Robin Hood wrote:Talisker,
A very accurate and well reasoned argument but, you are peeing into the wind with those on this Forum! I have Cypriot friends with whom I have had this discussion and in the main they agree with your observations and very logical assessment of the Cypriot attitude.
This, like many threads that preceded it will no doubt be destroyed by the Forum Rottweiler’s. What could be an interesting exchange of views from both sides of the fence will deteriorate into a mud slinging match with the interfering Brits attacked from all sides because they dare to express an opinion. You may have noticed particularly on this site and amongst the younger generation of Cypriots, that hatred of any opinion expressed by foreigners, is a major part of the Cypriot psyche.
Cypriots do not seem to accept that virtually all the Brits that came to live here, came because they were fed up with seeing their own country going down the pan because ‘foreigners’ lowered the quality of life and a standard of living, that took generations to create. We left behind a country which has no-go areas and areas in which there are no 'English'. We came here with most of our wealth, which in turn made many Cypriots wealthy. Almost every Brit that lives in Cyprus, is an asset to the country. What would happen to the Cypriot economy if the Brits all quit and went elsewhere?
There are approximately 60,000 Brits actually living here full time. The vast majority of these being pensioners who each month, bring a substantial sum of money into Cyprus to live on. Unlike the overgenerous benefits in the UK, there is virtually no welfare state support for foreigners in Cyprus!
The Brits income that arrives every month from the UK (or wherever) is all money flowing into the Cyprus coffers. Assume the ridiculous that all Brits are married couples living on a fairly low income of a thousand euro’s a month per couple? So, that’s 30,000 couples bringing in a total of €30m every month as a minimum. There will be many bringing into the country many times that monthly figure. So having contributed a minimum of €360m a year to the Cyprus economy, I think we deserve an opinion. This Island has been my home for twenty years and it is home to me as much as it is to Cypriot nationals and what happens here, that can adversely affect the Island, is also something that is important to me.
As you say, Brits do have a habit of moaning but it is not because we think we are better than others but because we can see similar warning signs of events that dragged our country down, happening also in Cyprus. Maybe not the same events but, when you see what national apathy to an established system can do to a country/people, then you know what to look for. It is like a cancer that grows almost undetected until it is all consuming and the chance has gone to do anything about it. General apathy shown by Cypriots over many things such as poor driving standards, the legal system, title deeds, corruption, public service abuse, greed, and bureaucratic incompetence, will eventually come home to roost when it will affect Cypriots directly and not just the foreigners.
Cypriots, like Arabs, have a very long memory and are never prepared to let the past go. Hence, no matter how sound and well informed an argument you can present Cypriots will not listen, they see it merely as interference from ‘outside’.
You put forward an interesting financial case for the legitimacy of the voice of Brits living in Cyprus, but I don't agree with it for the very reasons you explain elsewhere in your post. You bemoan the changes that have occurred in the UK in recent decades due to mass immigration, etc, and yet argue that Brits in Cyprus should be heard specifically because of their numbers and financial input. Yes, they should be heard, but should they have an unalienable right to enforce change in Cypriot customs, laws, etc - emphatically 'no' - this must happen through the normal processes of democratic government and legislation, and at the more local level through discussion and negotiation with neighbours, local councils, muhktars, etc.
I find it sad that you group Cypriots together (even on this forum) as being xenophobic - as indicated by your statements highlighted above in red. I really think this brings about an 'us and them' situation. My experience is that there is no united anti-foreigner view from Cypriots, there are shades of grey to all of this, and most Cypriots have their individual views. But maybe there is a general antipathy towards Brits because of the entwined histories I mentioned in my original post, which again will influence some more than others......
