Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

It doesn't astound me. No rational person in the UK ever expected there to be no request from the government to extend the transition period by at least 12 months. Unfortunately, there are no rational people in the government.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

Interesting thread and I feel I am a cog in the turning wheel. I would 100% agree that the British electorate were mad to vote for bungling Boris and Brexit, but as Doris Day said, "Que Sera Sera"

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

Chipmonk is so right.I have lived in Spain for 35 years,had a business then retired.My daughter grew up here,had her own business,married a lovely Spanish man & they had a daughter born here,so Spanish national same as her Papa.She sold up & returned to UK. 4 years ago.I know she was always greatly upset that,although she spoke fluent Spanish,operated her own business & was fully integrated yet she was always reminded that she was a foreigner.she never wanted to change her own nationality so carried an ID that stated"extranjero" which set her apart from her Spanish family that she had made.Her Spanish friends always regarded her solely as English thinking & her English ones as Spanish.Another English person in the same situation also told me that is what he felt too.Sometimes I do regret ever making the decision to come with a young family because of this,perhaps I was selfish despite the good life I thought we had had here.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

But if you hadn't you'd probably regret that just as much!

Remember the old addage "it's better to regret the things you did than those you didn't"

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

I know my views seem very negative especially to persons newly arrived in Spain. However, I do think that the majority of Brits who move to Spain are not really fully living here in the sense of understanding the country. Of course, everyone has the right to live as they choose but my experience was that until I had reached a decent level of Spanish my interpretation of life in comparison with the UK was flawed. At first of course everything seem great and so much better than UK. Now I hear Spanish people talking and understand what they say I can feel as down hearted as a Brit might feel overhearing some ignorant views expressed by a passenger on a bus or in passing. I often hear folk where I live complain about the guiris. I even have overheard my neighbours comment on how difficult they find my Spanish!! I also have heard terrible racist comments about moroccans and gitanos openly expressed!!. It is not that Spain is all bad , it's not but it is not better than UK. You wont have a better life here. You will have a different life but you probably will be living it in a type of fog which ostensibly clouds the view. That is fine but try and remember that the UK you feel you need to escape is not really such a bad place so dont say things like you will never return because one day you will at least will feel a comfort in knowing it is always there for you

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

And a lot of expats didn't have a say in the referendum because they couldn't register as overseas voters for having left UK more than 15 years ago, or weren't on local electoral register when they left.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

Er it was extended three times, when originally the UK was supposed to be out of the EU by March 2019 (was there originally supposed to be a further "transition period"? I don't recall :unsure:), two years after Article 50 was executed. And IIRC in the end it was the EU that said "no more renegotiations, no more extensions".

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

Brussels gave the UK government the chance to extend after Dec31st Dec quite recently but Johnson refused.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

Quite right too. What should have bee a two year process will have taken more than 4½ years by 12/20 and it is long since time to move on.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

Some of us may not agree with you there as we probably wished to remain in EU but I assume you dont.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

You assume correct, but I am not sure why even those who wanted to remain would want to further drag out the already considerably extended exit process.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

It could not be done overnight. Talks took place. Agreement s were reached. It was not going to be like an election where everything changes the next day. The legitimate process of democratic government meant the distance had to be covered. Anyway it is now in its final stage which itself is not simple deal Gove boasted. Hope you are not one of those person who lives in Spain and took advantage of the WA for your own benefits whilst denying the same pleasures to other more younger Brits?

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

No, I am not in Spain, and in fact I have never even visited Spain. :)

It will be perfectly possible for British citizens, including retirees, to relocate to Spain in future though obviously meeting the visa standards set by the Spaniards, as is their right. The only ones being denied anything are those that can no longer drift in to Spain for no better reason than they just feel like it.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

Or because they were under the radar in Spain they couldn't register as an overseas voter. Or some that could simply didn't bother leaving it to others to bother to vote. In those circumstance I have no sympathy if you don't do things legally or can't be bothered to do the right thing and vote then no point complaining at the result.

Re: Brits leaving UK for EU
 

People will as you say still be able to relocate but it will come down to wealth in order to do that. The main point especially for retirees will be healthcare. Unless already here legally in Spain before 31 Dec they will not be able to benefit from the free healthcare provided by an S1 unless they come as a dependant of an S1 holder. So many people will loose out but not the wealthy . Without doubt this will be a big change for the worse for anyone wanting to relocate to an eu country. Of course that may be fine for some like yourself having voted in favour of that. But for many it's a great loss and not far off as many in reality didn't vote for that. Also as we see on these forums there are some that voted for it but they still believed for some odd reason that they would still get everything. Personally I don't think the result was as clear cut or understood by all as well as you present it. Removed comment due to Rule 15