Friend of ours has been in France for 12 years but due to personal circumstances has been thinking of returning to the UK tottering on the edge of making up her mind for some time, she has a very good social life here being a member of various clubs and activities mainly with the French also a large Brit circle of friends it appears she has been persuaded purely on the grounds of when the UK leaves the EU we will loose our yearly pension inflation increase, while not wishing to start a political debate I doubt very much if the UK can afford to leave the EU as both the major parties have expressed a desire to remain while a fringe party has whipped up the masses purely on one topic, is the fact we may loose a couple of pounds per week a valid reason for returning to the UK where one tank full of petrol would see the few pounds gained lost
And I agree with you Carol! Although the LBC debate last night wasn't particularly enlightening, the phone in afterwards tended to demonstrate that many (not all) people who think the UK should leave the EU are either unwilling or unable to "look at the big picture". Nigel Farage for e.g bangs on about the amount it costs us on a daily basis to be members of this "club", but doesn't mention the amounts it costs other countries - e.g France and Germany who certainly used to be higher net contributors than the UK.
He sidestepped the question about what would happen to UK citizens currently living in other EU countries - because he doesn't have an answer to that. IF any government were idiotic enough to take the UK out of the EU then I for one would demand repatriation at their cost, to a house and surroundings as like for like as possible as what we have here in France.
But I don't believe that any government WOULD be idiotic enough to take the UK out of the EU - the négatives far outweigh the positives. Therefore my repatriation demand is purely theoretical!
As a "by the by" - after hearing NF mention his business background a few times I decided to look him up - before going full time into politics he was in fact a City commodities broker - not what I call the sort of business that gives him the experience to talk about whether or not EU membership is good for the average UK business....
Do hope she manages to decide or at least to decide not to make a decision - at least yet!
Done all that Vic but i think there is more going on behind the scenes. friend of ours lost her husband 5 years ago she was distraught obviously and didnt know whether to go back to the uk and asked my advice i suggested she sit tight for at least 12 months until her head was straight and then decide, she is still in France, after an extended visit to the UK she decided that France was her home
Seems a pretty daft reason to me John. I wouldn't swap a good life here for a future few quid a week extra in Blighty. I don't understand politics but for what it's worth I can't see the UK ever leaving the EU. There are loads of blowhards who would see the UK independent but the reality is it is too late now & there are too many vested interests which don't want it. We will all sink or swim at the whim of the EU & there's nothing we can do about it so I gave up worrying about it yonks ago. Tell your friend that the time to worry about it is if it ever happens & stop mithering about something she can't influence. Tell her if she drives, the road tax alone will cancel any pension increases :-)