Editorial: The foreign legion

WHY is it that there is not a large association on the island which manages to bridge the gap between the different nationalities? Can you imagine if all the foreign nationalities living on the island joined forces and set-up an association to defend our  rights. According to the latest census figures there are about 50,000 British and German residents in the Balearics. Now, the Germans have the same view on the green residence certificate and the question of “illegal”holiday lets as the British. They also want the certificate to be scrapped at once and also want to be able to rent out their holiday home legally. Now if the British and Germans were to form a united front Iam sure that the local authorities would sit up and take note. And then you have the Scandanavians, the Italians, the French the list goes on. At the end of the day you are probably talking about 100,000 people, 10 percent of the local population with similar problems and a similar point of view. I know that it is not easy to bring the different European nations together, just look at the European Union, but it is certainly worth a try. The benefits would be enormous. Small associations, of many nationalities do exist on the island, but what I propose is a single association which would bring all foreigners together. We would have strength in numbers and I am  sure that it would also mean  that many of the problems we face would be dealt with and quickly.