For me the debate should not be about immigration and economics. It should be about peace (as Ray Fleming pointed out in Looking Around, Majorca Daily Bulletin, 12 June 2016) and morality. When the world is faced with so many serious problems (terrorism, climate change, refugees fleeing from war, poverty etc.) is it morally right to turn our backs on our neighbours and to choose to live once again in ‘splendid isolation’?
If I could vote in the referendum I would be on the same side as the leaders of every friendly country as well as most business leaders and trade unions. I may have a British passport but inside I feel neither British, nor English, nor Spanish. I feel European.
Yours faithfully,
George Tunnell
Calvia
Dear Sir,
As the time for referendum gets ever closer, the arguments for and against become more and more a contest between those who believe the economy as the most important issue and those who think that immigration is far more threatening. Who is right? lt's a matter for the individual voter.
But I do think that we expatriates will be much more concerned about the state of sterling as its fall will affect all of us who receive pensions and other income from Britain. And I am astonished to see the daily polls in the Bulletin showing a majority for Britain to leave the EU. Talk about turkeys voting for Xmas!
I can only surmise that these people are thinking of returning to live in Britain, which I feel is like Adam deserting The Garden of Eden!
As I have lived and loved every day of my over 30 years here on this magical island, I pity those who are contemplating such a retrograde step.
Phil Green
El Toro
Dear Sir,
I am incensed. Having been on the electoral roll in Central Region in Scotland, I was assured I was on the Voters Roll and then applied for a postal vote.
I received confirmation by post that I had a postal vote from 20 May 2016 to 20 May 2017 and that my ballot paper would be sent to my address here in Majorca.
Having discovered that the majority of my friends had received, albeit from English constituencies, and returned their ballot papers, I emailed Central Region on Friday afternoon requesting confirmation that my ballot paper had been posted.
This was to help me have the post office investigate my missing paper.
I was incensed to have written confirmation from them that the returning officer had advised that the ballot papers will be posted out between 13 and 14 June. In my view I am being dis-enfranchised as from experience, and I am sure you will agree, it is well nigh impossible for the ballot paper to be received by me in time for me to have it posted back to them before 23 June.
I have suggested that the returning officer might like to use a courier service to get the ballot paper to me.
As a subscriber to the Daily Bulletin, I know how hard you have worked along with the British Consulate to encourage us all to use our vote.
It seems that it could be all in vain.
Kind regards,
Susan Mackay
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I too have served my country and have been shot at,bombed,petrol bombed,been under artillery fire and in more than a few riots during my service. Other members of my family have served on land,sea and air,my Grandfather's brother was killed on the Somme,another family member was shot down over Berlin,my Dad served in the Desert and Italy,his brother was a Para that fought at Arnhem and lived to not tell the tale. I will be voting to leave the EU because the UK is no longer the free nation that it was before we joined,it has since morphed from a trading block to a United States of Europe with it's own currency,politicians,flag and laws,this is not what I or anybody else voted for in 1975.
Funny how all three were in the remain camp when you said that you have received ''many letters'' on the referendum,are you now going to print letters from the leave camp.?
Dear SirsIf my information is correct there are some 257 countries in the world, of which only 28 are EU member states and an additional 3 being part of the EEA. For all those old enough to remember, Enoch Powell in 1968 warned of UK immigration and even to this date no one appears to have taken any real steps to stop it, other than to now blame the EU for all it’s immigration problems. An exit would not stop the other 226 non-EU countries from attempting entry legally or illegally into the United Kingdom.I have recently had the following facts pointed out me, which in my opinion may be useful for people to make an informed decision for voting on 23rd.!. Many financial institutions from countries that are not part of the EU, have expressed that they will consider moving out of the UK, in the event of an exit as currently the UK gives them a gateway into Europe.2. Foreign vehicle manufacturers, such as Honda, Nissan and Toyota I understand have highlighted the same concerns and have allegedly said they may look to move to another EU country in the case of an exit. There has been a significant loss of jobs, manufacturing, patents and such like from the UK, which despite promises to the contrary by the owners who have taken over our businesses as you will see they are not part of the EU. Cadbury bought by Kraft (America) closed and moved factory to Poland 2011.Ford (America) moved Transit production to Turkey 2013. Jaguar and Land Rover bought by Ford (America) who sold to Tata (India) who have recently agreed to build a new plant in Slovakia.Rootes Group bought by Chrysler Corporation (American) who sold to Peugeot and Renault (France) who closed its Coventry, Ryton plant and moved production to Slovakia.Metal Box, Bournemouth bought by Crown Holdings Inc. (America), gone to Poland,Gillette bought by Proctor & Gamble, Massachusetts (America) now moved to eastern Europe. Hoover (American) merged with Chicago Pacific Corporation (American) then taken over by Maytag Corporation (American), then became part of Candy S.P.a (Italian) who have moved production to Czech Republic and the Far East. Texas Instruments, Greenock (America) gone to Germany. British Steel bought by Tata (India), the same company who trashed our steel works and emptied the workers pension funds.The list goes on……. We are all entitled to an opinion and this is a very emotive subject at the moment. The European Union is not all bad, it has certainly benefited the UK and it’s citizens greatly with many EU grants for manufacturing, areas in need of rejuvenating and has created many jobs enabling the UK economy to thrive. Despite the many faults in it’s demographic, I would like to think that people investigate fully the implications before voting and urge their local M.P’s to negotiate properly for better terms for the UK. From my enquiries I am told an exit would be impossible to reverse and as there does not appear to be any plan in place by the “Leave” campaigners as to what they would do in the case of an exit, that worries me greatly for the future of the UK as a whole.