May I take the opportunity to reply to Mr Loizou’s rather rambling letter (Sunday Mail August 9). It mentions the “Us and them” but he himself has commented on how the Brits should behave whilst in their ‘host’ country with regard to respect.
Well may I point out that if the Brits have settled in Cyprus and pay their taxes this is ‘their’ home as much as his.
The Brits are not here as second class citizens. Cyprus, when it joined the EU gave these citizens the same rights and privileges, as it does with other members of EU states.
Respect is also a two edged sword.
Many of the Brits have been duped into parting with their life’s savings, buying homes which they do not own, and never will, as there a mortgage held against the land.
No right-thinking person would buy a home under those circumstances, regardless of how pretty the circumstances are clothed, and it is not pretty. It is fraud! Is that respect or greed?
As for being told to leave my country if I don’t agree with this corruption, what a strange philosophy. He uses the example of the dishonesty amongst the British MPs to justify our actions which are no less honourable with of course the mention of plots and Turks for good measure.
“Well what has this to do with the price of milk” (in Cyprus), as the very British saying goes.
And rivers of blood? Is he real? I arrived in the UK as a refugee in the 60’s and found the British hospitable and welcoming, and of course, we have done very well out of having the Brits here, both as tourists and as home owners.
In fact you only have to see the number of Mercedes cars on our roads to see just how well we Cypriots have done.
And what have we done to the Brits in return? Do we go out of our way to make them welcome, or use them as a ‘cash cow’? As for the placard: “Shame on you Mr President”.
Is our President so sensitive he cannot take any criticism, no matter how small, just look at what World leaders like Gordon Brown, Barack Obama and President Sarkozy have to endure, are we not in that league?
Personally I would have liked our President to have come and even addressed the crowd, that would have take the wind out of their sails. Surely he was not frightened by some old grey haired, third generation Brits, who wanted their title deeds, was he?
The problem appears to be the thin skin some people have developed as a defence mechanism.
I admit just possibly I was wrong in saying that the government was corrupt and therefore part of the problem, maybe it was just unaware of what has been happening for 20+ years in Cyprus.
So OK, it was inept and had no idea of what was going on?
So which one is it? And as for my experience with the criminal Court in Cyprus, well you will have to wait for the book, and I am sure it will only be filed under fiction as no one would believe it.
Peter G Davis
Droushia
