Editors desk, February 2008

Difficult times are these! It seems that everywhere we look, or no matter who we talk to, the word is gloom!

The UK prime minister, (bless him!), urges us to be ‘upbeat', strange!... when you turn that on it's head it actually gives you the word you want to give to him and irresponsible bankers ( beat-up )…!

As I'm writing this, (late January), it seems that the world is about to descend into massive international protests, not seen since the overthrow of communism.

Strikes are the order of the day, with the demand that jobs are given only to local companies and workers.

As a commentator on events, I'm not sure that the path we seem to be on is the right one. I suppose my fear is that protectionism will eventually lead to nationalism and all the horrors that accompany it.

Living and working in Spain , has its many problems, but thankfully the benefits outweigh the problems, this is the reason why most of us are here.

Choice and freedom are small words, but they carry much in terms of expectation, most of us who live here do so because we choose to, this is not a right exclusively for a few, but the inalienable right of all. People who live all their lives in one place, and spend their time bemoaning the fact that their lives are in a rut are, in my opinion, too stupid, lazy or inept to do anything about it. These are the very people who will lead the call to arms.

Immigrants are special people, working and fighting to survive in a country, not their own, takes a very special type of person.

It is exactly people like us that have the drive, enthusiasm and intelligence to lead the world back to a situation of stability, we should not be persecuted because we choose where we want to live and work, and most importantly, neither should others who choose to do likewise in the ‘old country'.

Welcome to February, welcome to the ‘new order'.

Bill Dinsmor, Editor