THE BREXIT AFFAIR

 

A tale of two cities (London and Parma...)

Standing on the stairs outside of the health service in Parma on a cold November day, I realise how much Brexit has complicated my life and those living in the European Union and within the UK. One decision has put the lives of thousands of people on pause due to risks with employment, driving licences, residency issues and even families managing to stay together, just to touch the top of the iceberg. The issue now is that there are more issues than answers and everything is new and "a work in progress". Many countries have not managed to reach an agreement with the UK and so our futures are in the balance. We "the others" are going along in a mist of uncertainty, confronted with a continuously developing web of problems, when honestly all we want to do is work, continue going about our daily business as we always have done and use our skills to the best of our abilities for all countries concerned.

Tired, slightly frustrated and deep in thought, many of us join the next endless queue, with the addition of enforced Covid restrictions, hoping to renew the correct documentation in order to have the right to receive health care and other necessities for a life with a minimum of dignity. We contact all the relevant bodies in both countries in an attempt to work through the difficulties and, in the process, we often receive some rather conflicting information that leads to yet more hoop jumping. How different things were just before the dawn of Brexit and the apparent 'liberation' of a country from being 'held back' and allowing for modernisation and a new start as an independent nation.

That new start has definitely come for those of us who have been abandoned abroad and for all those hard-working individuals from the EU now resident in the UK; they are the fundamental back bone of so many British businesses and livelihoods. I am the first to encourage positive change and development, but at the detriment of so many, are we really sure? What about the education of children and young people? Good quality independent schools have been forced to close due to a lack of foreign students and subsequent investment. Before Brexit, British university students (myself included) were able to take part in the EU's Erasmus programme with either a year or two semesters abroad studying at an EU University. It enabled us to develop a working knowledge of other countries and cultures that had proven priceless to me and countless others. There are new exchange schemes currently in development to replace Erasmus (see above comment on work in progress), but I still feel it was a particularly effective initiative that I can honestly say changed my life and my perception for the better. Now it appears that the affordability of a year of foreign study will be the key consideration students make when applying for modern European language degrees, rather than whether they have the intelligence and resolve to successfully complete the year and what future benefits it could grant them, which is a great pity. I can't help but wonder, should someone's financial standing really be the sole basis of how their freedom of movement is now defined and evaluated?

Due to the current lack of agreements between countries, if we cannot drive, we are subsequently limited in our job choice or seriously impeded by these new restrictions. In addition to this, where freedom of movement is a right in Europe, we now have to move between countries with permits and residency restrictions before working, reducing it down to a question of finances and not talent, favouring those with sufficient funds to survive any eventuality. Where does that leave our future families and the ability to keep people united and minds open?

Living abroad has taught me the difference good communication between countries can make. Particularly in current times, working together to avoid repeating the errors of the past seen through wars and heart-breaking events makes these choices more crucial now than ever. The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella in a speech regarding the millions of Italians living abroad stated that they are extremely important to Italy, and unfortunately this aspect seems to have been overlooked by those in power in the UK. Whether someone lives abroad, regardless of their nationality, it does not mean that they are any less valuable to their home country or to the one in which they are living in. Their talents and potential deserve the same respect and opportunities and can add value to both countries if allowed. These considerations may seem a thousand miles away from everyone in the UK, but it is affecting more of us than I feel many are aware of or really care to imagine.

The wonderful thing about the UK, voiced by numerous people I have met over the years who have visited it, was how multicultural, refreshingly open and forward thinking the country was. Is it that images of past grandeur, extremist voices and a moment of indecision have cost us the real freedom we already had? I hope with all sincerity that something good can come from all this unnecessary hardship inflicted on so many innocent people and their families. Maybe now would be the time for compassion, some silent reflection and good decision making to try and salvage that open minded, together we can make a difference spirit that is really who we are...