Battling expats

Don't mess with expats! If we want something we will fight for it. I am referring to our front page news story tomorrow which says that the British referendum on European Union membership could be delayed because of a threatened legal challenge at the High Court in London by a group of expats who are furious that they can't vote because they have lived outside Britain for more than 15 years. Expat voting rights are often dismissed as a sort of joke by many and few actually do vote. But obviously the referendum on European Union membership is different. This time it will directly hit, if the UKleaves, thousands of expats who are living in Spain, many of whom do not have the vote because they have lived here for more than 15 years. And to make matters even more controversial the British government admits that the 15-year voting rule should be scrapped because it is not fit for purpose. Now, the chances of the legal challenge being successful are slim to say the least but it does underline the fact that there is plenty of anger amongst expats who are even willing to take legal action. The British government should address the demands of expats. The petition to parliament and the government, which has now been signed by 14,000 people, has still not been answered even though British law says that the government must respond if the petition passes the 10,000 mark. Interesting times, a twist in the European tale?