Letters to the Editor

Dear Sir,
I refer to the discussion regarding the 15-year rule on expats not being able to vote in the British elections and the upcoming referendum. As stated in some of the letters and statements in today’s Bulletin, if an expat has a good record of work and payments of tax in the UK and are receiving a pension (something I do not view as a “benefit”), they should be entitled to vote wherever they live.

Most of the British people living in Spain and elsewhere have worked all their lives paying tax and national insurance, most of them with over 40 years of working etc. If they have not taken Spanish nationality, they should be entitled to vote in all the elections and referendums in the UK and receive the benefits they are due. The referendum is for all Britons who should be able to voice their views on the current situation regarding staying in or leaving the European community.

In my opinion the British Consul should take this to the government on behalf of British expats which would then be a voice for the millions of expats living in Spain.

Yours truly,
J. Crane