In Their Place

As is only fit and proper, British expatriates in Spain will not be treated like EU migrants in Britain. Although Spain has committed the diplomatic blunder of having its foreign minister make the announcement rather than the king, the UK will doubtless welcome the news that the non-foreign status of Britons among the Euro-wogs is at last beginning to gain due recognition. It remains as yet unclear whether a quid pro quo will be required, other than preventing the Imperial Haystack sailing into Cádiz to singe Mariano Rajoy's beard. Given that Britain's oldest alliance is with Portugal, and that Her Majesty's Government probably doesn't concern itself overmuch with the difference between various subspecies of dago, the profitable presence of British peace-keepers in strife-torn Catalonia may not be far away.