A Place in the Sun: 'a dream retirement abroad'
A good proportion of Remainers I have spoken with about their motivation for wanting to stay in the EU is that they want to leave the UK, in retirement. They were probably influenced by years of the Sunday afternoon BBC TV programme, ‘A Place in the Sun’. This encouraged selling up and moving abroad to a characterful, sunny property, ideally 'improved' as a retirement hobby. It said that one can live more cheaply, while selling or renting out one’s main home, in the UK. A definite 'win win'. Many, as a result, keenly want to retire to a villa in Spain, the South of France, an island off Greece or a vineyard in Italy and some have done so, giving up on Britain, entirely.
Those nearing retirement feel Brexit has ruined their life; it is a very unfair destruction of their deserved ‘dream of foreign ownership', an idea directly put in their heads, by the media. Brexit is very upsetting for them but this 'internal disruption' is not their fault. The 'dream' was greatly encouraged by the BBC, ITV and estate agents, who saw a big profit in selling properties to the British abroad.
Those nearing retirement feel Brexit has ruined their life; it is a very unfair destruction of their deserved ‘dream of foreign ownership', an idea directly put in their heads, by the media. Brexit is very upsetting for them but this 'internal disruption' is not their fault. The 'dream' was greatly encouraged by the BBC, ITV and estate agents, who saw a big profit in selling properties to the British abroad.
A silent majority of humble pensioners were confused and affronted by 'A Place in the Sun'. I recall an elderly lady, in some distress, sharing with me that the "BBC wants me to leave my own country, in my old age...".
For some people, retiring to Spain, Portugal, France, Eastern Europe or Italy was seen as their only viable financial option for a pension - and with those I most strongly sympathise. But again, this idea was put in their head by the media and it is probably not their only coping strategy. Life can be unfair; people encounter undeserved bad luck and ill health. Life in the UK is costly and pensionable jobs are more and more difficult to find. UK summers can be 'a wash out' (rain, rain,rain).
However, if some Remainers want to leave a green UK, can they really expect to influence the future of the ‘left behind ones’, financially and literally on lower incomes but highly taxed, who help to pay for their dream of 'escaping the UK'? Wouldn’t this be a kind of exploitation of the 'left behind ones' without capital, which, on top of the loss of direct democracy would result in a sense of deep injustice and even perceived 'slavery', soon leading to revolution?
The dream is not dead....
We strongly believe that after ‘Brexit’, working and living abroad will still be possible for the British, possibly even buying properties. We have no hard evidence for this, but other nationalities have always managed to live all around the world. Some British managed it before joining the EU. Health insurance would be payable, so this would probably preclude the least well off doing it (but they mostly voted ‘Brexit’). Even if one wants to live abroad, it is wise to remain resident and taxed in the UK. To achieve this one has to be resident in the UK for a certain number of days each year (about 6 months), so many people living abroad come back for the autumn and winter.
Buying abroad: is it worthwhile?
'A Place in the Sun' never discussed whether it is worthwhile financially buying a first or second home in the EU. It never warned that one could be trapped abroad alone, in one's late 70s and 80s, by rising house prices in the UK. It never mentioned the possibility of 'Brexit'. Properties are losing value across the Continent in areas not close to job opportunities because property prices are not increasing across the Channel, as in the UK. Old, remote, rural properties are not valued as much for their character - so could one sell on at a profit - or at all? Would one want to stay in the same place all the time? Taxes on purchases can be high. Local corruption is a real challenge, as well as planning laws and regulation in a foreign language. Pipes could freeze when one is absent. People could break in and squat. There are high taxes on a second home.
The dream is not dead....
We strongly believe that after ‘Brexit’, working and living abroad will still be possible for the British, possibly even buying properties. We have no hard evidence for this, but other nationalities have always managed to live all around the world. Some British managed it before joining the EU. Health insurance would be payable, so this would probably preclude the least well off doing it (but they mostly voted ‘Brexit’). Even if one wants to live abroad, it is wise to remain resident and taxed in the UK. To achieve this one has to be resident in the UK for a certain number of days each year (about 6 months), so many people living abroad come back for the autumn and winter.
Buying abroad: is it worthwhile?
'A Place in the Sun' never discussed whether it is worthwhile financially buying a first or second home in the EU. It never warned that one could be trapped abroad alone, in one's late 70s and 80s, by rising house prices in the UK. It never mentioned the possibility of 'Brexit'. Properties are losing value across the Continent in areas not close to job opportunities because property prices are not increasing across the Channel, as in the UK. Old, remote, rural properties are not valued as much for their character - so could one sell on at a profit - or at all? Would one want to stay in the same place all the time? Taxes on purchases can be high. Local corruption is a real challenge, as well as planning laws and regulation in a foreign language. Pipes could freeze when one is absent. People could break in and squat. There are high taxes on a second home.
Alternatives to owning abroad
The alternative is to rent. Then, one can go anywhere and everywhere affordably, and feel at home, self catering affordably, using AirBnB. If one has residency rights, one can also rent repeatedly or long term, to become part of one local community. In fact, this is what the wealthy British did in the past. The poet Shelley left England to escape his creditors and rented in Italy.
Weather on the Continent
The British tend to imagine that the weather in sunnier climes is always clear blue skies but it is not. It is 'Continental weather', often far more extreme and colder than in the UK. There are real threats from heatwaves, monster snow storms, volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, landslides and bridges collapsing. Winter in the UK is mild with a warming Gulf Stream, sparkling Christmas lights, a spring ‘to die for’ plus the endless appeal of what one Californian director told me is 'The Centre of the Universe' : London. As Dr Jonson said “He (and she) who is tired of London is tired of life”.
The British tend to imagine that the weather in sunnier climes is always clear blue skies but it is not. It is 'Continental weather', often far more extreme and colder than in the UK. There are real threats from heatwaves, monster snow storms, volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, landslides and bridges collapsing. Winter in the UK is mild with a warming Gulf Stream, sparkling Christmas lights, a spring ‘to die for’ plus the endless appeal of what one Californian director told me is 'The Centre of the Universe' : London. As Dr Jonson said “He (and she) who is tired of London is tired of life”.
Summary
The very fashionable ‘villa owning' dream comes directly from ‘A Place in the Sun’ and similar TV programmes but the idea was always 'half baked'. It needs revisiting. How about a series of timely follow-up documentary showing what really happened to some of the full time emigres as they aged, partners died, when the exchange rate altered and Brexit emerged?
The very fashionable ‘villa owning' dream comes directly from ‘A Place in the Sun’ and similar TV programmes but the idea was always 'half baked'. It needs revisiting. How about a series of timely follow-up documentary showing what really happened to some of the full time emigres as they aged, partners died, when the exchange rate altered and Brexit emerged?
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