 yrs so that I can check things off as & when they occur - if I survive that long, who knows ?), in terms of what is likely to occur in a global scenario and how power will shift. The EU will not be anything like 'top dog' and will have to grapple with some insurmountable problems.....
Please don't go on about your age...I should think that 95 % of us in SFN are past our sell by date......I try not to think about it !
Hilary, with all due respect and with all sincerity, I cannot understand this naivety. For example the regurgitated inaccurate sound bite about the EU audit sign off just illustrates a lack of understanding or, as I'm beginning to think, you are just bored out of your mind and taking the mickey. Personally, having had a successful career through taking calculated risks both personally and professionally (for nothing is gained without an element of risk) I find your faux optimism tiresome happy clappy stuff. Which of course is neither here nor there except for the many thousands of families that are going to loose out because of this insanity. That's serious and not happy clappy at all.
Nothing lasts forever, EU won't either. For me it is more about a better future. Not necessarily money-wise. WWI, WWII, former Yugoslavia, list goes on. I believe the more we have in common, less issues to fight about. Earlier prosperity came from conquering other people, countries. I hope the goal today would be to prosper due to trade, co-work and inventions. Inventions that rightfully rewards inventors but also others. Wealth inequality drives a lot of Trump voters and others without future. You do know of course when people from other countries go to London shopping that they have to be careful not to be robbed by local youth, in broad daylight. Many pubs in London are simply unsafe.
I have lived in 5 countries and worked in many more, for 18 years I worked for a company with colleagues from 100+ countries. In one office we were some 50 people from 30+ countries. As long as economy permits everybody works for a common goal. When competition and rivalry kicks in you get a few ‘ winners’ but many more losers. If the disparity is too large obviously that makes the world less secure. I have lived nextdoors to people that have nothing to look forward to, that really makes the world unsafe. Long-term, nobody wins.
I don’t mind rules made by 27 countries in agreement (majority) as long as they bring us more together. Not being british BREXIT saddens me.
Neither am I bored, the laptop is on, like a lot of women (and teachers), I am good at multi-tasking and I am often getting on with tasks and check out my emails during the gaps/teabreaks...
I find your absolute certainty about what a mess we are all in - and the dire future awaiting us, hard to take seriously. I have done my best to find supporting links for how I have reached my conclusions, in almost all the postings that I have made on this topic.......and I've made the effort to support other contributors who don't subscribe to your very premature (for you have no idea how the Brexit talks are going to pan out), pessimistic take on things.....I can do no more I feel. I respect the fact that we are both entitled to our opinions and we'll just have to leave it like that.
Really, (as I have said before),you should be directing your anger at the politicians who you feel let you down...whether unenthusiastic Mr Corbin, or dismayed Mr Cameron ....
I have no anger Hilary, It's all academic to me. Frankly your links aren't helpful because one can trawl and find links to support any argument from any angle. You've put your faith in a bunch of charlatans. You have no idea how this brave new world will look nor how it will be created and neither do they. So it's all "lets hope for the best then". I know naive foolishness when I see it and unlike you I regret the pain it's going to cause so many, many people. It is immoral to sacrifice their present for an undefined, uncertain "better" future. Immoral. I don't understand why you cannot see that. Jobs lost, lives blighted, perpetrators scarpered, for example Farge gone, on a great EU pension. This isn't "Five go off in a caravan", this is real life.
Finally I am not and have never been a pessimist, to even suggest that is daft, in fact I firmly believe Brexit will never happen. Fox and Davis will screw up, it will all become too difficult, the UK economy will be in the ditch and those silly voters that tried to give Westminister a message will be back peddling frantically. Sure, even Boris is back peddling now, hence slimy Gove (and slimier Mrs. Gove) consternation.
Sadly, a lot of folk will be hurt in the meantime.
I have every confidence that Westminster will do the right thing. They just need time to put lipstick on the pig for the more fanatical Brexiteers :-)
John, just for info really when I saw your mention of Fox and Davis, the rather biased but nonetheless interesting Guardian article just published about how it's all going (or not) at Westminster. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/20/tory-brexit-negotiators-unpromising-start?CMP=twt_gu
Thanks Valerie. I'm actually a digital (sounds bit rude to me) subscriber to the Grauniad but often don't get to read what I should due to pressing (sorry Hilary) viticultural commitments :-) Today I drove from Bergamo to Lausanne with my daughter. She, like her late mum, has a voracious appetite for books so I alway have audiobooks for even our shorter trajets. We listened to Scoop by EW. and Boris is Boot.
IMO there is zero, ZERO, chance of the three amigos, Boris,Fox amd Davis pulling this off. They don't even share a common understanding and vision let alone have any respect for one another. May knows this ;-) The really sad thing is that as this charade plays out real people's lives will be negatively impacted. That's why I think Gove and Farage are evil (I do mean evil) and Boris is an idiot thay allowed himself to be used.
After an, albeit short, assessment I think May has integrity. I think she's smart and I think she has the measure of the Brexit crew and the misguided idiots who voted for it.
Yes an interesting article, but a little biased as you say, Charles Grant is mentioned and I found this link written by him, which is also, I think, interesting.
It partly confirms my view that Brexit has done the other EU members a favour, re the Federalists like (ghastly), Junker (another candidate that you can blame for Brexit).....but in the last couple of paragraphs, talks about what may be more easily negotiated and what we may find difficult.....but we know alot of this already and the 'Centre for European Reform' is in the end, just a forum a place to share ideas and opinions.....but it may be worth following to see where things are going (or where they think they are going)....thanks for the intro.
I must defend myself against this....I have in fact on this forum expressed regret for any difficulties this has caused regarding the (temporary) drop in the exchange rates....
I am not into schadenfreude or inflicting pain on anyone. I cannot agree that exercising my right to vote out of a badly run , corrupt organisation, with a whole lot of vested interests and people with fingers in the pie (in front of and behind the scenes), could ever be described as 'immoral'...
I am not hoping for any kind of Brave New World, but what will happen is (like all history) an outline rough sketch of a plan will emerge and decisions will made and adapted and things will evolve.....The fatal mistake would be to go in with a Big Idea, that sounds good , but in fact is some sort of grandiose straight -jacket, inflexible and making it difficult to breathe the fresh air....I think we've just escaped that...
Just discovered a recent reposte to the Charles Grant article, by a Peter Brown, which ends thus....
As to the EU being unwilling to being pragmatic on 'Brexit', they will soon be looking for a reasonable compromise. In just 3 weeks since 'Brexit' there has been more than 20 overtures from World economies wishing a direct deal with Britain. This includes a statement by the US that they are wavering on a deal that does not include Britain.
China, one of the overtures, find that the EU is too complicated and is somewhat exasperated at the moment with Donald Tusk's intevention in the South China Sea.
Write off, if you will, Britains chances post EU, but it will be at the peril of losing momentum in a burgeoning British Market in the World that is, even at this early stage, very providential for Britain.