Antonia

I'm sorry,What made you think I didn't vote?

Well as the vast majority of them are British and, as such, have the right of abode in the United Kingdom I suppose they could have all decamped en mass, registered to vote, stayed in a travelodge or something then gone back home but it would have been a bit impractical don't you think?Might have worked wonders for the local tourism industry though.

Which neatly makes my point ALBF, thank you.All French citizens worldwide, able to cast their vote on what direction their country takes. Hopefully the British government will catch up with the idea soon.

I think when it comes to losers, European consumers fall very far down the list. For example I wouldn’t worry about the loss of M&S in Paris, there’s always Subway. Maybe you are right, maybe the EU is rotten to the core however I despair at a nation that will so blithely let it’s citizens become collateral damage just in order to prove a point. p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120% }

If I may politely correct you. The actual referendum question was " Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union" Had the implementation of the result only affected those living in the United Kingdom I would have fully agreed with you but it didn't, it affected every British national in the world whether or not they chose to exercise those rights. It very much concerned me as, overnight, I was no longer able to vote in local elections for local issues. No amount of 'extra paperwork' is going to give me that back that right, only adopting a nationality of a European country. But voting is a minor issue and I return to my point on the overseas territories.Brexit not only resulted in the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, but also of its Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) from the rest of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association. The Falkland Islands economy ( remember them ) relies heavily on fish, of which up to 90 percent is exported to the EU. The Pitcairn Islands, exports one-third of its honey to the EU and had so far received around 2.4 million euros from the European Development Fund. Apparently there's a chance the Falkland Islands might turn to Spain for assistance in their squid war whilst the Pitcairn Islands could be put up for sale ( France is apparently interested ). Then there's my old friend Anguilla. Pre Brexit the EU were Anguilla's main source of funding for the rebuilding efforts after hurricane Irma. That funding has now gone. To the north it borders France, to the south the Netherlands. It has no access to postal services, fuel, basic medical services and educational special needs other than through the facilities located in the Dutch and French territories. Don't tell me Brexit doesn't affect these people. It affects them more than it is ever going to affect you or I or even, may I suggest, more than it is likely to affect 'your average brit'.

Now, now, Ken, You know full well that when I referred to ‘countrymen’ I was referring to all British citizens not just the ones within the United Kingdom. Global Britain if you like. I suspect when this all pans out it will go one of two ways. Either things will continue as they have been with little deals being done under the table until the UK is back in the EU in all but name. Or the calls for independence will grow louder, not just from Scotland but Northern Ireland, and all the overseas territories ( Wales I don’t know about ). In a way Brexit has set a precedent. Why should Scottish sovereignty be any different from British sovereignty. Why should Westminster interfere in Anguilla's affairs. I don’t know how this will pan out and neither do you. As I said I truly hope I’m wrong and Britain prospers. In the meantime I will do what I can to regain the rights I have lost and continue to commiserate and support those whose lives have been turned upside down through no fault of their own. p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120% }

Ah Ken, Your lack of concern for the welfare of your fellow countrymen says more about you than anything else you have written to date. Why should I give up my British Nationality? As the proud descendant of someone who was on the winning side in 1066 it is my right. Who knows, the time might come when I decide to return to Britain. Or not, whatever it’ll be my choice. What I do know is that this governments concern for it’s citizens extends only to those whose votes it can count on. And talking of politicians, “pay homage”? Sounds a bit cultist to me. p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120% }

I feel I should apologise. I admit I was triggered. It’s the old trope “ the majority voted for Brexit – get over it”. As a true believer in democracy I wonder what is democratic about a referendum which altered the status of every British citizen on the planet being decided only by those within the right postcode. Personally I think Covid has masked a lot of the negatives of Brexit and I wouldn’t put it past this government to continue muddying the waters for years to come. I worry about my family & friends still in the UK and, believe it or not, hope Britain prospers. But for me, the time has come to fully invest in the country that has given me a home. For the UK, I’ll keep my fingers crossed. p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120% }

If leaving the EU was such a good idea why didn't the British government have the integrity to allow the very people Brexit was going to affect the most a vote. And I'm not talking about Europeans living in the united kingdom or even brits. living in europe whose right to vote had lapsed. I'm talking about british subjects living in the overseas territories whose whole way of life revolved around co-existing with their European neighbours. Anguila for example receives 99% of it's supplies from Saint Maarten, it's neighbour ( Dutch/ EU ). They rely on the close physical link for medical services, transport, you name it. Were they given a say? No. We've all seen how well the Channel Islands are getting on with France now that Brexit has thrown away a perfectly good fishing treaty. They had less time to study the withdrawal agreement than the UK parliament. And before you ask yes they did ask for a vote, it was refused. If I've learnt anything from Brexit it is that a cohort of charlatans and snake oil salesman were perfectly happy to shaft their own countrymen in the pursuit of personal profit. Personally I hope they all go to hell.Oh, and before you ask, yes I am applying for French Nationality. I don't trust her majesty's government to have my back anymore.But Ken, you won, get over it!!!

Dear Caroline,I am so sorry for your loss. Your father was just the sort of helpful member I was referring to in my original post. I know I followed his advice when registering our cars and would occasionally print out advice he gave to others for future reference. I owe him, along with other members of the forum, a great debt.Take care of yourself,Antonia

Hi,Most of you won't know me but I've been lurking round this forum for over 16 years. When we first moved to France it helped us change our driving licenses, gave invaluable support during the CPAM crisis, relevant information re:Brexit and last year, when I lost my husband, emotional support as well. For those of you who expressed condolences at the time I'm sorry I didn't reply but I was locked out of the forum for some reason & have only now got back in. I'm hopeful that this forum will outlive me but know that I'm probably not the only person that has dipped in and out over the years whilst contributing little. If it does end up dying I want to put on record how much I have appreciated the advice of past and present members and I hope other lurkers will come out of the shadows and join me in saying a very big                                                                    Thank You.                                                                     Antonia

Yes we're the same, nothing except world service. Have tried everything including factory reset with no joy. Thought it was just us.