Brits in Spanish TV debate
Local expats invited to Brexit discussion on regional TV programme 'La Qüestió'
Expats in the studio to talk of concerns over Britain leaving the EU
LAST Friday evening, two local British expats were invited to appear on ‘La Qüestió’ – a weekly Friday night television programme on mainstream regional television about Brexit and the effects it will have on the estimated 87,000 British expats living in the Valencia region.
It is a subject that has been widely discussed in the UK since the referendum but now, as the deadline draws closer, also in countries such as Spain which have big communities of British residents.
A ‘no-deal’ scenario will have a huge impact on the economy, as well as the daily lives of those British residents who have made Spain their home, and the programme bought together a wide variety of people, all with their own take and opinion on the situation.
The television station À Punt – previously Canal Nou is based in Valencia and the live two-hour broadcast was all in Valenciano, which the expat guests – Karen MalingCowles, President of Benidorm’s British Businesses Association (BBBA) and Dave Rowland, presenter on Fresh Radio Spain - understood but had their say in Castellano.
Both work in Benidorm and have daily contact with both British residents and visitors, therefore have first-hand insight into the fears and worries facing many over the coming months and the impact it will have on the economy in the event of an unsatisfactory negotiation, especially as Karen has a business here.
The programme is hosted by Jèssica Crespo and Adelaida Ferre and divided up into two hour-long segments with four guests in front of a live studio audience.
First to appear was Dave, alongside three Spaniards - a media correspondent, local politician and an economist who were all very well informed, plus Francisco Llopis Vaño, an economics professor from Alicante university who has written a report on the perceived economic impact Brexit will have.
Dave certainly held his own and contributed well to the discussion but is in a slightly unusual situation compared to almost all other UK expats, in that he has renounced his British nationality and is now a Spanish national. As a result, the withdrawal of Britain from the EU will not affect him personally.
In the second hour, Karen sat alongside another Brit, Gregory Hunt, a member of Bremain in Spain, a group campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU and to protect the rights of British citizens in Spain.
He was very vocal about the misinformation people were given prior to the referendum and called for a second vote, whilst Karen contended that we can’t change the result and have to get on with it, focusing on what we need to do, such as registering on the ‘padrón’ (municipal register) and applying for residency – the same clear message which the consulate is giving out.
There is a lot of uncertainty, especially among residents but the best thing they can do is ensure that they are as legal as possible prior to March 29, 2019.
The coming weeks and months will undoubtedly lead to many more such debates but this programme indicated that, by and large, the Spanish are just as unnerved about the future as we are.