JLFS

France and germany are having talks about revamping the European Union, they could kick Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal out.

Though, looking on the bright side, if we go back to the peseta, we will become millionaires over night.

jackytoo

Coffees all round then for the ex-pat pensioners, they will be able to shop at Mankydonnas instead of Lidl

Domino

oh dear yet another thread about the exchange rate £ : €

still I suppose it will keep a few people happy for an hour or two and it will mean their coffee will get cheaper whilst cooling in the cup.

JLFS

I have never heard of Mankydonnas, it must just be in your neck of the woods, so I cant comment on those establishments.

Round here we have Murkydonas.

agoreira

Yes, talk about a two tier system in the EU. You could have a division one and two, and get promoted or demoted depending how your economy was doing! I'm guessing all the club med countries would be in division two, with Spain, Greece and Italy looking for a new manager!

Domino

owned by the Donakebab range of shops ??

JLFS

NEXT...............

JLFS

in "Italy" they are discussing "moving money out of Italy".

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...40#post9724540

So maybe all those who have "loadsa monay" hidden under the matress, old sock or rolled into a torpedo shape and hidden about their person should rethink their plans.

Domino

reminiscent of The Madonna with the Big Boobies.
But that was France........

steviedeluxe

HBG

The exchange rate is a double edged sword for expats. We've come to Spain for a better quality of life, but most of us rely on our income from back home to sustain it. We need the UK to be successful and want a good exchange rate, but the two things are incompatible.

One minor benefit of a poor exchange rate is that it keeps the holidaymakers away.
They're noisy, get in the way, and give us a bad name with our neighbours. Even worse are the ones who wander about inland, gawking at Churches, and practising their Babel fish Spanish on the locals.

JLFS

That is exactly how it is, the expats who lose out on exchange rate are just one of the casualties of war so to speak.

But as they have outlived their usefulness as most dont vote, and the citizens still living in the UK are first prioity, thats life.

If things are to be belived and the EU rules are changed to take the present crisis situation into account, I forsee a lot of cuts being made for expats that they are receiving now.One thing is the free health care, I dont think it would be ablolished but there could be some tweaks.

If they dont want to cut the british gov might have to shave.

Without leaving the expat pensioners totally without protection, they might possible reduce the yearly amount 3500 quid paid to Spain for medical care.

They might negociate a smaller sum and the pensioners themselves might have to pay for the own prescritions, at the same rate as the working Spanish population do.
Depending on the physical condition of the pensioner in question,it could be very pricy.
It may never happen, but I am sure right now that cost cutting excersise is being discussed along with others that will affect the UK people directly.

steviedeluxe

I agree that some things are going to change - the Conservatives in the UK (like all countries it seems) need to make major cuts. Already the privatisation of hospitals has started. Small beer to start with, but things will get worse. There are still umpteen billions to be paid to bank bailouts and QE.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...-hospital.html

JLFS

Serious stuff......

Domino

Hinchingbrooke isnt the only one thats got itself into that state by having a new hospital and loads of debt.
There are several in the local area that have the same problems, the same debt, the same PFI dragging them down.

Was a time when they owned their own buildings, very little if any debt. In comes Bliar and his PFI and all of a sudden they have £40m debt on £90m turnover.