Pity the poor migrant

A rare dip into morning telly and there are a group of bewildered migrants huddled around, fearful of the future and wondering if they will be sent back to their country of origin if they are denied basic rights including healthcare. But these weren’t the type of migrants the red tops vilify and libel. These migrants were referred to in interviews as ex-pats. They were British people, mainly pensioners, living on the Costa del Sol.

They seemed surprised to learn that in the event of a no deal crash out Brexit, they stand to lose their entitlement to healthcare with immediate effect and worse than that, they don’t know if they will be able to stay in Spain at all.

Of course, some of them didn’t appear to be concerned. “The locals want our money,” said one man. “How would they replace it?” It was disappointing that the interviewer, rather typically of the media these days, didn’t reply that the loss of citizenship and the right to live in a foreign country is the main factor in all this and not the spending power of British pensioners.

Overall, I felt very sad about it. I know I am in a minority these days but I love it that, until 31st October, we can live wherever we want in Europe. Whilst it doesn’t appeal to me, there are hundreds of thousands of mainly older people living on the Spanish Costas in search of all year round sunshine in place of damp and cloudy England, all of which has been achieved on the back of the free movement our country wishes to scrap. Sadly, the lives of real people are about to be turned upside down and this will happen in any form of Brexit.

I liked the way things were before the disastrous referendum in 2016. A few hard right blowhards were a nuisance but the rest of us got on with our lives. By trying to end the debate on Europe in the Tory party, David Cameron set the country on fire and after his fateful act, he disappeared to spend more time with his millions.

The migrants in the Spanish Costas are among the victims of Brexit, as will be British migrants living and working all across the EU. And, as ever, the supporters of Brexit, cannot come up with a single reason why they as individuals or the country in general will benefit from cutting ourselves off from our closest allies.