Low expectations

After that, the faked death of former Labour MP John Stonehouse has also got to be up there in terms of political scandal. Quite incredibly, Stonehouse lived in Australia under an assumed name for six weeks after faking his drowning in Miami before being caught. Of all things, he was eventually brought in by police who initially suspected him of being Lord Lucan in a spectacular piece of bad timing for Stonehouse.

And who could forget the Profumo affair, in which War Secretary John Profumo managed to have an affair with a woman ­ Christine Keeler ­ who was simultaneously having it off with a Soviet spy.

Compared to murder and the spilling of state secrets, the seatbelt issue at least seems pretty tame.

Why is it that politicians seem to attract so many scandals though? Maybe it’s the old adage about power corrupting. Or maybe it’s just that at the end of it all it turns out that politicians are just normal human beings, with the same temptations, flaws and foibles as everyone else. The difference here perhaps is simply that the stakes are so much higher.

Any wayward politicos might be wellserved to remember that.

manding task.

As I look around Spain, what I see is that the role of councils with regard to their International residents has left a lot to be desired and with the second largest International community in Spain I feel that we all deserve to have someone on tap to contact in times of need.

So, what happens after May 28? Hon­ estly, I have no idea. I just hope that the International community has seen some benefit in having a representative on the council. We may see some other Internationals on some election lists this year. I think this is a good thing. If they do get a seat on the council, it will help to bring balance to the representation of our community. My only regret is that we may find ourselves sitting at different tables, whereas what I would really like to see is us sitting together providing a strong voice in representation of our community.

THE British Benevolent Fund is the charity of last resort ­ it provides financial assistance to those Britons in Spain in dire straits and who have no other recourse. We deal with the worst that life can throw ­ and try with the aid of volunteers to find a solution.

Domestic abuse continues to be a major driver of our cases with women, many in long term relationships taking the step to leave abusive and damaging environments.

One such case involved Anne, a married British lady with four children ­ one day she walked into a police station in her hometown near Malaga and filed a report against her husband of a decade for repeated domestic abuse including multiple physical assaults and rape stretching back many years.

She had endured enoughwhich she had done for the sake of keeping the family together ­ on the day she went to the police the husband had attacked one of the kids ­ that was it. Anne had no money, and no family member could help, but she was determined to protect the children.

I am not one of those people that feels like a ‘visitor’ in Spain. In my house, visitors don’t pay their way. They are guests in every sense of the word. We, the International Community, pay our way to live in Spain. We are not a drain on the economy: in fact, we contribute in countless manners to the community. We support local businesses, pay our taxes for the greater good, and bring an international colour and culture to our municipalities.

I am grateful to so many people who have supported me, not least my wife, Vicky. When they got me, they got two for the price of one.