It’s been (purposely) a long time since I wrote a blog post with the word Brexit headlining in it. I had been hoping Brexit would fade away and die the death it deserves to have. But it hasn’t. So what is it like now as a Brit in the EU, 19 months after the referendum that ended in a vote to leave the European Union?
The principle word is actually embarrassing. Why? Well, the list of players in this bizarrely staged piece is a good place to start:
- Theresa “I don’t have a clue” May
- Boris “I want to be prime minister” Johnson
- Michael Gove
- David “no deal” Davis
- David “It’s a mistake…not a disaster” Cameron
- Nigel Farage
- The British media
Britain seems to have embraced the role of a court jester. Entertaining maybe. Funny perhaps. Definitely a bloody fool.
“All the while, an uncomfortable reality has been sinking in. Britain’s stature on the world stage has diminished, and its economy has sagged. The former colonial empire has been reduced to a lesser actor, a reality that hit home on Thursday as Mrs. May delivered a sparsely attended speech before the World Economic Forum.”
And then there’s the negotiations (also known as “a complete and utter shambles’).
There’s the inaccurate, misleading and racist headlines spewing from the right wing press in Britain.
There’s the laughable fuss over bloody blue passports.
There’s the government’s unwillingness to publish any kind of impact assessment of Brexit. Do they or do they not exist? It seems they do but we’re not allowed to see them.
There was the ridiculous general election, called suddenly to strengthen May’s position. It backfired horrifically.
There’s the political instability brewing as the Tory infighting escalates and they go from one embarrassing crisis to another.
There’s the Irish border issue.
There’s the question of Scotland and future unity of Great Britain.
There’s the fact that many EU citizens are being made to feel less than welcome in Britain.
There’s the uncertain future for not just EU citizens in Britain but Brits living in the EU.
And there’s lots more too.
I would love to fill this post with all the positive ramifications of Brexit but to date, after nineteen months, I am yet to see one that is convincing.
There are arguments from those in the leave camp that Britain will get its sovereignty back. British democracy will dominate once more (whilst Brexit is headed by a PM that no British citizen voted for and who is determined to push Brexit through without going through the usual democratic processes) as the undemocratic EU bodies are banished from British life.
There’s talk of the benefits of getting rid of all the job stealing foreigners who keep pouring into the country, putting pressure on the National Health System (NHS).
There’s all that money that currently goes to the EU that will be saved which will fund ‘British’ things.
And of course Britain will be free to set up all those special trade agreements with countries outside the EU which will boost the economy.
I have also seen more comments than I thought possible telling foreigners to go home, and telling Brits abroad to butt out because they don’t even live in Britain. Because, of course, Brexit doesn’t effect us!
…long-term British expats were denied the chance to vote in the EU referendum the following year.
And their concerns about what Brexit would mean for their lives went unheard.
I don’t think I need to comment further on any of this. Â Social media is a them v us place right now – Brexit is divisive and unpleasant. Families, friends and strangers are all arguing their stance.
A year ago I wrote that I had fallen out of love with my birth country. None of the exasperation, disbelief frustration or anger I felt following the referendum result has dissipated. And nineteen months on I am also not really any the wiser about what impact Brexit will have on those of us living in the EU.
I am one of the lucky ones. I had a ‘get out of Brexit danger’ card and I used it. In September 2016 I gained Dutch nationality, something I could do pain free and quickly because I have lived in the Netherlands since 2000 and have been married since 2007. (You can read more about the optie process I went through for obtaining Dutch citzenship here.) It means that whatever Brexit throws at the rights of Brits living and working in the EU I am protected. But many are not. Likewise those EU citizens who call Britain home currently live in limbo.
May has told us all we’ll be fine, that our rights will be protected, just as those of EU citizens will be. And then some political buffoon wades in and says no agreement made to date is binding. And there is still no clarity on freedom of movement. So here we are – left feeling like bargaining chips once more.
And none of what has been ‘agreed’ so far helps my British friends in Britain who voted remain. Who are devastated that their children won’t have the same opportunities that we had to study and work abroad without the red tape. Who hate that Britain has become increasingly insular and see other cultures and languages as a threat rather than an enrichment. I wonder what impact Brexit will have on my goddaughter’s life, and that of her brother – two children who are lucky enough to have seen, experience and appreciate a multicultural world beyond this little island.
Nineteen months on, there’s still a long way to go. We stepped blindly onto a Brexit path which leads us to who knows where (not even those leading the negotiations it seems knows) and it will be many more months of wait and see for those whose lives Brexit will directly influence.
Incidentally, there are many people who have decided not to just ‘wait and see’ what happens as the months slip by. If you head over to Twitter it’s full of people trying to influence the direction of the Brexit path. Do a search for #FBPE and you’ll see what I mean.
And of course there is the court case happening on Dutch soil that has hit the headlines. The case led by Jolyon Maugham QC challenges whether EU citizen rights are lost if a member state ceases to be part of the EU. The judge will issue judgement in February.
So if you stop being a national of a member state because your state ceases to be a member of the EU – Brexit, in other words – might you still retain your EU citizenship?
Nineteen months after the decision to Brexit it still feels like something unpleasant being done to us. I had no right to vote (as I have been living outside of Britain for more than 15 years) but Brexit potentially directly impacts me and my children. And that irks me. A lot.
So in summary, nineteen months after the vote I feel embarrassed, frustrated, concerned, powerless and extremely pissed off.
And certainly no longer proud to say I am British.
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