Dear Jacob,
One EU rule that I would like you to get rid of is the one where the French no longer allow us to freely visit our holiday cottage in France.Something called the Schengen rule means we can no longer arrive on 1st April and leave on 30th September, even though the French say we are still allowed to spend six months there!
If we arrive on 1st April we have to leave on 30th June and can’t return until 1st October! What’s the point of that? Nobody buys a holiday cottage in France to spend the winters there! We certainly didn’t when we bought ours in 2007!
We have managed to get round the problem by applying for a six month visa but this is a huge palaver. There are only three centres in the UK where you can go to apply, Edinburgh, Manchester and London, and yes, you have to go in person, you can't apply online!
It takes hours of work to gather and photocopy all the paperwork, get extra
passport photos, hours to get there, the UK roads are in atrocious condition
especially around Manchester AND it costs a small fortune.
On top of
that we now have to buy animal health certificates at £170 each for each pet
every time we cross the channel!
This ridiculous rule by the French is so unfair when we are going to spend our money for six months in their country. We used to be able to just book the ferry, take the passports and go. Now it’s an enormous expense and hassle.
It seems the only
solution is to become residents of France and pay our tax to them instead of
Boris.
Ironically there are no reciprocal restrictions on French residents who have a holiday cottage in the UK! They can come and go as they wish as long as they don’t exceed six months, which is unfair and ridiculous. The Schengen rules only apply to us!
I would be most grateful if you could do something about this unfair sanction against the British by the French.
Yours sincerely,
Jean.
I look forward to reading his reply, although sadly I think it’s pre-Brexit EU regulations he’s asking for help on, not the scandalous national self-inflicted harm we’ve inflicted on ourselves with the divorce. Hopefully we’ll find the positives one day!
ReplyDeleteCaree, I'm hoping that Jacob might forgive the misunderstanding in a letter coming from a rather aggrieved, "this is not what I voted for" tabloid reader!
DeleteBut it isn't a French rule, it's an EU regulation that the UK citizens chose to impose on themselves by opting out of the EU. Exactly the same as all the so called red tape that we now find ourselves tied up with. Having the cake and eating it was never an available option despite our Great Leader's claims.
ReplyDeleteQuite!
DeleteDo you think the Right Honourable Jacob will see through my little masquerade as a not very bright "this is not what I voted for" tabloid reader? Or do you think he (or one of his minions as I can't believe he would actually read any of it) will take it at face value and reply?
I'm not holding my breath!
At best you will get a homily telling you that it shows how the EU dictate how a country must control it's borders, unlike the sovereign UK which has taken back control.........
DeleteBrexit is an own goal, that's for sure!
DeleteWhat a pain.
ReplyDeleteI hope for you there is enough outcry to make a difference.
We are definitely suffering from a colossal lack of competence and empathy by the government. Getting rid of them will not be easy because so many still believe in their lies and false promises. As people's lives get worse they seem to be more likely to pin their hopes on the chancers that brought about the misery but promise to end it.
Delete