Dear Sir,
My Uncle Oliver died in battle three weeks before the end of the First World War. Last week I visited the cemetery in France where his sacrifice is commemorated and as I looked out over the tombstones and searched for my uncle’s name in the long lists of the dead whose resting place is not known, I hoped and prayed that having defeated nationalism twice in the last century, the British people will see sense and defeat a different kind of nationalism next week.
For me the debate should not be about immigration and economics. It should be about peace (as Ray Fleming pointed out in Looking Around, Majorca Daily Bulletin, 12 June 2016) and morality. When the world is faced with so many serious problems (terrorism, climate change, refugees fleeing from war, poverty etc.) is it morally right to turn our backs on our neighbours and to choose to live once again in ‘splendid isolation’?
If I could vote in the referendum I would be on the same side as the leaders of every friendly country as well as most business leaders and trade unions. I may have a British passport but inside I feel neither British, nor English, nor Spanish. I feel European.
Yours faithfully,
George Tunnell
Calvia
Dear Sir,
As the time for referendum gets ever closer, the arguments for and against become more and more a contest between those who believe the economy as the most important issue and those who think that immigration is far more threatening. Who is right? lt's a matter for the individual voter.
But I do think that we expatriates will be much more concerned about the state of sterling as its fall will affect all of us who receive pensions and other income from Britain. And I am astonished to see the daily polls in the Bulletin showing a majority for Britain to leave the EU. Talk about turkeys voting for Xmas!
I can only surmise that these people are thinking of returning to live in Britain, which I feel is like Adam deserting The Garden of Eden!
As I have lived and loved every day of my over 30 years here on this magical island, I pity those who are contemplating such a retrograde step.
Phil Green
El Toro
Dear Sir,
I am incensed. Having been on the electoral roll in Central Region in Scotland, I was assured I was on the Voters Roll and then applied for a postal vote.
I received confirmation by post that I had a postal vote from 20 May 2016 to 20 May 2017 and that my ballot paper would be sent to my address here in Majorca.
Having discovered that the majority of my friends had received, albeit from English constituencies, and returned their ballot papers, I emailed Central Region on Friday afternoon requesting confirmation that my ballot paper had been posted.
This was to help me have the post office investigate my missing paper.
I was incensed to have written confirmation from them that the returning officer had advised that the ballot papers will be posted out between 13 and 14 June. In my view I am being dis-enfranchised as from experience, and I am sure you will agree, it is well nigh impossible for the ballot paper to be received by me in time for me to have it posted back to them before 23 June.
I have suggested that the returning officer might like to use a courier service to get the ballot paper to me.
As a subscriber to the Daily Bulletin, I know how hard you have worked along with the British Consulate to encourage us all to use our vote.
It seems that it could be all in vain.
Kind regards,
Susan Mackay