do you know I was just thinking about the 'plastic Brit' thing!!

yes, it IS a natural progression for my daughters - they have grown up here & on the rare occasion they've visited the UK it seems 'alien' to them

slightly different for me - but I am certainly more 'at home' here than in the UK

my older daughter is going on a 'cultural visit' to London next year with the school!! She hasn't been there since she was tiny so it will all be new to her

They could always change their mind too and become a Brit again...they dish British passports out like toilet paper

My friend 2 Daughters were born in Spain. One is now married to a Spaniard. The other went to University the UK and never returned to Spain except for a visit. Everyone is different.

This reminds me of an acquaintance of mine who shortly after moving to the Costa Blanca rang me on some pretext or other only to end the conversation with a casual "Oh we're going out with Spaniard A and his wife tonight and then we're meeting up later with Spaniard B and his wife".

It transpired that Spaniard A was the property developer/house builder who had just finished building their villa and Spaniard B was a car dealer who had just sold them a brand new 4x4.

Sadly these were the only two Spanish friends they had. They would have liked more, in their defence they tried but could never master the language sufficiently to hold even the most basic conversation.

The extent of their languages skills never really got beyond normal greetings and no más in supermarkets.

Ironically his wife who was olive skinned with jet black hair looked every inch a Spaniard

My (Spanish) wife is pale skinned and blonde. When we lived in Andalucia people assumed she was English

When we lived in London, people thought she was Nordic

We've just come back and I asked some Spanish friends what their teenage kids intend doing, the daughter, a teacher, the son who visited London last year with his English godfather, (only 14 but already speaks reasonable English) go to uni in England! The other English son I spoke of, despite having had 3 offers from UK uni's, was in no doubt, Spanish uni!

I have heard "Plastic Paddy" to mean someone of Irish ancestry who grew up in the UK and is in every respect a Uk-ite, going back to settle in Ireland.

How you conduct yourself in life has to be more important than nationality. I had hope when the EU was formed that the grubby nationalists would end up on the scrapheap where they belong, but since the start of the millennium they've crawled back from under their stones to wave their false flags again.

I don't know why; 9/11, 7/7, Iraq, the recession? Whatever the reasons, our fascists are back on the road. They're back on the road all over Europe, if not the world.

Hopefully their overall support will stay at UKIP's ten percent, but I wouldn't bet on it. The border controls will probably increase and more officials wearing surgical gloves will be there to stop you travelling.

I already have the choice between British and Spanish nationality, and maybe by the end of next year I could even be Scottish. It says European on my passport, I wouldn't mind staying that way, even as a plastic one.

By giving someone a label you are inviting a definition. There is no such thing as a plastic person of any nationality.

But how we love our labels.

There are people who are not what they seem, there are others who try too hard and some who make no effort.

Why must we always try and classify them as if they are different species?

I think to criticise someone because they are unable to master Spanish fluently is very unfair. Some people try extremely hard to master a language with varying levels of success. This may be due to a variety of reasons age being one, also some people have a natural ability to take on languages. My wife for instance did French at school and was very good she picks up Spanish much better than me although I do try quite hard. Also if someone has the wealth they can afford professional lessons others may have other priorities and urgent family needs. I try and converse as best I can with my neighbours when in Spain and sort of get by but do find it very difficult. They seem to appreciate that I try. I have tried a variety of methods but often when I seem to be making progress something within the family crops up and occupies me for long enough to have to start nearly again with my Spanish. I don't think not speaking the language makes one a Plastic Spaniard. I have a friend who likes to think he is more Spanish than a Spaniard and everything Spanish is wonderful and everything UK is rubbish now that to me may be a plastic Spaniard.

Plastic Paddy
A person who retains a strong sense of Irish cultural identity despite not having been born in Ireland or being of only partial (if any) Irish descent; generally used in referance to Irish-English or Irish-Americans. Percieved as irritating poseurs by Irish nationals.

On a side note, I think I must be a bit of a plastic Spaniard
The reason for me saying this is simple. I find an awful lot of Brits embarrassing, and I certainly don´t like being associated with them! Not all, but A LOT!
I hate the way they walk shirtless down the streets in the summer, parading their new pink skin like a badge of honour. I hate the way they drink to the point of dribbling which coincides with their inability to talk at conversational volumes. I hate the way they use expletives as every other word. I hate the way they say "howla" and "adeose". I hate the way they complain if a Spaniard doesn´t speak English!
Then again, I remember sitting in a bar in Oxford with my now wife and her Spanish friends. After half an hour or so of listening to them discuss how rubbish our NHS is, and how poor our educational system is, and how we can drink from such large glasses, and what a bunch of this that and the other we are, finally standing up, hushing their over excited exchanges and saying, if Spain is so good, why don´t you all just p155 off back to Spain!
p.s we didn´t get married that particular year

I quite agree.

But it does seem a bit odd that the people who like to affix the "plastic Spaniard" label are the very same people who also mock those British expats who like to watch British soap operas and say they don't know what is going on around them because they can't read the Spanish papers.

The place of any British person who chooses to live in Spain is in the wrong, it seems.

I would never do that...you pays your money and takes your choice. It came easy for me. My Spanish grandfather often spoke in Spanish to my Father. Took my OH about 6 years to get proficient. The plastic Spaniard rarely speaks much Spanish, they just like to give the impression they do to those who don't. I think your last comment is correct. Spain good, UK crap. Even saw someone on here recently post that UK hospitals have MRSA. Clearly indicates that they are ignorant of Spanish news!

I have come across a number of people who, although being expats (or immigrants if you prefer) themselves, do not identify as one of that group. They stay apart from them and avoid their company.

They feel they are superior to expats (even though that is what they are).

They think all expats (apart from themselves) live on urbs, drink too much in expat bars, read The Mail, watch soaps, shop at Iceland and speak no Spanish.

They, of course, do none of those things. They only seek out Spanish company (who they imagine are their friends), only eat Spanish food and only watch Spanish television. They tend to live inland.

If you find yourself in their company you will soon be made aware of how much they know about Spain, its food, culture and language.

They are sneering, condescending, judgemental and, without exception, simply the most boring people it has ever been my misfortune to encounter.

We once went to a BBQ at a friends Finca. Lots of Spanish there. Their Builder, Gardener, Cleaner and their partners. Even the jovial Spanish guy doing the BBQ had been paid to do it They classed them as friends

I have a Spanish friend who is a Guardia and goes to work every day with a gun. We only got to be friends through our wives who are thick as thieves.

He doesn't like expats of any description, or socialists, or Catalans, or Basques, but he's a handy bloke to know because he can move mountains, Spanish ones.

When he gets home and puts his gun away with all the others, and has a few whiskeys, he can sing songs you don't often hear. I don't know the songs, but the word Franco often comes up.