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In an effort to make our feelings known about the Spanish Property Roadshow I have placed a short, swift web-petition on this website:
It’s in the form of an Open Letter to David Lidington, Minister for Europe in our present coalition Government, and will be open for signatures to be added for one month only.
If you are in agreement with the letter please add your name. All that is required is a name - plus your e-address which will NOT be published. If you wish you can add in which area of the country you are living and there is a comment box if you want to say anything else, but those extras are entirely optional. You can also remain anonymous but it will be a stronger petition if you do give a name.
I hope you will support this petition and tell others about it too. We have to move fast on it so please act quickly.
Thanks everyone.
ruth
This message was last edited by ruth on 29/04/2011.
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Ruth I have just signed the petition. Thank you for taking time and trouble to facilitate this.
Ken
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Ruth,
Great idea.
Just added two more !
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I have signed the petition. Rosemary
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We have made an excellent start!!
In just 24 hours 202 signatures have been added to this petition.
Many thanks.
Please make others aware of it whenever and wherever you can. We need it to be as forceful as possible.
We have one month to go!
ruth
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ruth
good for you for doing this, I've just Signed as anyone on this site should who cares about not only justice but the future of the Spanish property industry.
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Update:
The petition now has 602 signatures. This is a really good effort in 3 days. Keep them coming...
ruth
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Well done Ruth.
Let's hope Mr Lidington will take note of the level of feeling against the Road Shows and demand that Sr. Blanco and Sra. Corredor actually devote some time during the Road Shows to address and rectify the serious injustices and corruption that has taken place during the last decade in the Spanish Property Sector.
Kind regards
Keith
_______________________
LEY 57/1968
CLICK HERE FOR THE BANK GUARANTEES IN SPAIN WEBSITE
  
fpag@btinternet.com
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ALL those who have property issues in Spain should be signing this petition, and that includes all petitioners to date, whether this be Keith's petition, Ruth's petition, Suzanne's petition or those supporting the AUAN.
EVERYONE needs to stand united on this.
Are the campaign organisers encouraging their petitioners to support this ASAP? Are you able to send emails to your petitioners to advise them of this?
This message was last edited by ads on 03/05/2011.
This message was last edited by ads on 03/05/2011.
This message was last edited by ads on 03/05/2011.
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Ads
I am busy for the next couple of days (!) but during this week I will send an email to all the people who have joined the Bank Guarantee Petition and also to the Finca Parcs Action Group members.
Ads - I agree with you - Ruth's latest petition will be by far the largest of all the Petitions to date - it has a broad spectrum and can easily be signed by anyone affected in anyway by Spanish Property issues.
So yes, we should all unite behind her and hopefully she will have a huge body of evidence to present to Mr Lidington and also to the Spanish Government.
Kind regards
Keith
_______________________
LEY 57/1968
CLICK HERE FOR THE BANK GUARANTEES IN SPAIN WEBSITE
fpag@btinternet.com
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Hi Everybody
I've not been on the EOS site for a while, many thanks for the petition, 2 more signatures have just gone on.
We have to fight this every step of the way.
Regards
Mike Cowley
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excellent work ruth - added my entry.
My personal preference to resolve this mess would be for or own government to take a very tough line with Spain. Its the only language they will understand.
Threatening to suspend all diplomatic relations and closing their embassy down would a good start but I belive threatening to seize or freeze Spanish assets may be more effective.
I believe its within the governements power to freeze Spanish Assets in the UK (Witness the recent 2008/9 Iceland asset freezing under the prevention of Terrorism act) l - I think it would actually legally and morally right to do this particularly all the Spanish banks assets based in the UK that are involved in this mess as they are the ones legally responsibey (under Spains own laws on bank guarantees) for compensating victimes. As Spain is incapable or unwilling to make its own banks refund the victims then the British governments I belive is more than justified in freezing their assets under international law so victims can be refunded. I am pretty sure the American government would not put up with it so why should we ?
Perhaps this possibility ought to be worded into the petition ?
John
This message was last edited by johnmfranci5 on 05/05/2011.
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I have just found the following comment on the website below:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/may/03/spanish-holiday-home-roadshow
villaviciosa
5 May 2011 8:52AM
Perhaps the biggest hypocrisy of all is the fact that the public works Minister José Blanco owns a recently built house on the Galician coast which completely violates the Ley de Costas while his neighbours, having lived there for years, with houses even further from the shore than his, are being threatened with demolition by virtue of the retroactive law. As far as he is concerned, laws were made to be broken. Don´t believe a word José Blanco says, not one word.
What hope for reform!!!!!
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Ruth
Well done - signed. Its really a shocking state of affairs for Spain and a great shame on the country. Hopefully buyers will vote with their feet and just say no. A lot has to happen before its time to buy in Spain.
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This morning, after only one week, we have 780 signatories on the petition:
The sheer volume of numbers says a lot.
There are two schools of thought about this petition. There are those who agree and those not in agreement with the letter and who do not want to stop the Road Shows. They want the Ministers over here so that they can be well and truly challenged.
Let me say, at this point, the cynic in me – prompted by our collective experience - says that not much notice will be taken of this petition – or any petition. We have all read the excuses given by the addressees over the last decade. But that should not stop us from trying. I can bet on it that the Road Shows will go ahead as planned. Mike and his group, together with Keith and his, protesting on Wednesday outside the Spanish Embassy will get a second chance in June to do something similar I have no doubt. They have already entered a dialogue with the Spanish officials. That is a considerable achievement.
I do not want the petition to be seen as working against that achievement. Keith and I are very supportive of one another. The petition, I would argue, allows those who wish to show their feelings to one specific person in our own Government who we believe has some power – albeit limited – to express authoritatively to his opposite Spanish Minister the position many of us are in. We are not ‘a few’. We are many. Also David Lidington must make it clear that it is in Spain’s own interests that this whole sorry business must be cleared up ASAP. He is in a particularly strong position to do this.
However, there are also others, agents and private sellers, who feel that the Spanish property market should be promoted because sellers are just as ‘stuck’ as would-be purchasers. Waiting for true justice in Spain is a fool’s game, they argue. But there are two things that could be achieved relatively quickly if the Spanish government took action NOW.
1. All bank guarantees should be honoured on illegal and unfinished builds. The fact that many banks and financial institutions did not issue BGs is no excuse under the law. It is a legal requirement. Full stop.
2. Fast-track courts should be set up to deal specifically with property issues. The law (Ley57/68) is very specific and there should be no misinterpretations.
As I have already said, the former could be dealt with, if not tomorrow, within weeks and the latter within months. Monies would be freed and those still wishing to buy and live in Spain – and there are considerable numbers of those – would be in a position to try again. In this way there would be satisfaction for sellers and for reputable, licensed agents.
Whether you think the road shows are a good thing or not, we are all aiming finally for the same thing. Justice and a life without worry and stress. By signing the petition you are becoming a member of a much larger body and we can stay in touch. So, if you haven’t already, I hope you will now sign. You can help further by notifying your own MEPs and asking for the petition link to be put on their websites. Please stress that there are only 3 weeks left to sign before the petition is sent to David Lidington.
Thank you for sticking with me thus far.
Ruth
Saturday 7 May 2011: 780 signatures and counting
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Yes absolutely agree with all you say ruth.
I am vehemently opposed to these exhibitions but strangely enough as you say they may acutally turn to our advantage with severe embarrassment to the Spanish governement and the publicity generated. That sad I think we all agreee its vitally important that other would be buyers in Spain are not lured into the same awful trap we were. Not everyone looks at the internet - particularly the elderly who maty be looking to retire abroad.
Its absolutely right that the vile disgusting lies of the Spamish government are fully publicly exposed and so far I think you, Keith Mike, Suzanne and others have done a tremendous job in that regard.
It saddens me greatly thaty our own recent uk governments has been so uninterested in this issue either - one can but hope that the publicity genereated might alos embarass them into dojng something harsh with the Spanish governmet and Spanish assets as I suggest previously.
john
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Excellent work Ruth.
Yes, Ruth and I are very supportive of one another. We are both victims of Bank Guarantee abuse (on different developments) and we are absolutely 'singing from the same hymn sheet'. Ruth was a great help and support to me when I was compiling the questions and website for the Bank Guarantees petition (www.bankguaranteesinspain.com). Of course that petition is solely related to Bank Guarantees and is aimed at those who got Bank Guarantees which the bank will not honour or those who did not receive the legally required Bank Guarantees. It is important for anyone who has suffered or is suffering any kind of bank guarantee abuse to join this petition and provide as much evidence as possible. We now have a means of contact within the Government to whom the Petition text and additional evidence can be delivered.
Ruth's latest petition regarding the Road Shows - http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-spanish-property-roadshow-open-letter-to-davi.html is open to anyone who has an interest in the Spanish Property Market. The Spanish Government are also aware of this petition and hopefully by the time they return for the second phase of Road Shows in June the petitioner numbers will be well in excess of 2,000.
You are correct Ruth - up until now the Spanish Government has not taken much notice of petitions. They have just either ignored them, brushed them aside or provided feeble excuses. But that was during the last 10 years when the property market was initially in good health and later when although the market was in decline (freefall) it was not the Spanish Governments top priority.
However, now as evidenced by the Road Show which was attended by Government ministers (Blanco & Corredor) plus additional members of the extended Government team, the property market is now one of their main priorities. They are DESPERATE to sell the huge stock of empty houses and unfinished developments.
So for the first time the petitions together with the associated negative media coverage is really hitting them where it hurts at a time when they are keen to promote the transparency and legal security of the property market. We have made a very 'loud' noise through the media and even though our 'protest' on Wednesday was very small in number I think it had the desired effect. We did not give them a free ride. We hassled them, interupted their flow, gave media interviews (the media were very much on our side) and eventually got a 45 minute meeting with the Government officials.
For the first time the Bank Guarantee issue was, albeit briefly, explained to them in person and 2 cases of corruption, negligence and lack of due diligence was placed before them in writing with additional evidence. I also made it very clear to them that this was the issue which could be addressed and resolved relatively easily. I proposed that they form either: An ombudsman to deal with the Bank Guarantee cases, Give more power to the Banco de Espana so they are able to force the banks to act in each case or Establish fast track courts with Judges expert in LEY 57/68 to deal specifically with Bank Guarantee cases only.
I have sent them an email to open the dialogue and I am pleased to report that they have already replied and said that they will be discussing the issues with other Government departments and the Banco de Espana.
Of course I cannot offer any guarantees as to where this will lead, but we are making progress and you can be sure that I will not give up.
Kind regards
Keith
_______________________
LEY 57/1968
CLICK HERE FOR THE BANK GUARANTEES IN SPAIN WEBSITE
fpag@btinternet.com
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This morning we have 900 signatures on the petition.
Just over 2 weeks to go now before it is closed and sent to David Lidington.
Let’s push for 1000.
If you haven’t done so already, please notify your group of MEPs and your MP of this petition. A number of newspapers have reported on the first Road Show held in London on the 4 May.
Do use these reports as references in your letters/emails.
Let’s make this a solid demonstration of our feelings to the politician who has specific responsibility for developing our trading relationships with other European countries, and let him know that though he may not have the power to change laws in Spain, he does have influence, persuasive powers combined with training in diplomacy, and moral authority if he chooses to use them.
In the context of the property scandals exposed in this petition David Lidington has the human right to use them.
Thank you to all who have signed.
ruth
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-spanish-property-roadshow-open-letter-to-davi.html
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