Category: British in Austria

Finding out how pro-Brexit Britons in Austria feel…

To date my blog has been dominated by pro-Bremain content – but of course this is only part of the story – there are Britons in Austria (and elsewhere in Europe) who favour a Brexit.

To date my blog has been dominated by pro-Bremain content – but of course this is only part of the story – there are Britons in Austria (and elsewhere in Europe) who favour a Brexit. Aside from vociferous forum/facebook trolls (trolling in general, not in particular in relation to the Brexit debate), in the interests of trying to understand how people’s opinions differ – or how personal circumstances shape their position, as well as to get away from merely expressing and “broadcasting” my opinion, I will be posting the views of some Britons in Austria, who identify themselves as favouring a Brexit.

Continue reading “Finding out how pro-Brexit Britons in Austria feel…”

FM4 Radio Interview

On Friday I did a brief interview with FM4, the state-owned alternative music station that also has some programming in English.

FM4 Sign at the Funkhaus
FM4 Sign at the Funkhaus

On Friday I did a brief interview with FM4, the state-owned alternative music station that also has some programming in English.

Chris Cummins, who presents the Reality Check show, is another long-term Briton in Europe and he asked me some questions about how a Brexit might affect me as a Briton in Europe. He’ll be sent to cover the Referendum from London for the station in June.

The interview can be listened to online on FM4’s Website until 20 May at: fm4.orf.at/player/20160513/RC/134008

Wetheeu.com – interview with me online

My recent interview with wetheeu.com about life as an British citizen is now online at wetheeu.com

wetheeu interview
Michael talks to Rebecca Sumner Smith – from wetheeu.com

My recent interview with wetheeu.com about life as an British citizen is now online – and I’m very pleased about how it has turned out. Sharing it with friends on Facebook has also had a very pleasant effect – a lot have commented about how well written it was. The full article is now on the wetheeu.com website – and hopefully clears up how much there is at stake for Brits who have fallen foul of the 15-year-rule. I will also wait for a few more days before posting some of the comments received.

Why should an expat vote in the UK’s Referendum?

Having recently given interviews to wetheeu.com and to thelocal.at, which will both appear online in due course, one of the questions that seems to have figured in both interviews as well as in conversations about the referendum with friends, both in the UK and Austria, who have been apathetic and asked why I am trying to persuade people to register and vote in the UK’s referendum, particularly given the fact that I am unlikely to return to the UK to live or work. A selection of the reasons I have given are below: Continue reading “Why should an expat vote in the UK’s Referendum?”

Am I am atypical British Expat in Vienna?

On Saturday I spoke to Rebecca and her husband, who were in Vienna as part of their journey throughout the EU’s 28 Member States – in their wetheeu.com project. On this leg of their trip Vienna was part of their route from Germany through Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, before heading on to Malta, Sicily, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. Part of their project in addition to the interviews with British Expats throughout the UK is also to explore parts of the countries they visit – rather than just a pure capital city hop. Continue reading “Am I am atypical British Expat in Vienna?”

wetheeu.com – travelling Europe between now and 23 June

wetheeuIt seems as though my blog has caught a few people’s attention – to date I have just spread it through a few interested friends and notified people through Facebook about my new posts on an as and when basis. Some friends have been kind enough to share posts or have commented and read the blog – I am sure that having chosen my blog to mention that I have a newborn son might have something to do with that though!
Continue reading “wetheeu.com – travelling Europe between now and 23 June”

As we pass through the 100 days to go mark… Taking stock.

Yesterday saw T-100 days until the UK Referendum. For many in the UK, the issue has been getting saturation coverage since the Prime Minister announced the date of the referendum, only just over 3 weeks ago.

Yesterday saw T-100 days until the UK Referendum. For many in the UK, the issue has been getting saturation coverage since the Prime Minister announced the date of the referendum, only just over 3 weeks ago. With the Presidential Election in the US still rumbling on and with nearly another 8 months until the vote there, even the prospect of a referendum a mere three months away seems to be too much for some citizens in the UK. In Austria we have the Presidential election coming up too, however despite not being able to vote in either the referendum in the country of my birth and upbringing, and the country whose citizenship I hold, the whole UK Referendum still captivates me more than the position of President of Austria – a widely ceremonial position. Continue reading “As we pass through the 100 days to go mark… Taking stock.”

Spread the word…

To tie in with vote registration day last month (4 Feb 2016), the consular services at the British Embassy passed on the information below. Its message has proven to be that many people are not aware of their eligibility to vote. Through the website that I help to run (vienna-expats.at) I have passed on the message, as well as sharing the information through various Facebook groups. It seems that as with the Swiss referendum, the key is to increase awareness among eligible voters – the ten pointers below are doing the rounds among expat circles here in Vienna and one of the features of their voter information round robin is the abiding message to spread the word – a sort of electoral evangelism.

Continue reading “Spread the word…”