A view from within the EU

The British referendum is not a day-to-day topic of conversation here in EU land. So far the only comments have been from the British ex pat community online news feeds and that mainly a concern about their residential status should Britain vote to quit.

In this outpost of the EU empire there are sizeable populations of British, German and Italian residents. To some degree the British and more recent arrivals, the Italians, have favoured the northern parts of this Spanish island territory while the Germans have opted for the south. No problems with beach towels reserving sun loungers here then. The British newspapers are essentially the same as in the UK, while the BBC  online news assumes a more global scope. As far as the media goes the main interest of residents is how to get British TV for free. Various entrepreneurs have created a niche business in supplying 'electronic boxes' that they claim offers access to a vast range of content. It is a subject that has concerned many residents going by the chat, including occasional references to a character known as 'Dodgy Dave'. Of course you can sit in a sports bar as we did surrounded by tattoo inked fellow countrymen, to watch the disappointing exit of Watford from the FA cup.


Marketing here is largely 'word of mouth', via printed news sheets and online. The news magazines opt for a few stories re told in several languages and with a high content of display advertising.
'The Daily News' modestly claims to be the 'Island's biggest English language newspaper online'. Today's lead story says it all - 'German couple drown off the west coast.'