The following selection of statements express, in their own words, some thoughts, anxieties & concerns expressed by Bremain members with regard to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown in Spain.

“I worry that with my husband & I both being over 65, we would not have access to ventilators, should the need arise – they are in short supply & would likely only be offered to younger patients.”

“With my husband still working, I am alone with the kids all day. I am finding it difficult to juggle their schooling with my own work.”

“I am worried about my family in UK – especially my daughter, who has asthma. I would rather the UK had the same tough restrictions we have here.”

“I run a small local business and am not eligible for any of the assistance being offered by the Spanish government, unless I close down the company. I’m worried that if schools remain shut until September it will be very difficult to get back up and running at work, even if there are clients to sell to.”

“I have had 2 trips to the UK cancelled already, & I worry about my elderly mum living in a residential care home. It’s difficult not knowing when, or perhaps if, I will see her again.”

“My main concern is that the UK are not taking things as seriously as Spain, & not enforcing compliance with lockdown. I’m very concerned for older parents/relatives & sad for cancelled visits, but just want them all to stay home and stay well.”

“My main concern is for my mental health at the moment.  Whilst in my house things seem okay, and I appreciate how lucky I am to have a garden, but when I first ventured out to buy bread recently, I felt like a criminal. Now when I go to the supermarket, I feel incredibly sad.”

“Who knows how long the lockdown may last or the long-term effect on so many towns & villages that rely totally on tourism.”

“Living in an apartment, my main concern is for my mental health. I have used running as my main form of exercise to combat it for the last 2 years. Now all we have is a small balcony with 2 hours of sunlight a day.”

“I travel a lot between Spain & UK for business, which has now ground to a halt, causing our small start-up to lose £1000’s in revenue.”

“Although I am used to doing some work from home, it is strange having my wife & son in the house all day, every day. I am concerned mainly for my son’s physical & mental health as despite all our efforts, it is boring for him & he needs fresh air & exercise.”

“The first concern is that family & friends are okay, but I’m also concerned about the impact on the economy & what comes after the virus is over.” 

“I run a hair & beauty salon business, which is currently closed & unable to operate. Waiting for information on government help, while still having to pay rent on the premises, is crippling.”

“I live just across the Portuguese border, & now cannot access facilities in Spain, which I rely on. This has affected my shopping, education, exercise & entertainment.”

“I own a relocation business. Not many people are able to relocate during lockdown & I wonder how long this may continue.”

“It’s difficult living on a development with young children.  We overlook a huge communal area that they usually use often, but they can only stare at now.”

“I am hoping that rapid tests will be available soon as I have had some mild symptoms.”

“We can’t go out to exercise in Spain, quite rightly, yet it’s still happening in the UK.”

“When this is all over, how do we to return to “normal?”. If the infections/deaths reach their peak and we enter a downward trend, then when and how will we begin to lift the restrictions?”  

“I live in La Linea & work across the border in Gibraltar. My company won’t allow working from home. I am not an essential worker, so I get questioned by the police every day and I am scared.”

“My partner is a nursing auxiliary at one of the local hospitals, assigned to A&E, so she’s one of the first people to come into contact with new patients.  The effect of her work on our everyday life has been quite dramatic.  We’re having to keep apart, whether eating, sleeping or watching a TV program.”

“I’ve been made temporarily unemployed from my teaching job so my main concerns are financial. The system is inundated with ERTE applications & my employer has no idea how long it will take for our applications to be processed.”

“My daughter’s education is a worry as there has been no notification of any online classes. Apparently, schools won’t open until June at the earliest.”

“I own an estate agency & my concern is for my staff – we are a close family business, & I worry about their future as well as my own.”

“My boyfriend’s family are from Madrid. His father is recovering from lung surgery & I am extremely concerned for his safety. He is locking himself in his house with his wife & they can’t even leave to go shopping as it would be too risky.”

“Both me & my boyfriend work in hotels – even after the crisis passes, we will not be able to restart our jobs due to all the cancellations. I don’t have a permanent job so am unable to get any financial help.”

“I have worked in tourism all my life. My principal worry is the economic situation. Where I live, almost everyone is involved in tourism & obviously 2020 looks like it will be a nonstarter.”

“I’m self-employed and it was a bit of a shock to wake up & find I had lost all my work.  I love my job & worked hard to build up my business.”

“My young children & I live in a city flat with no garden so it’s really tough for them.”

“It’s a worrying time, I’m a self-employed dog groomer & my husband works in a bar – neither of us can work, we have a young son to feed, with no money coming in & rent to pay.”

“My heart goes out to the many in tourism with small businesses, who, like myself, have now lost every single booking for March & April, with cancellations pouring in on a daily basis for future months too.”

“I am concerned for my family here who are all worried financially as can no longer work & have young families to support. They are wondering how to pay bills, rent, etc. They are not sure what help they will receive.”

“I am used to working from home but having the kids home from school whilst working at the kitchen table is not ideal. I am trying to make the most of this by enjoying the time I have with my kids & doing craft activities with them.”

“My biggest concern is for my partner & her colleagues who work at a local hospital. We have to keep a safe distance from one another at home, which is not a natural situation.”

“I run a language school, so overnight we were shut down. Getting hundreds of students onto an online platform has been a nightmare. If this doesn’t work & the lockdown continues, I will have to fire all my staff. If we have no income, I don’t know how long we could last.”

“As I’d be classed as ‘vulnerable’, I’m grateful for the actions of the Spanish government.”

“The hardest thing is not seeing our family as we are not allowed out.”

“I feel the government here really cares & everyone is working together to try to get through this with as few deaths as possible. I worry about the economic & social after-effects.”

“I feel very relieved to be in lockdown. I feel as though I’m in a much better situation here than many of my family & friends in the UK who see little danger ahead.”

“The UK is depending on the good sense of the public & will get into serious problems resulting in unnecessary deaths. Advice, & reliance on everybody’s good sense is not enough. If speed limits were only advisory many would ignore them. COVID-19 advice is exactly the same, Spain is correct in enforcing the lockdown.”

“Isolation is not a great way to spend the day but it’s preferable to being dead!”

“I’m stuck in UK! I was due back to finalise my residencia in Spain & am now worried I might not manage it before end of year.”

“I am enjoying the clear skies, lack of airplanes & the reduction in pollution.”

“I am concerned about the number of people who are ignoring the guidelines. They are putting others at risk.”

“I feel for those who are lonely and am so sorry for those losing their income & will find it a big struggle. There are a lot of people with worse problems than I have.”

“I miss the physical contact of friends & family. On-line is fine to compensate if you are not able to see them but not all the elderly have this facility.”

“I am bored!”

“I love that people are finding the bright sides. How people behave in crises like these says a lot about them.”

Coronavirus Info & Links

Bremain in Spain has collated a wealth of information and advice to keep you updated throughout the current Coronavirus pandemic.

This information includes basic protective methods, emergency contact numbers, and a host of useful links to reliable sources. There is also advice and suggestions on how to keep your families safe, sane, healthy, and entertained during your quarantine. We will continue to add new and relevant information as the crisis develops and welcome feedback from our members on how to improve our offering. Please stay home, stay connected, and stay safe!

You can download the PDF below.

On Saturday February 01 2020 the Bremain Facebook group took a day off. We stopped all posts and comments but asked members to share pictures and stories from how they had spent by commenting on an admin post. Here’s a flavour of what some of our members got up to:

“I climbed a mountain, alone, with “You’ll never walk alone” going round and round in my head. The aim was to make myself really really tired and sleep through all of it. It worked.
It took ages to get a reasonable photo, because it was one of those self timed 10 seconds to run into position jobs. Once I did, I realised I hadn’t put my blue jumper back on, so I had to do it all over again. No easy task considering I was perched on a rocky summit with sheer drops all around.
I took my Cornish flag with me to show solidarity to my Cornish friends who were having a candlelit vigil outside Truro Cathedral.”

“We shared a wonderful evening with a bunch of lovely like-minded people in Malaga. (Alcohol was involved!)”

“I was in the land of nod when the clock struck 12 😴 Although I never made it to any of the UK marches, I did my bit on the Balcon de Europa in Nerja in support of the London march on 19 October 2019.
Always UNITED IN DIVERSITY”

Our chair, Sue Wilson, attended the event along with representatives of 149 other campaign groups. A sell-out audience of 500 were present to enjoy speeches and presentations by well-known activists and journalists.

The day started with a bang with an inspirational speech by journalist Will Hutton and concluded with an emotional rendition, from the entire audience, of Ode to Joy. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

The biggest cheer of the day was for Dominic Grieve, who was clearly moved by the standing ovation and applause he received, before he had even uttered a word. His speech did not disappoint!

Another favourite of the crowd was Mr. Stop Brexit himself, Steve Bray, who received a huge round of applause, and a gift from the grateful hosts. Steve pledged to be outside parliament every Wednesday – PM Q’s day – until the UK is back in the EU.

The overriding themes of the day were as follows:

The government now own Brexit and have to deliver what they promised – the impossible – they will fail
The UK has the strongest pro-EU movement in Europe, which we can build on
The UK will re-join the EU in time, and that must be the long-term goal
The government must be held to account
The UK’s electoral system needs reform, but the next election will be fought under the present, inadequate, first-past-the-post system – likely in 2024

As well as presentations in the main hall, there were a number of break-out sessions on a variety of topics: Professor Grayling spoke of a “Democracy in Crisis”; Guardian Columnist, Polly Toynbee and InFacts Editor, Hugo Dixon spoke of “The Post-truth Age”.

Sue joined Elena Remigi of In Limbo Project and Professor Emmy van Deurzen of Voices for Europe to discuss EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU in a session entitled “A hostile environment”. Sue spoke of the issues we face, our invisibility, how we are stereotyped and what’s next for Bremain in Spain. Sue also spoke privately to chairs of the European Movement. Britain for Europe, Best for Britain and the hosts Grassroots for Europe, about how we change the narrative around Brits in the EU.

The final session of the day was entitled “Getting ourselves organised” and included contributions from Naomi Smith, Chair of Best for Britain, Mike Galsworthy of Scientists for Europe, and Steve Bray.

The mood of the crowd, and the contributors, although tinged with sadness, was one of hope and determination. We may be down, we may have lost, but we fought a brave fight, and we are not giving up! It is going to take time, and it is going to be a tough fight, but with the skills we have learned, the connections we have made and the strength and determination of everyone involved, we will get back where we belong – at the heart of Europe.

Below you can watch some videos from the day:

The group also have issued a Press Release which you can read HERE.

Increasing numbers of British citizens are considering applying for Spanish citizenship – thanks to Brexit. This has led to new demands for the Spanish government to reconsider its position on dual citizenship. There is no sign that the authorities have any such plans in mind, but are they really necessary?

On the British government website, it is clearly stated that, from the UK point of view, ‘you can apply for foreign citizenship and keep your British citizenship.’  Whilst you do have to sign a declaration in Spain denouncing your British citizenship, you would not be asked to hand over your British passport to the Spanish authorities.

In fact, in order to officially renounce your British citizenship, you would need to complete paperwork with the British authorities and pay for the privilege of doing so.

However, many countries do not accept dual citizenship. Spain only recognises dual citizenship with a select number of countries who are judged to fulfil the requirement set out in the Spanish constitution of having ‘a close/special relationship with Spain’ e.g. Latin American countries that were previously under Spanish rule. It does not recognise dual citizenship with the UK.

Applying for Spanish nationality is a personal choice and not something the UK government can comment on. We do, however, urge people to consider any implications this may have for them, as they will only be considered Spanish in Spain; although they would be considered a dual national in the UK. We recommend seeking professional legal advice before making the decision.”

As far as the Spanish authorities are concerned, once a Spanish citizen in Spain, you are no longer a citizen of any other country. Were you to continue using your British passport in Spain, you would seriously risk losing your newly acquired Spanish citizenship.

So, as long as you are Spanish whilst in Spain, and do not have a problem with denouncing your British citizenship to the Spanish authorities, then you need not relinquish your British passport or citizenship – at least as far as the British authorities are concerned.

For further information on the subject:

British Government website on Dual Citizenship

The Local Spain article – Do I have to give up my British Passport? 

The Local Spain article – Everything you need to know about applying for Spanish citizenship 

Where are we now?

If you are wondering what Bremain will be up to in the coming weeks and months, I wanted to give you a taster of what we’ll be fighting for and against.

Our mid to long term goals will be discussed at length at the forthcoming Bremain Council Strategy meeting at the beginning of March. However, we have already agreed on some goals, including in the short term.

Firstly, let me answer a couple of questions that have been raised on specific topics.

Will Bremain be fighting to Stop Brexit happening on 31st January?

In a word, no. Apart from our belief that this is an impossible goal that would waste time and resources, there is another important factor – the default to no Brexit would be a no deal Brexit. It would be counter-productive to prevent the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement that protects many, if not all, of our important rights.

Is Associate EU membership a possible option for retaining freedom of movement?

Sorry to say but we honestly don’t believe so, though we are closely monitoring any developments. The topic has been broached many times before with the EU27 and has proved unpopular, partly as it smacks of exceptionalism, but also because of the treatment of EU citizens in the UK, which has not encouraged EU states to look kindly on us. Why should British citizens be granted the benefits of club membership without joining the club? In addition, this idea has already been tested, and rejected, by a European court in the Netherlands. It is hard to see how any new legal attempt will stand any more chance of success unfortunately. As the EU President said just today, whilst the EU is “very open” to such ideas, the UK will have 3rd country status and any advantages for British citizens would have to be negotiated as part of a deal that encompasses the free movement of goods, capital and services.

Bremain Campaigns

Our focus will remain, as it always has, on fighting the damaging aspects of Brexit. This does not mean helping members with applications for residencia or Spanish driving licences. There are plenty of more qualified groups than ours that do this type of work already.

We may not be able to stop Brexit, but we can certainly help mitigate the damage. The main ways we can do that are by campaigning to:

• Prevent a no-trade-deal Brexit at the end of 2020
• Extend the transition period, ideally until the end of 2022
• Hold the government to account and prevent further erosion of democracy and our rights
• We still have important rights at risk thanks to Brexit, such as freedom of movement. Whilst we still retain those rights during the transition period, there is still hope of further negotiations to change our future.
• In addition, Bremain will continue to lobby for the restoration of our democratic voting rights by reinvigorating our Votes for Life campaign.