Brexit benefits – lets start a list

Just dropping in again for a quick check – anyone found any benefits yet?

I know there are other things that are also bad, this thread wasn’t meant to be about all the bad things that Brexit, COVID, Ukraine war, Boris, Trump etc, etc, etc have caused. It was meant to be for the Brexit champions to remind me of what we have gained beyond being able to paint crowns on glasses and having different coloured paperwork.

Anything? Anyone?

Nope.

Does the fact that Brexit sounds like a breakfast cereal count as a good thing? 🤔

Rejoining the EU tomorrow might make it easier for the middle classes to pursue their continental lifestyles, but would do nothing to fix the fundamental problems we have.

TBH some people wanted to live and work abroad,that vote removed their freedom of movement rights and stopped them able to work in any other country than their ‘host’ country.

My in laws retired abroad as their state pension would go further in Spain than the U.K.

The only issue the middle class have is the 90/180 day rule so an inconvenience but a pensioner cannot now afford to retire to Spain unless they have a lot more money.

(And the queues at Dover and passport control:-) )

Not a benefit because of the why but…

Irish passport office have streamlined the process of getting a passport sorted.

Mind you I wouldn’t need one if I could retire/move to Europe on a British one.

For the vast majority hardly anything has changed.
It has, they (and you it seems) just don’t realise it yet.

Well I’ve not been able to return to the U.K. for the last few years as this would cancel my Spanish visa application.

My driving licence became invalid for nearly a year, now I’ve got a month before it’s invalid again.

Not things I was expecting but I’m not the only person in this situation.

My brother in law cannot return to the UK with his wife and child. At least, not by right. It may be possible if he gets a job and applies for visa etc. I don’t think he’s bothered yet but I wonder what his retirement planning is as he’s older than me.

My brother in law cannot return to the UK with his wife and child. Are you counting that as a benefit? Don’t you like them much then? 😉

Mind you I wouldn’t need one if I could retire/move to Europe on a British one.

TBH you can still retire in spain with a British passport,it’s just the income/savings (health insurance/S1)requirements are much higher than before.

Without a residency/eu passport you are stuck with the 90/180 day rule, so can’t do 6 months in each country.(tbh unless you’ve done 5 years residency you can’t do this either)

Enlighten me. Seeing as you seem to know how I’ve suffered I’m all ears as to how you think my life has been materially damaged by being out of the EU.

Purely due to Brexit you’ve lost your Freedom of Movement and since Brexit is driving up core UK inflation pretty much everything you spend your income on has got dearer.  Would Putin have invaded without Brexit?

But the bigger impact is what has occurred on the back of Brexit, and what has now been put in place – as I keep saying, Brexit isn’t the destination, it’s the vehicle.  This hard right-wing Govt (probably) wouldn’t be here without Brexit, the damage to politics (probably) wouldn’t have occurred without Brexit – how about losing your right to protest, or the billions that disappeared during Covid (£37bn Track & Trace, Sunak’s unassured give-aways, Tory VIP PPE) or that they’ve linked us up with trade deals on the other side of the world which will have obligations that haven’t been examined and/or aren’t publicly known (some just to make it so we can’t go back into the EU)?

These are just a few – wake up FFS can’t you see the trajectory, this isn’t something that can be turned around in a few years – they’ve managed to loosen/dismantle the post-war consensus and the very people who benefitted from it (and would benefit) are the ones they’ve got persuaded its dilution.

For what it’s worth, I’m a Scotsman and against independence. 

If you’re against independence then being a “Scotsman” is no different to being Cockney or a Yorkshireman.

My brother in law cannot return to the UK with his wife and child.

Are you counting that as a benefit? Don’t you like them much then? 😉

It may be a benefit for him, with an elderly father in the UK requiring increasing amounts of help.

Well I’ve not been able to return to the U.K. for the last few years as this would cancel my Spanish visa application.

Is the rule that you’re not allowed to leave the EU, or Schengen, or Spain? TBF this sounds like a bad Spanish rule for immigrants than a Brexit problem. ISTR the US has the same silly rule…

Would Putin have invaded without Brexit?

Yes, without question.

For what it’s worth, I’m a Scotsman and against independence. 

If you’re against independence then being a “Scotsman” is no different to being Cockney or a Yorkshireman.

You’d think so but having lived in Yorkshire for thirty years I can assure you you’re wrong. Strange. But true.

TBH you can still retire in spain with a British passport,it’s just the income/savings (health insurance/S1)requirements are much higher than before.

The economic migrants who never get referenced by the tabloid press.

TBH you can still retire in spain with a British passport,it’s just the income/savings (health insurance/S1)requirements are much higher than before.

Yep I’m aware but €75 is easier than reaching that savings threshold.

You’d think so but having lived in Yorkshire for thirty years I can assure you you’re wrong. Strange. But true.

As a Yorkshireman who lives in Scotland, disagree.

TBF this sounds like a bad Spanish rule for immigrants than a Brexit problem.

It’s quite a leap of logic to say it’s not a Brexit problem when a pre-existing rule suddenly applies to UK nationals as a direct and deliberate result of Brexit. Using the same logic, I guess you think that 90 day residency restrictions, import duties, etc aren’t Brexit problems either.

If anything it goes to show that EU countries do indeed have lots of control over thier borders after all.

With a non-lucrative visa, as well as having to prove you have money and health insurance you’re not allowed to work in Spain.

If you want to work in Spain it’s more difficult

https://www.spainvisa.eu/visa-types/work-visa/

If anything it goes to show that EU countries do indeed have lots of control over thier borders after all.

Brexit was always about “taking back control” of things we already had control of but people were too pigshit thick to comprehend. Borders, measurements, coins, stamps on glasses. Brexit has changed precisely nothing that the people who voted for it voted for.

… so, benefits, then?

Brexit has changed precisely nothing that the people who voted for it voted for.

Its meant more non white immigrants which is the opposite of what many voted for

Its meant more non white immigrants which is the opposite of what many voted for

Yeah like those bloody Scots moving into Yorkshire with their gingerness on show for all to see!

🙂

It’s quite a leap of logic to say…

Hold on, champ, we didn’t even hear back on what the rule is…

we didn’t even hear back on what the rule is…

Pre-existing immigration rules for 3rd party (non-EU) countries that EU countries have. You’d need to check the rules for the specific country requirements, Spanish immigration rules may vary a bit from say French, or German ones, given they can broadly set thier own standards within the framework of EU law.

For example you won’t get a spanish visa unless you are:

A) Loaded, or comforatably retired on a passive income

B) Have skills that are deemed to be in demand / they have a shortage of

Do keep up at the back.

politecameraaction
Free Member

TBF this sounds like a bad Spanish rule for immigrants than a Brexit problem.

It’s a Spanish rule that we weren’t affected by when we were in the EU, which we are now because of brexit. Hard to see how that could be any more of a brexit problem tbh

You’d need to check the rules for the specific country requirements…

Yeah, that’s exactly the question that’s been put to the person who raised it. What is the rule?

It seems like you need to pay EUR 10 to get permission to travel out of Spain while your residency card is pending. But EU citizens always needed a residency card so leaving the EU didn’t make a difference here, did it?

https://sede.policia.gob.es/portalCiudadano/_es/tramites_extranjeria_tramite_autorizacionregreso.php#

I’m not entirely sure what you mean, you’ll need a tourist visa if that’s what you mean by the 10€ fee, but I imagine that will simply be built into the price of a plane ticket or you’ll just have to tick a box when buying a ticket.

If you are applying for residency in ‘a’ host country, in Spain at least, you’ll now need to be in spain for 5 years I think, on a more ‘proper’ type of visa which will need to be renewed yearly at the start.. And if you leave Spain for any legnth of time, it’s all re-set back to square one.

And once you become ‘resident’ you will also become tax resident in Spain rather than the UK.

Or do you mean comming from a position of a Spanish resident traveling to another EU country?

Muy complicado, as they say…

… so, benefits, then?

Ive got on, Brexit has generated activity on tbe forum providing ad revenue/subscriber revent for STW

… so, benefits, then?

Travelling to and from the UK to Sweden I can now take advantage of the Duty Free alcohol. That’s only really worthwhile on the way back to Sweden though and a lot of the booze they have is about the same price as back home, so not much of a benefit to me (unless I want to enjoy cheap, 1L bottles of whisky and gin)

100% of Britons now support Brexit – benefits set out in independent review…

? SHOCK: New Report Reveals 100% of Britons Now SUPPORT Brexit.

?️ Your latest #BrokenNews update this #SaturdayMorning. pic.twitter.com/z8WXJ5dlGe

— Larry & Paul (@larryandpaul) August 26, 2023

Could you summarise the benefits in your link for us please, olddog. I doubt many of want to click that.

YouBoob version for those avoiding X-Blue rated content…

Caught up with friends this morning, their daughter is studying German and Russian at uni, and last year she should have had 6 months each in Germany and Russia.

Russia got replaced with Latvia, but between the two universities cocking up required visas, she went over the EU 90 day limit and had to quit Latvia before she was deported.

This was after the various organisations had cocked up the new post Brexit rules and documents needed to get her out there in the first place.

She’s not able to add anything to our list of imaginary benefits

Could you summarise the benefits in your link for us please, olddog. I doubt many of want to click that.

@Edukator

Is twitter is a thing we don’t do anymore? Likewise satire?

Travelling to and from the UK to Sweden I can now take advantage of the Duty Free alcohol. That’s only really worthwhile on the way back to Sweden though and a lot of the booze they have is about the same price as back home, so not much of a benefit to me (unless I want to enjoy cheap, 1L bottles of whisky and gin)

I noticed this on a trip to Rhodes a few weeks ago. The litre bottles of Trampoline are reasonably priced but anything half decent like a nice single malt are the same price or more than the supermarket. You might not be paying ‘duty’ but the airport is laughing all the way to its offshore bank.

Same with tabacco, cheaper to buy it at a tabac than the airport, even though you are paying tax at a tabac, the airports just ramp up the price and that negates any tax free saving.

Same with perfumes/aftershaves etc.

Its only worth buying stuff at the airport in an emergency or if you want to get rid of a bit of currency left over in your wallet.

Is twitter is a thing we don’t do anymore?

Well I don’t, not even Kelvin’s lefty woke Twitter/X links I might find interesting. 😉

And thanks for the non-X version, Kelvin. 🙂

I’m not using X now. Surprised anyone still is.

Some of the video might be lost on you Ed, because it’s more a comment on how “news” works in the UK than Brexit itself… although it’s easy to argue we wouldn’t have the latter without the former. Actually, then again, the way our media is working over here might be even more obvious to you looking in than it is to the those of experiencing it daily inside the UK.

Some of it no doubt is lost on me, Kelvin. Satire/parody only works if you know the background. I find satire/parody works best when it’s close enough to the original to string you along for a while before you realise it’s satire/parody . In the case of this video it wasn’t close enough to make me smile, there wasn’t the plausibilty element. One satirical headline that made it to this side of the Channel was “May appoints Minister for Contradicting Brexit Ministers”.

Yeah, that’s exactly the question that’s been put to the person who raised it. What is the rule?

It seems like you need to pay EUR 10 to get permission to travel out of Spain while your residency card is pending. But EU citizens always needed a residency card so leaving the EU didn’t make a difference here, did it?

Hang on caller,just living the dream 🙂

Right you can’t leave Spain whilst your residency is being processed as that assumes that you do not wish to proceed.(I have had to provide a copy of my complete passport)

My residency is being done under the Withdrawl Agreement so I can work here.

The legal advice is don’t leave the country, there is supposedly a way to get permission in extreme circumstances but no one has ever seen it happen.

Prior to brexit it have taken 3 months now it’s whenever it is.

I think that 10 euro thing is when you renew the residency not getting actual residency.

It’s a Spanish admin issue but tbh if Brexit hadn’t had happened I wouldn’t necessarily need to to resident and they wouldn’t have had such fun with application processing as every region started making stuff up.

Interestingly you can become tax resident without residency and I currently pay my taxes in Spain.

That permission to leave: from the Spanish CAB site.

ASSUMPTIONS
a) Be the holder of a residence or stay authorization and have initiated the renewal or extension of the authorization that entitles you to remain in Spain within the legal term.

b) Be the holder of a valid foreigner identity card and have submitted a request for a duplicate card for theft, loss, destruction or disabling.

c) Evidence that the trip responds to a situation of necessity and that there are exceptional reasons and that the initial authorization for residence or stay has been resolved favorably and that the issuance of the foreigner’s identity card is being processed.

I’d be point c) the gotcha is I have a ‘non favourable’ status which means I can’t have permission to leave as I have been refused residency.(due to lack of proof to prove I actually live here, which always gets a raised eyebrows and interesting conversation from the civic centre when I get a fresh padron,a document proving where I’m living,for anything legal.