She put these heartfelt words together to explain why she feels so utterly devastated by this decision:
On the day it becomes clear the UK is heading for a hard Brexit I wonder how many families in the U.K. are feeling like mine? How many families regret Britain’s rejection of Europe, its cultural home? How many people abhor the fact that immigration in this country is seen as a more important issue than prosperity and opportunity for future generations?
My British born parents had four grandchildren. Here are their global stories and this is why today I feel utter despair. My parents’ grandchildren have used the world to make their way forward in life. Yet in 2017 at the age of 70, I look at my own four much loved grandchildren and fear for their future.
My parents’ eldest grandchild married an American. This couple lived in India for several years. Their first child was born in America, their second in Germany where they lived for 10 years and where their two bilingual daughters were educated in German speaking schools.
The second grandchild has a partner who was born in South Africa and now lives in the U.K.
The third grandchild married an Italian whom he met when she was on Erasmus at University here. They live in England, have two bilingual children who were born in Italy and have dual nationality.
The fourth grandchild after travelling the world married an Englishman whose brother and Irish partner live in Australia and Aunt and family live in Spain.
To a family like mine immigration isn’t a problem. The world is there for the taking. I have no idea what nationality my two Gt nieces are. To me they are citizens of the world with an English father, an American mother with one child born in the US and one born in Germany. They now live in England. What does their citizenship mean to me? Their citizenship to me means that these two refreshingly, well – travelled, intelligent youngsters have adopted the very best of European and American culture with an Asian influence.
Theresa May I cannot understand why after supporting Remain you are denying these wonderful opportunities that have enriched the lives of my family to others. You are putting up barriers between nations. You are making it harder for future generations to move around the world as freely as we have had in recent years. You are encouraging hate in the populace by following discriminatory policies against EU citizens living and working here.
Surely the reason we have had immigration was an indication our economy was thriving? That the very best academics in Europe saw “Cool Britannia” as the place to be when it came to Research and Development. It was also a reflection that our population is ageing and we needed more people in our work-force doing the jobs rejected by indigenous British.
A hard Brexit is a road to tragedy, a road to lost opportunities and to a poor future. To me and my family it is devastating where the opportunities of cultural diversity are so apparent.
Thank you Cathy
A brilliant open letter to Theresa May from a fellow EU citizen
Life in the UK for EU citizens…January 2017. January 18, 2017 // 0
How do I feel ? Tired, very tired. Tired of worrying, tired of living in limbo, tired of hearing ,albeit well meaning, Brits telling me ‘ You will be fine. Don’t worry ! Nothing will change for you. You may have to apply for a visa , but that’s it ! And you have a half British daughter and a British partner too – nothing will happen to you !’ .
I wish it was that simple ! The future of EU citizens in the UK is still very much uncertain. There are various speculations about what may and may not happen, but let’s be clear about the facts here…there are no facts, there are no reassurances. Prior to the referendum , we all thought that after 5 years of living in the UK, we’d all be automatically eligible for Permanent Residence, because that is what we were told. Little did we know that when seeking confirmation of our Permanent Residence, that many of us, a whole 30% of us in fact, would be refused Permanent Residence. There was this little know issue of CSI , something that all students and stay-at-home mothers must have in order to be exercising their treaty rights. I read just today that an 18 year old man born and raised in Britain to Italian parents was refused Permanent Residence as he is a student and does not have CSI ! For crying out loud…No one was informed about this ! Others were turned down for other reasons, reasons that really does not make any sense at all. I contacted the Home Office under the Freedom Of Information act in order to get a breakdown of the reasons of why my native Swedes for example, have the highest refusal rate of all EU applications applying for Permanent Residence. But this information could not be provided.
How do you think it feels to be refused Permanent Residence ? It is beyond devastating . Many people turned down has lived in the UK for decades , they have British children and British spouses.
‘ But they are safe !’ I hear you say.
No, they are not !
Being the parent of a British child, or being married to a Brit makes no difference whatsoever in the eyes of the law. The stress, worry and anxiety that these people are feeling about theirs and their family’s future has such a detrimental effect on their health and their lives, and that of their family’s too. Children are asking their mum or dad if Mummy or Daddy will have to leave the country. Couples are having to re-think their whole lives and their futures, just in case they will be forced to leave.
I recollect a German lady visiting Germany with her family, enquiring what help may be available to her and her British husband and children, should they have to re-locate to Germany, and I was so touched by the response they received. They were told that there was a whole support network set up to help Germans returning to Germany, including free Skype German lessons to her British husband as well as any support that they could possibly need, should they decide to make that move. But for those who do not have the option to move for very valid reasons, they have to live with
that stress of knowing that they do not have an option. They don’t see why they should have to uproot their family and move to their native country that they left perhaps decades ago ,especially not if their partner and children are British and cannot speak another language.
I belong in that latter category myself. I have a half British teen born and raised in the UK who is choosing her GCSE’s, she’s excelling at school, all her friends are here, her father is here, and she can’t speak any Swedish. My partner is half British/Half Italian, and his business, just as mine, is here in the UK. Our lives are here ! But now the cloud that is hanging over us is ‘ Will my Permanent Residence application be successful ? What will we do if it’s not ?’ .
I am trying to put this worry to the back of my mind as the outcome of the application is not something that I can control. But sometimes that is easier said than done. Especially when I hear of people who applied for Permanent Residence after me are getting their applications approved in record time !
Then there is the xenophobia that has become all the more evident since the referendum. The closet racists have all come out of their closets, thinking they are entitled to air their inflammatory views in public ,as after all, all the headlines in ‘The Daily Mail’, ‘The Sun’ and ‘ The Express’ has made it perfectly acceptable to do so , in their eyes. It’s not just EU citizens being affected, not at all, but immigrants from every corner of the globe. If you are not born and bred British, then you don’t belong here, is the message that is given out. I am well aware that only a small minority share those hateful views, but that minority is loud. A Danish man had the rear windscreen of his car smashed in, he had his garden wall smashed in, litter and dog poo thrown into his garden and rotten cheese on his door handle by a xenophobic neighbour. A Spanish woman suffered a barrage of racial abuse from another customer when popping into the chemist to collect her prescription, being told that she is a burden on the NHS and should go home to her own country. EU workers are being told by their colleagues to ‘ Go home !’. Then we have certain employers, landlords, letting agents etc. asking for proof of Permanent Residence.
Britain is still in the E.U ,and for the next 2 years at least, everything remains unchanged ! But people act as if though that fact is irrelevant. This is the life in the UK for EU citizens today. We contribute 2.7 billion annually to the British economy. We are just like you, but we are not treated like you.
Thank you Cathy! This is the letter she wrote to Theresa May –
‘Yesterday Theresa May outlining her plans for Brexit pleaded with the UK to unite as she gave details for a “Global Britain” that would deliver a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.
These rhetorical words for many gave hope and inspiration but for my family these words were meaningless and hollow, resonating of a country in which we are at present totally alienated and feel we have no part and in reality do not want to be a part. To us, as to many families in our predicament, to unify behind Brexit is a road we are unable to travel.
As my MP I think you should know why I cannot bond with the country that has been my home and one I have always been so proud, for you, as part of the present government, are in a position to change many of these obstacles. Since 23rd June 2016 I have watched with alarm the way members of our rich and diverse society have been treated. The rise in racism and xenophobia has been alarming and appears to be directed at EU citizens working in this country in particular. These citizens came to the UK looking for a brighter future for themselves but have worked hard and contributed to our economy. We have been on the receiving end of the brain drain from Europe with many of these people working in our Universities, our Health Service and other professions as well as those who came to undertake manual work where there were vacancies.
To see these people referred to “as bargaining chips” in this whole Brexit process has made me feel ashamed to be British. No longer do I feel pride in my country. These people are human beings. Many are extremely clever and represent the intelligentsia of Europe but that apart, every one of them who works hard and honestly deserves respect and encouragement and their contribution to our society should be valued.
Over the last 6 months I have watched a situation develop whereby one could almost describe this group of people as being persecuted. Their right to stay in this country has been questioned. This alone had the potential of tearing many families apart. The application for Permanent Residency has become even more difficult and bureaucratic that many say that it will take 140 years to deal with the number of applications. The cost of British Citizenship has escalated over recent years to make it out of reach for many. There have been questions over whether EU students and self-funded residents should have had private health insurance to use the NHS that has been confusing and alarming. There have been concerns on how safe EU citizens’ private pension contributions are if they were to leave the UK. Moreover recently there has been talk of levying a tax of £1,000 a year on each immigrant employed by British companies. Many who do not earn a sufficient annual wage have been told they cannot have PR. Stay at home spouses with children have been told that as they do not earn £15,000 each year they are not entitled to PR. No wonder the school census form where parents are asked to state which country their child was born has caused so much alarm. There have been incidents mishandled by the Home Office where EU citizens
have been told to leave the UK and return to their own country some have lived here for 40 years and have a husband and children.
Many EU citizens and other nationalities face fear of talking in their own language to their children in our streets. They face ridicule and prejudice at work. They have suffered racist abuse and we have seen 3 racist murders since June. It is as if the worst and most basic section of British society has unleashed venom and hatred against “foreigners”.
The fact that the British government is treating immigrants without respect by not standing up for them and acknowledging and valuing the work they do and the huge contribution they make to our society is definitely not helping combat this upsurge of racism and xenophobia. When government departments are making discriminatory and unrealistic demands, people of basic instinct see this as a golden opportunity.
So when Theresa May asks me to unite I cannot do so, as I see many immigrants being treated without respect. I see them facing abuse and discrimination in their daily lives and far from seeing a “Global Britain” I see a country turning its back on the world and people rising to the fore who do not value cultural diversity and differences. I see a government who turns on people from different nations and discriminates against them to the point of encouraging abuse.
So what future do I see for my grandchildren here? Not one of an outward looking and prosperous nation but one where my grandchildren don’t feel secure because they are bilingual and not born in the UK. I see a country where racial prejudice is on the rise and where the values and attitudes that are fundamental to all my own children and grandchildren are no longer respected. I see a government that treats people as pawns on a chessboard whose lives are being torn apart by anxiety.
You, as my MP can do something about this. You, like Peers to whom I shall write, are in a position to alter the course. You can make sure that people in this country who work hard and live honest lives have better treatment. Only when I see and feel certain of a change of heart, will I unite. Only when I see people being treated by the government honourably, will I work for Britain’s future as Theresa May requests. Up until then I will oppose this government as there is nothing bright in the future of a country that discriminates and is intolerant towards whole sections of its honest, hard working population. To be part of such a nation is definitely not the dream I have for my grandchildren.’
This is a well-written post that explains the anger and dismay of someone who is horrified by the rise of nationalism and fascism across the world. They see Brexit as something that will fuel this sinister process.
Fascism is a vicious, arrogant, superior doctrine that has caused war on numerous occasions. It needs wiping out.
This post was on a Fb post and the man who wrote it was called Kenneth.
“Tectonic plates move, sometimes a long way, and settle into a new location for a while. People have to adjust to new realities, and try to move on. All states of equilibrium are the result of forces acting in different directions, to cause a stasis. Removing one of the forces can cause large movements before a new settling into a new equilibrium. However, sometimes it is better to throw over the grappling hooks and drag the more important plates back into a position that makes more sense. Change, a good shaking up every so often, is good for the soul, and I embrace it enthusiastically. Sometimes though, change is not going forward, but backwards, into darkness and hatred and division. THAT I will not accept. THAT is something that no sane or decent person should accept. Change should always mean progress towards better understandings, not backwards into anarchy. In many ways the Brexit people are like ISIS, wanting to destroy all that has been built up, for the joy of wanton destruction, as in Palmyra, to the detriment of future generations. The shame and pity of it all is of course, that when this happens in the world, as it has many times in the past, within a few decades, we are back with all the problems that people wanted to remove and start clean to solve. Human nature never changes. We are supposed to grow and move and become better as the human race. The rise of Fascism and xenophobia and racism and bigotry are not new, but we have managed in the West to hold them in check for decades through mutual co-operation and hard-won trust between nations. That is all now very clearly at risk. Brexit is quite literally insane.”
Britain always had the opportunity to refuse EU citizens benefit and send them back to their country but were the only EU country not to sign up. There was no need to have to house or provide benefits to anyone. If they had signed up it would have removed a great feeling of anger in a lot of people. They were only able to come for 3 months without work under EU law. Why did Britain choose not to implement it?
All the aggravation and fear of immigration from the EU could have been prevented under EU law. Britain alone did not enforce the law. 
Potatoes being harvested by migrant seasonal workers. ‘Freedom of movement is specifically tied to agreed, contracted employment and recognises the need to balance labour supply and demand,’ writes Jon Bloomfield. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
On Europe, the key issue is not article 50. Rather, the answer to the question (Editorial, 6 January) on how to combine a border regime that is fluid enough to preserve economic dynamism and rigorous enough to inspire public confidence lies in articles 48 and 49 of the original treaty of Rome. Article 48 states that “freedom of movement for workers shall entail the right (a) to accept offers of employment actually made; (b) to move freely within the territory of member states for this purpose.” Article 49 calls for “the achievement of a balance between supply and demand in the employment market in such a way as to avoid serious threats to the standard of living and level of employment in the various regions and industries”.
In other words, the treaty is not a neoliberal free for all. Freedom of movement is specifically tied to agreed, contracted employment and recognises the need to balance labour supply and demand. Here is the basis for a serious negotiation between the UK and the rest of the EU. These articles offer the framework for Andrea Leadsom to argue for seasonal agricultural labour and for hospitals and care homes to be able to recruit staff as required. Returning to the original principles of the treaty of Rome would be in the interests of all parties. It would permit a migration policy managed according to the needs of the economy. Are there British and European politicians up to the task?
Jon Bloomfield
Birmingham
• Since 2004, European Union law has allowed governments to control movements of EU citizens as follows: allow EU citizens to freely circulate only for three months and then require them (should they want to stay longer) to show they are working (employed or self-employed), a registered student or have sufficient resources (pension, savings) to support themselves and comprehensive sickness insurance eg a valid European health insurance card enabling the NHS to claim back the cost of treatment or have private health insurance. The UK is one of the few governments that has not implemented this.
For six years, Theresa May was in charge of the Home Office responsible for immigration, yet did nothing to adopt these conditions. One wonders why not and why immigration was allowed to dominate the referendum and is still being paraded as a big problem. Yet another failure of our own government and the Home Office under Theresa May is being blamed on the EU. The remedy was always in the UK’s hands.
Pat Whitaker
London
The country is split. Most people didn’t vote for one reason or another. Half of those who did vote wanted to leave and half wanted to stay in the EU.
We are left with a situation where half the country is angry, fearful and dismayed at the thought of leaving, and half the country feel aggrieved that they feel, rightly or wrongly, that they are being accused of not understanding the situation, being xenophobic or even racist, being gullible and believing the lies, or being stupid which pushes them into a position of vehemently defending their position.
To understand each other and come to some rapprochement it is important that people start to talk and appreciate how the other side are feeling, their situation and reasoning.
There is a real debate here about what is going to happen to the country. I do not hear any of that debate. There does not appear to be any views as to what we all want for our grandchildren. It seems to me that we have a bunch of extremely right-wing Tories who are secretly putting together their own agenda and there is no opposition or openness.
I am a person who voted to remain for a number of reasons and am horrified about what is happening in Britain (and America).
My main concerns are:
The Environment and climate change
Nature and extinction
Human Rights and equality
Workers Rights
An outward looking, friendly, cosmopolitan country.
A thriving economy supporting public services (NHS and Schools, Social Services and the rest of it)
Defence
I would like to discuss how these issues can be addressed in a country that is retreating inside its own boundaries.
Yesterday we had friends round and they are not only staunch remainers but have many family with European connections and have been active with them and their children’s multinational friends. They are horrified by the stories they are hearing about what is happening to their family and other people as a result of Brexit (and we haven’t even started yet).
There are real fears out there. Real fears!!! There is nothing more infuriating when bad things are happening to have people tell you that those fears and experiences are not true – they know because they’ve asked their milkman and they personally haven’t seen any of it so it is all made up.
The fears are real and if we are going to come together we must try and understand each other.
Today I will put out a series of posts provided by Cathy. I think they explain some of the feelings, worries and anger of a remainer.
The very first item on the new White House agenda – to remove climate and environment protection. He is looking to put profit before the planet.
Short sighted, stupid, irresponsible, madness – just a few of the words that spring to mind.
Who is going to protect the wildlife? Who is looking out for the planet?
This is straight from the new Whitehouse agenda released a short while ago. It is a disaster for the world’s environment and all the creatures that live on this planet. They are being sacrificed for selfish greed.
Energy is an essential part of American life and a staple of the world economy. The Trump Administration is committed to energy policies that lower costs for hardworking Americans and maximize the use of American resources, freeing us from dependence on foreign oil.
For too long, we’ve been held back by burdensome regulations on our energy industry. President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule. Lifting these restrictions will greatly help American workers, increasing wages by more than $30 billion over the next 7 years.