Editorial: Changing times

IN my local bar yesterday the talking point was Chelsea´s “dreadful” display against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and the fact that thousands of British and German expats had left the islands. I said that it was bad news that expatriates were leaving but also underlined the fact that the 0-0 draw was bad news for Atletico Madrid but great news for Chelsea! But seriously Majorcans are concerned that the expat community is getting smaller but are  rather baffled at the decline. Afterall, isn´t Majorca the favourite holiday spot with the British and Germans? I think living in Majorca and coming on holiday here are two very different things. This island is absolutely fantastic for a summer or even a winter break but living here obviously has its difficulties. Firstly, there is all the red tape,secondly there is a serious shortage of long-term jobs and thirdly the island is no longer cheap.  In fourth place I would say that expatriates are concerned at the recent crackdown launched by the tax authorities and ofcourse there is the recession. I would never dream of living anywhere else in the world other than Majorca. But my advice to any German or Briton planning to move to the island would be first to learn the language and secondly  forget your country of origin. As the Spanish say, Spain is Spain, and obviously it has its own set of rules and regulations which are totally different to those of a northern European country. It is  different but much nicer.