Paphos People

My English neighbour has been visiting Cyprus for many years, back to before either UK or Cyprus joined the EU.
He later retired here.
Yesterday he was really cross having read a UK Govt Brexit advice note that after Brexit
holders of UK drivers licences may not be allowed to drive in the EU on visits.
He has family who regularily come out on visits to Cyprus and wish to drive.
He himself always used to do so.
No International Driving licence was required, just the UK National licence.
Why would this change after Brexit he asks?
This issue of course has ramifications for drivers coming here from other non-EU countries.
In the case of my own country, Israel, visitors are allowed to drive on short visits; why should
this be different from those visiting from the UK?
My neighbour reckons this is all scaremongering by those who wish UK to remain in the EU.
So, what is the truth about all this?
Thank you.
Amos.

Imho your neighbour is correct scaremongering. Remember things like this can work both ways so millions of EU citizens in the UK would have to get a UK licence. Imagine what the car hire companies in the holiday spots in Spain etc. will think of this.

Sometime in the future some high-level civil servant will have to answer for this and indeed other scaremongering stories, indeed may face civil action in the Courts where business or personal decisions were made and later deemed to be untrue.


Roll on Brexit and freedom.

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Clive of Payia

Thank you for that Clive.
I have passed your comments on to my neighbour - he thanks you also.
Believe me Clive when I say the rest of the world is going to be pleased when this
Brexit saga is over.
Amos.

Quite right Clive.

Why is the Eu different to anywhere else in the world.

I have hired cars in many non-Eu countries, including the USA where you would expect them to be strict about these things, given how many hoops you have to jump through to get into the country.

The inevitable conclusion is either;-

Number 1: These claims are indeed scaremongering put out by a section of the Government paying lip service only to Brexit whilst attempting to frighten the general public into thinking the whole thing will bring total chaos to the UK. Clearly the government remainers hope to create a sel-fulfilling phrophecy and must have a vested interest in doing so.

Number 2: The EU will impose such conditions in an attempt to "punish" the Uk for leaving the union. If this is the case it begs the question as to how secure we could ever be in an organisation so ready to treat former allies and member states so despicably.

Interestingly the following link leads to an article about driving in Spain - a country specifically mentioned in the scaremongering as not allowing UK drivers in with UK licences.

You will see that this quite clearly states non-EU drivers can drive on their own country's licence. Why then will the Uk be any different to the rest of the world?
Please also note that the article was only updated on the 18th August 2018. I have no reason to believe that other EU countries operate differently.

https://www.expatica.com/new/es/living/ ... se-107661/

In my opinion the quicker we leave the EU and cease to be under the control of others who do not have our best interests at heart the better.

Here is some info from UK gov .

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... rexit-deal

Thank you Number6.
I have just checked with my neighbour - your link takes you to the very document he was
so cross about.
Amos.

BREXIT
NOBODY actually knows, not even the government, there are still too many variables Deal or no deal; Canada agreement; WTO agreement

There are too many saremongerers using the words
Could; might; may; possibly; potentially;

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Dave
Moira And Dave

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

From the outside looking in, sounds weird. Why would the UK Government scaremonger?
Like I said the sooner this farce is over the better.
Amos.

Quote:- "Why would the UK Government scaremonger?"

They are scaremongering 'between themselves' about what will happen if the government don't get the required support. This is then passed on to the general public by both for & against teams

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Dave
Moira And Dave

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

Thank you. Seems an odd way to conduct a democracy.
Amos.

That's easy to answer. The UK government offered a referendum to offset the then growing influence of UKIP, particularly in European politics. They thought that the public would reject leaving the EU and that would silence UKIP for a generation.

What they failed to understand was the level of animosity in Britain to the direction the EU was taking. The vote to leave took them by surprise and ever since they have been back-pedalling to try and find a way that will satisfy the majority while still remaining tied to the EU. There has been no end of propaganda from those, including the government, who want to remain in the EU, in order to scare the public into changing their minds.

The current plan is Mrs May's Chequers plan, which, when watered down further by negotiation, cannot fulfil the election promise to leave the EU and so it will fail.

Britain will leave the EU next March, with or without a deal. It is difficult to say which at present. My guess is a fudge that keeps Britain tied to the EU and the consequences of that for the future of democracy in Britain will be far more relevant than any minor issue about driving licences.

Agree KG. Leave under WTO rules and keep the EU's ransom money to spend on more pressing needs at home.

Should there be a fudge and the UK is some how be still attached to the EU the civil servants and politicians who have flagrantly ignored the democratic vote of the people will be richly rewarded for their unpatriotic and undemocratic tactics at the next general election. Those that stand in this general election on a programme of Leaving the EU will gain the most seats. I foresee a landslide.

Remember most MP's only aim in life is to be re-elected and would sell their grandmothers to gain it.

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Clive of Payia

Amos ……
KG & Clive of Payia are absolutely 'spot on' with their diagnosis.
The British have a much stronger resolve than some countries who have been forced to vote again to reverse their decision.
One way or another, the EU will have to accept the fact that the UK is leaving !

Courtesy of John Redwood MP.
Quote. Project Fear caricatures itself
Posted: 15 Sep 2018 10:09 PM PDT

The latest round of Project Fear stories are usually re runs of past versions of the same thing. This time they are often repeated in even shriller and more apocalyptic tones, as the clock ticks down to our exit in March 2019.
Let’s deal with a few of them:

1. They said ” The UK will lose the advantage of the EU policy removing roaming charges for use of mobiles around Europe.” This was often mentioned in the Referendum campaign as one of the few examples of a positive from the EU. This week the main mobile companies confirmed they will not be imposing new roaming charges when we leave! There is enough competition in the market to keep prices down. A company like Vodafone anyway offers free roaming for non EU countries like Norway and Turkey as well as Iceland, a country which cancelled its application to join the EU. It is always wise to check your contract, as the so called EU free roaming may well have a usage limit.

2. They said ” The trade deals the EU has with other countries around the world will cease for us when we leave”. Six countries have already confirmed in an international Agreement they will continue these more favourable terms with the UK after we have left. No country who has signed an EU trade deal has said it intends to cancel it for the UK.

3. They said “There will be delays and queues at the UK ports leading to food shortages”. The UK government has made clear it is not going to impose a new range of delaying checks and procedures at our ports to hold up food we wish to buy from the continent after we have left. Why would we want to do that?

4. They said “The NHS could run out of medicines and we need to stockpile before departure”. No EU pharmaceutical company that currently supplies the NHS has said it wishes to cancel its contract the day we leave the EU! They will be legally bound to carry on supplying us. The NHS and UK port authorities have not announced any new checks or delays they wish to impose on medicines approved here for use here and imported from the continent.

5. They said (Treasury and Bank of England) that we would have a recession in the winter after voting to leave, with 800,000 job losses and a house price collapse. None of this happened, with continued economic growth, record levels of employment and a stable house market.

6. The press say the Bank is now forecasting a 35% house price fall if we just leave without a Withdrawal Agreement. This has recently been denied by the Bank, which is relief, as there is no way just leaving the EU could lead to any such house price fall.

7. Some still say airlines will not be able to fly into London after we leave. The leading continental airlines are busy selling tickets for trips into the UK after March next year, and assure those buying the tickets they will be flying.
How much more of this nonsense do we have to listen to? When will more journalists push back on these absurd stories? Unquote.

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Clive of Payia