Interested to hear about your feelings on this topic.
What will happen to us as far as health cover etc when we are no
longer working or able to work?
Good to know Cristopher, the wedding certificate would be a good one, I'm a translator but not sworn (assermenté) as it's too much hassle for less money! but the translations aren't too expensive. You can get official copies of certificates too from the gov. site mentioned in this thread if originals aren't available, also means you can do it without upsetting parents who might feel it's the last nail in the coffin on you turning your back forever on the UK! I still have all the forms to fill out, they're still sitting on my desk and will do for some time with everything else going on at the moment!
Hi to Angela and Andrew Hearne - have just signed up so sorry about the late comment ! lol but did u know that when applying for French citizenship, if you can't supply both your parent's birth certificates (which both need to be translated by a "sworn in" translator ) you can supply in their place both Death Certificates OR just the one wedding certificate (which works out cheaper cos only one copy to have translated) - i inquired about this at my local Prefecture.
Yes, history is however what leads to the present. Recent enough history tells us which countries are declining and really we have no real option but to accept that. History also shows that nothing is 'forever', about cycles and so on that are very relevant. None of this is actually especially cool though.
I am up for the latter if they are close enough for a family to get to and from, etc.
Wondering what is relative to this century?
Is it to be cool....I request your varied definitions.
Is it now to use and abuse substances and booze and throw away the best
of talent. Or to be a speculator of doom and gloom at number 10
or hold court with the represntatives of mainland Europe?
Whatever is going on out there .....it is not good.
So lets move non to brighter topics.
SUCH as meeting of SF members for Vandage celebrations.
Can this be possible???????
The U.K. could quite easily start up a car manufacturing plant on its own shores ---- providing --- the owners didn't want a 500% /1000% mark up on the goods manufactured--- all parts were scourced from within the U.K. --- wages were realistic --- terms of employment were fair and equal --- human and civil rights were tended by our own law courts.
Unfortunately, as right as you are, the industries were sold off. Ford was never UK owned anyway, but generally true. Rail stock too in and around Rugby. All sold off for peanuts and then the industrial decline really began.
Human rights, slight disagreement there, the UK has never done well really and we need an independent and impartial body to oversee all countries. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is there for that and not, as the dear old new right have informed people, the EU. Indeed there is a body, but that is the Council of Europe which far more than the EU, older than even the 'Common Market' and is nothing to do with the EU as people are lead to believe. That they both refer issues to the International Court of Human Rights in den Haag is no way prejudicial to the UK either.
Germany, I do not call wrongs rights and I agree they are not playing the European game quite by the rules, but then that is in the hands of the industrialists and not the government, just like the UK's do-as-they-please banks. Two wrongs never make a right.
The "Drum Beating" as you put it has, in my opinion, been banging since the first cheap Japanese cars were imported here, when suddenly those in power realised the "industrial ship" had been torpedoed by the then powerful unions wanting closed shops --- higher wages without higher productivity --- power to run the country--communist style -- but without the thuggery.
Ever since then other 'EMERGING" countries have jumped on the band wagon, Japan is a relying on its past sales in the same way we are relying on our past greatness.
China is now the place to be, cheap labour, no human rights, communist controlled, suppressed citizens, but it won't be long before they to will feel the backlash by their people demanding a "western style" culture.
The U.K. could quite easily start up a car manufacturing plant on its own shores ---- providing --- the owners didn't want a 500% /1000% mark up on the goods manufactured--- all parts were scourced from within the U.K. --- wages were realistic --- terms of employment were fair and equal --- human and civil rights were tended by our own law courts.
Some would call that an isolationist policy, perhaps it is, but isn't that what the European industrial might of Germany is doing right now ?
Richard, good point, so not disagreeing although the Spain and Portugal bit is largely about an empire each had that largely broke up in the 19th century. Indeed both were worse than the rest, given they had a Papal 'order' to conquer the world, convert all the heathens and even permission to enslave the 'primitives'. I doubt there is a hair's width between England and France on that point you make, so fair enough. My point is, as already said, that the drum beating by the new right is going that way. As for identity, certainly you put that in as exact a form as is needed but why is it that the 'UK' is the od one out? The UK is not part of the Euro group but is doing everything possible rhetorically and with some actions to encourage the end of the Euro, at least the anti-EU and at that very loud people who are stirring up badly informed public opinion are. After all, why have UKIP so often used 'Rule Britannia' at their public launches?
You presuppose that the 19th century British Empire disappeared. I'd argue it did not and simply sailed over the Atlantic rather than the Channel. Next stop Oz.
You are probably right about the vast majority but the 'new' right wing with their press support are going off on that tangent. The EU needs to change a lot, that is for sure so with you there. On the other point that wasn't meant - I suspect I too often do it as well :)
The point is that the UK is stuck in 19th century empire but have become small fry in a big world, an island off the European mainland that does not want to be part of Europe but will not accept its decline. Dream on.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Errrrrrrrrrrr maybe I'm thick or something, but aren't most European countries that established world wide colonies in decline --- Portugal ---- Spain --------- Italy ----------- and yes even ------------ France, just to mention a few.
The fact that many Anglo Saxons do not wish to become a ------ EUROPEAN -------- is no different from many other national identities, they neither wish to to become ------EUROPEANS as a nation. The fact they live on the European continent is enough for them , I would imagine if you were to ask 99;9% of the EUROPEAN COMMUNITY --- whether they regarded themselves as a --- EUROPEAN --- or a ---- GERMAN ---- FRENCHMEN ---ITALIAN etc etc they would reply they are from whatever country they were born in --- i.e. German -- French -- whatever.
You do talk a load of tosh at times
Not sure that my "What was the point of that?" ended up where it was intended to! It should have followed a long and frankly waffling thing (not by you BM!!) However, as it ended up here and you have actually made a point, I will feel free to disagree with it!! :-))
- I don't believe that most people in UK are stuck in a C19 Empire frame of mind. However, I also think that they want to remain independent and not be governed from "abroad". One of the major problems with the Eurozone as that has to have "one-rule-for-all" in terms of Interest rates and financial plans! Well - the wide and diverse regions of the eurozone don't all need the same set of interest rates, or plans to aid them with their individual economic situations! I don't think that there are many peole in UK who still believe that we "lead the World" (as we did in the C19) But that doesn't mean that we have to abandon our identity, our autonomy and our culture!
The point is that the UK is stuck in 19th century empire but have become small fry in a big world, an island off the European mainland that does not want to be part of Europe but will not accept its decline. Dream on.
If there was a point to that .... I missed it!!
Read again, it was not about you. It was about those you are referring to and me not wanting to join them. Enjoy the weekend and to heck with the offshore dreamers.
You have missed the boat Brian.
I am here....want to be here;
Worked till I drop all my life since the day I started cooking....worked
as a cleaner in the early morn...cooked for Andre Duetch the book publishers
at lunch time and dashed off on the train to cook at Mc Creedies equity members club
untill last oreders and dashed back to my little Notting Hill flat on the last bus.
I WON a case against the vat who set one of their attack dogs on me. He was looking for
a fat commision cheque but gave in his notice when It was agreed to stop the nonsense.
I was investigated ....LIKE most for PAYE EVERY 2 years and the inspector made stupid remarks relating to lux expenditure....I laughed at him and reminded him that I was not a clothes peg for fine cloths and DID not indulge in regular beauty or hair treatments. Could not afford it.
Then I had serious time out from work after major surgery and radio theoropy for cancer invasion and I got no financial help or any other help. I was back at work as soon as I could
physically manage it.
Mentally maybe I have not fully recovered....PERHAPS.
I read about a chap who lives in St Johns wood who gets
2.000 POUNDS a week to live there because he chooses to and is
not well enough to work?
Another person has income from 2 countries to support his life in London.
I have loved France for so long....BUT maybe if the promise of a decent life
in uk was possible for a hard working woman I may have stayed closer to my
friends.Have enjoyed so much of my life in London living on the edge of so
many fascinating things...THAT includes people.
Great difficulties and massive problems which come to people like me who live
close to the people who create problems for a living.
My question is what happens if ?
And it could.
By the way I have never been on a cruise Brian
My questioning really is what happens if.....AND it may.
I'll echo that too. We are on our commune's biennial fête committee. It is a rather more ancient one that most locally and so attracts enormous attention hereabouts. I am expected to don my kilt for the event. I shall this year and that is that, no jokes or prejudices (other than we were on their side against the Anglais). Nobody bothers about us being foreigners any longer. We are here, we live here and do things here, so that is where we belong, end of story. To Barbara below, well next year, toward the end, I become eligible for UK pension. I have put in so little that what I shall get will be near absolute minimum so I quite frankly do not care. I shall have to work until I drop presumably, about which I also do not particularly care. I would rather enjoy life than worry about who the UK is friends with or not and which alignments they have, etc. Ships and cruises, not for me. Beam me up Scotty, when the time comes - but not to England anyway.
Without ready every word stroke by stroke.
I can tell that some of you feel safe enveloped in their your
form of self preservation and confidence.
Not everyone is in this nice cosy cruise ship.
The ultimate misery for some is the possability that
any small support which has been received mother
England will be taken away because she now is developing a
dishcharge of her duties and looseing her flirting ways with
France.
So many of us here have made tax payments in UK
when we were resident and if we return....should we decide to return
to the Mother ship will there be a place on board? I am saying that we
have paid our life membership with our VAT, capitol gains,local taxes...BUISNESS
rates.Tax for employees, Coucil tax....gosh I have missed at least one out.
So what is the plan of action if UK turns her face from EU?
How will the French feel about us?
We are all her paying our way here....I imagine...AND why not...nothing is free.
This financial storm has been on the cards for years but so many people were too greedy
to do something about it.
We are now all dealing with survival and within this comes the task of brushing away
fears.
as with everything in France, I think it varies from one préfecture to another ;-)
I haven't heard that Certificates need to be less than 3 months old! My Birth Certificate is as old as I am (bar a week or two) and that seems to work for everything it has been needed for. Ditto my Marriage Certificate, and my children's Birth Certificates. So - maybe it is just the Naturalisation Department.... Or maybe I have been lucky with the officials I have dealt with - or something!