In recent weeks it has struck me about the necessity of being well prepared for all eventualities. In my case it has now become a case that with added family responsibility I have had to ensure that I am also prepared for both eventualities to also ensure my infant son’s well-being, regardless of the outcome of the referendum on 23 June.
Continue reading “Do you have a Plan B?”
Category: UK
Interview with Joe Mayes – a Paris-based journalist
Yesterday morning I was interviewed over the phone by a journalist in Paris, Joe Mayes. He wanted to ask about various facets of expat life, which he is currently pitching an article for – he is already very aware of the expat situation from Paris – and contacted me after finding out about my blog through the wetheeu website. I’ve embedded a recent piece from his website (below) – his focus was from Brits in Paris – and there is a lot of similarity to the circumstances faced by Brits there as to Austria – particularly in relation to the potential currency shock in relation to the effects of a Brexit. Continue reading “Interview with Joe Mayes – a Paris-based journalist”
Should I vote or should I not? A question to my facebook friends
Yesterday I posted a question on my Facebook profile, and asked British friends – both based in the UK and elsewhere to give their reasons why they should or should not vote in the forthcoming UK referendum on EU membership. I never usually agonise about the wording of something like this – although the wording was important – and for me the aim was not to canvass people on which way they would vote, or even their allegiance to “remaining in” or “supporting a Brexit”. Continue reading “Should I vote or should I not? A question to my facebook friends”
Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, voting to stay in
When I contacted Rebecca Pow, the Conservative MP for Taunton Deane, at the start of March, she replied that she had not yet decided in which camp she would be in for the UK Referendum on EU Membership. She has now chosen to support the campaign for remaining in the EU, a decision which I salute, and am highly relieved at. Continue reading “Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, voting to stay in”
How realistic is the two-year period for negotiating a Brexit? And what does Article 50 of the EU Treaty say?
Having touched upon the issue of Article 50 of the European Treaty and how it offers a two-year transitional period, I have, when speaking to a couple of media enquiries, emphasised that it is not this period that will be the most difficult for Expats living abroad, but what comes after the expiry of the transition period. The complexity of the Brexit is something that seems to have not been assessed particularly by those championing the advantages of leaving the EU. Continue reading “How realistic is the two-year period for negotiating a Brexit? And what does Article 50 of the EU Treaty say?”
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?”
wetheeu.com – travelling Europe between now and 23 June
It 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.”
A tale of two governors
Current Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney and his predecessor Mervyn King have both commented on the referendum this week.
There has been substantial reporting of Mark Carney’s comments regarding the effect of a potential Brexit on the financial stability of the UK. Rather than to choose a British paper, with a Bremain leaning, I’ve chosen to look at the reporting in the Wall Street Journal. Part of the side issue is that of Central Bank independence – and Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg – a SW England Tory MP – attacked Carney’s remarks, claiming that they were an example of “political partisanship” that affected the BoE’s “Olympian detachment”. Continue reading “A tale of two governors”
Somerset – a Eurosceptic county
The county of my birth, Somerset is defined by a piece on weforum.org as being decidedly Eurosceptic – although it falls short of being one of the 10 most Eurosceptic regions in the UK.
Continue reading “Somerset – a Eurosceptic county”