Brexit - here's a good read from a French insider's perspective!

My other half bought this the other day to try and better understand the Brits. She’s hooked and I haven’t been able to put it down either (although working more than full time and with young kids we don’t usually get to read anything that often!) Sorry for those who can’t read French yet.

I can assure you Jane my parents were married when they had me. I’m sorry you are upset and in pain with the possibility of a no deal Brexit and we do care (to a point). I am sure for your sake that a deal will be made. Teresa May has already guaranteed EU nationals living in the UK that there status will not be affected, why do you not think the EU will not give a similar guarantee to UK nationals living in EU?

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and did you, at the time, carefully read the EU directive on freedom of movement to find out whether you could do what you wished to do, discover you could, and think “This is a great privilege”; or did you simply take it for granted that the EU was your oyster because the UK was a member of the EU?

I ask because I’m starting to see a bit of a pattern forming, in that it often seems to be those that took their rights for granted (and often didn’t even know exactly what those rights were that they were taking advantage of) that are now most incensed at losing them and are playing the victim card, whilst those who saw it as a privilege are of course very sorry to see that privilege being withdrawn but tend to be more inclined to consider themselves fortunate to have belonged to the generation that had those opportunities, and they’re grateful that arrangements are being made to accommodate the folk caught up in the change, and are prepared to comply with the new requirements.
I find it interesting to see different attitudes from people in the same situation, I wonder if anyone else has any theories on this? I guess how deep-rooted a person’s sense of entitlement is, depends on their upbringing, their life experiences and their personality.

We knew exactly what our rights were.
Our daughter had lived in Germany for twenty years.
We had bought our house in 2005 and used it as a holiday home until we retired and took up permanent residence.
I am not playing the victim card. We are in great danger of losing our right to live here as Europeans, not foreigners.
I happen to believe in Europe and cannot understand why you would want to post in the way you did.

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Mine weren’t!

OK thanks for the info, but what about answering the rest of my question. Why do you think you will not be able to stay if and when Brexit happens? Do you think the French will round up all UK nationals and put them on first boat back.

Tell me about the deal. Are you talking about the the agreement to allow Britain to leave the E.U. or the far more important deal that will come later which concerns Britain negotiating trading terms with them?
The two are quite different.

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Well, I always saw it as a privilege of EU membership and was very aware that I was fortunate to be able to exercise that privilege.

However I am mightily pissed off that I am loosing that privilege.

Which camp does that put me in, I wonder?

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David, there is just one deal. You might be referring to the different terms and conditions of the deal. My point is that Teresa May has told the EU parliament that EU nationals can stay even with a no deal Brexit. So my question is why do you think the EU would not have a similar policy.

Hi Jane, please don’t call Leave voters ‘bastards’. I’m one of them, and I’m certainly not a bastard. I have a different point of view to you … it’s different, but equal. So please, let’s just keep it polite.

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I think it’s normal to be mightily pissed of when you lose a privilege. The difference is whether you accept that you are losing a privilege, or whether you actually feel that you’re losing a right and you don’t accept it.

No you are wrong, the present meetings are about leaving, they cannot discuss making trade deals until that stage is finished.

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I actually agree that the real concern is not how the British government treats us it’s how the French government does that counts. However if the French government makes the same income demands that Mrs May has made there will be lots of unhappy expats.

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Yes, because we are going to lose our status as Europeans. But you weren’t born a European. It’s a status you were given, or as it turns out “lent”, at some stage in your adult life, and the status brought with it certain rights. Brexit may mean that you lose that status, and therefore you lose the rights that go with it. My point is that expecting to hang onto every right you’ve ever been given, regardless of changes in circumstances, is unrealistic.

Although in fact, all the signs are that those of us who came here as EU citizens will be able to retain some or all of those EU rights.

I would be more sympathetic to those that question your choice of language if any one of them could actually point to one tangible benefit that will result from Brexit, either in the UK or abroad. Until then carry on…:wink:

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Whereas in reality this is what French Government are saying will happen in the result of a no deal Brexit.

Draft French law preparing emergency measures for "hard" #Brexit.
It has yet to be debated, but contains following clauses:
1. After no agreement Brexit, UK citizens become third nation citizens and will be obliged to have a visa to come to France and a carte de sejour to stay.

— Kim Willsher (@kimwillsher1) October 17, 2018
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Of course this is the worst case scenario and could be mitigated by a reciprocal deal with France post Brexit.

15. Repeat: this is what automatically happens under French law in event of no-deal Brexit. Will it happen? Who knows. In this draft bill, the French government is mandating itself to pass new laws to address those consequences by decree within 12 months. "Reciprocity" key word.

— Kim Willsher (@kimwillsher1) October 17, 2018

I have already said that we are applying for a CDS.
We have the right to stay, it is our status that is changing.
It is quite possible that our freedom to live anywhere in the Schengen zone will be curtailed.

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Thanks Gideon.
Maybe I was a bit harsh, but my feelings towards people who are causing such pain and hardship to their fellow citizens are not pleasant.

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