Ed Halliday's Blog - Posts Tagged "brexit"
Cast adrift
So, as of Thursday last week I am now an immigrant in the country in which I live! One minute I was minding my own business, doing a bit of writing and enjoying the French sunshine washed down with a glass of grape juice or three, and then overnight my fellow Englishmen voted to cast me adrift. No longer can I call myself European, I am now an immigrant, which is a bit of a shock!
Don't get me wrong, the locals have been very supportive, and have only slightly smirked when asking when will I return to the treacherous UK. Luckily it's just good hearted banter, although I suspect I will tire of the jokes long before the local French do.
It is a bizarre feeling though, walking down the street in the village where I have now lived for several years and feeling like I no longer belong. There is also the question of legal and tax changes, will I be allowed to stay? If yes then how many hoops will I have to jump through? And many many more All of this does give one an unsettled feeling, and it's really not a pleasant one.
This brings me to the sticky topic of the kind of immigrants that headline the news bulletins. The poor souls who cross seas and whole countries to get to Europe. One of the key factors in the Brexit referendum was the question of immigration and the fear that remaining in the EU would mean that Britain will be flooded with foreign population. Trust me, I am experiencing the feeling of not belonging and facing an uncertain future in only a very mild way, so I think I can safely say that those who travel in desperation because they are in real need will have bigger fears than mine. They will only ever contemplate these huge migratory journeys if they have no option, and the fear that a lot of the British population have that countries such as Turkey will empty out and flood the streets of Britain are unfounded. No-one likes to feel that they don't belong, and no-one wants to live in a place where they don't fit in, not unless staying in your place of birth is a truly horrific option.
On a closing note, I just hope that this all gets resolved quickly. Not only for my peace of mind, but for the general turmoil this one vote is causing the world over.
Cheers, Ed Halliday
Author of : Burnt Toast and Bent Noses, The Expected Demise of Bernard Fish, the almost perfect plot, The Grinning Dog, pigs in paradise
Don't get me wrong, the locals have been very supportive, and have only slightly smirked when asking when will I return to the treacherous UK. Luckily it's just good hearted banter, although I suspect I will tire of the jokes long before the local French do.
It is a bizarre feeling though, walking down the street in the village where I have now lived for several years and feeling like I no longer belong. There is also the question of legal and tax changes, will I be allowed to stay? If yes then how many hoops will I have to jump through? And many many more All of this does give one an unsettled feeling, and it's really not a pleasant one.
This brings me to the sticky topic of the kind of immigrants that headline the news bulletins. The poor souls who cross seas and whole countries to get to Europe. One of the key factors in the Brexit referendum was the question of immigration and the fear that remaining in the EU would mean that Britain will be flooded with foreign population. Trust me, I am experiencing the feeling of not belonging and facing an uncertain future in only a very mild way, so I think I can safely say that those who travel in desperation because they are in real need will have bigger fears than mine. They will only ever contemplate these huge migratory journeys if they have no option, and the fear that a lot of the British population have that countries such as Turkey will empty out and flood the streets of Britain are unfounded. No-one likes to feel that they don't belong, and no-one wants to live in a place where they don't fit in, not unless staying in your place of birth is a truly horrific option.
On a closing note, I just hope that this all gets resolved quickly. Not only for my peace of mind, but for the general turmoil this one vote is causing the world over.
Cheers, Ed Halliday
Author of : Burnt Toast and Bent Noses, The Expected Demise of Bernard Fish, the almost perfect plot, The Grinning Dog, pigs in paradise
