Llevo 20 años en Málaga y no pude votar contra el ‘Brexit’, por eso he venido

Llevo 20 años en Málaga y no pude votar contra el ‘Brexit’, por eso he venido

Mar 24, 2019 | Articles, Campaigns & Events, News

La manifestación convocada por la plataforma cívica ‘People’s Vote’ reunió ayer en Londres a más de un millón de personas para reclamar la celebración de un segundo referéndum del ‘Brexit’.

A la cita no quisieron faltar un nutrido grupo de británicos residentes en la provincia, algunos de los cuales no pudo votar en el referéndum en el que se aprobó la salida de Reino Unido de la Unión de Europea por llevar más de 15 años fuera del país. Este fue el caso de Theresa O’Shea, que lleva 20 años viviendo en Macharaviaya.

Me alegro de haber venido. Ha merecido la pena. No pude votar en su día porque llevo 20 años residiendo fuera de Reino Unido, lo que considero una gran injusticia en un asunto que nos afecta tanto y en el no tuvimos el derecho de votar en las urnas. Ahora he querido hacerlo con mi presencia en esta manifestación, estar aquí me ha servido para darme cuenta de que formo parte de una gran familia europea», declaró O’Shea, que realizó todo el recorrido envuelta en una bandera de la UE.

Tampoco quisieron faltar a la convocatoria los miembros de la asociación ‘Bremain in Spain’, uno de los colectivos de la marcha desde España y que portaron una pancarta en la que se podía leer: «Give us a voice. Give us a vote. Give us a… FinalSay» (es español «Danos una voz. Danos un voto, Danos un… final»).

Full article in Diario Sur

British residents in Malaga travel to London for the Put it to the People march

British residents in Malaga travel to London for the Put it to the People march

Mar 24, 2019 | Articles, Campaigns & Events, News

Numerous Brits living in Malaga will be among at least 100 UK residents in Spain travelling to London for Saturday’s Put it to the People march, to call on the government to give the UK population another chance to vote on Brexit.

It is expected to be the biggest anti-Brexit demonstration to date and hundreds of thousands of protesters will be calling for a people’s vote. For many this is a “now or never” moment to get their voices heard, with less than a week before the date set by the British government for the UK to leave the EU, and with parliament voting against a second referendum but in favour of extending Article 50 last week.

Bremain in Spain chair, Sue Wilson said in a press release this week, “If Theresa May can keep asking parliament the same question, how can she deny the public a second chance?”

Read full story in The Sur

UK retirees in EU say NHS plans under no-deal Brexit are ‘sick’

UK retirees in EU say NHS plans under no-deal Brexit are ‘sick’

Mar 24, 2019 | Articles, News

The government has been described as sick and uncaring by an organisation representing more than 10,000 British nationals in Europe over NHS healthcare plans for pensioners in a no-deal Brexit scenario.

British nationals who have retired to EU countries have reacted with fury to what they describe as an insulting and offensive offer by the government to cover healthcare costs for up to one year if they had applied for or are undergoing treatment before exit day.

This is in contrast to the current reciprocal arrangement whereby the NHS reimburses EU member states for treatment of those who have paid into the UK national insurance system for a qualifying number of years.

“So if the person has paid into the system all their lives and retired to an EU country in good faith, with all the reciprocal arrangements in place, they could be left high and dry if they, say, get cancer after 29 March,” said Kate Husband, whose parents, both 80, a teacher and an architect, moved from Cornwall to join her and her husband in Brittany 25 years ago.

Pensioners will be eligible to return to the UK and get treatment on the NHS under the contingency plans, the health minister, Stephen Hammond, revealed in a statement on Tuesday.

“How can pensioners with cancer, cardiac problems or other major issues be expected to make or even afford repeated visits to the UK for regular vital treatment?” asked Dave Spokes, coordinator at Expat Citizens Rights in the EU (Ecreu), an organisation with 11,000 members across the EU.

Full article in The Guardian

Brexit: Madrid to host protest to demand People’s Vote

Brexit: Madrid to host protest to demand People’s Vote

Mar 20, 2019 | Articles, Campaigns & Events, News

In London on Saturday, just six days before Britain is (currently) scheduled to leave the European Union, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets to demand that the public is given a final say on any Brexit deal.

The “Put It To The People March” will begin at noon on Park Lane for a march to Parliament Square.

Among those leading the calls for for a People’s Vote will be Britons resident in Spain, with a large contingent flying over to London especially for the event – among them members of Bremain in Spain.

Sue Wilson, chair of Bremain in Spain, will be flying over to join the march to Westminster along with around 100 members of the campaign group.. “We’ve supported the campaign for another referendum from the start, and we’ve actively campaigned to give the British public another say in this debate. The Brexit that was sold was a lie, a fantasy, a pipe-dream. The British public deserves a chance to think again.”

“The June 2016 referendum result started a Brexit nightmare for UK citizens living in the EU and EU citizens living in the EU. Since then, we’ve been working together to make our voices heard. We’ve been side-lined and silenced for too long. On Saturday, we’ll be loud and proud and demanding
another referendum. Although most of us couldn’t vote on our own futures in June 2016, and it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to vote in the next referendum, we wholeheartedly support a #PeoplesVote.”

Wilson concludes: “The public must be able to make an informed decision based on the facts, not the fantasy. We must establish if Brexit really is the ‘will of the people’ before making this momentous decision. It’s the only way forward that can start to heal the divisions created by Brexit. If Theresa May can keep asking parliament the same question, how can she deny the public a second chance? As our new banner says: we want a voice, a vote and a final say, because Brexit is bonkers!”

Read the full article in The Local