Still European

[MrsBrunch]

Does anyone know why people are putting this on their FB profile picture?

Obviously when we left the EU we didn't leave the continent, we are still part of europe. Is it because some people think we aren't or something?

[wowfudge]

I did @EngTech - didn't get me anywhere. Mind you, also meant the Brexit supporting git got voted out at the following GE.

[LookToTreblesGoingTreblesGone]

Why are people describing themselves as having lost their European citizenship? You are still citizens of Europe, you are still European.
You might not be able to cross the borders between the countries that are in the EU as easily etc, but you're still European citizens.

[A4Document]

I'm still European too. I like Europe, the countries, customs, the languages, cultures. However I happen to think this country is better off out of the total integration plan of Europe as one superstate. Yes, we had a veto, but it would only take one PM to sign that away (in the same way Major signed Maastricht and Lisbon) and that would be that, permanently. I like Europe but dislike the EU as an institution.

[AlexaShutUp]

If people feel that strongly about the EU, they should campaign to re-join, write to their MP etc and make it a GE issue

I think some have already started that campaign. I will definitely support it.

I think it's inevitable that we will ask to rejoin at some point in the future anyway, or at the very least, we'll try to opt back in to the common market. When the economic shit hits the fan, we won't have many other options open to us. What remains to be seen is whether the rest of the EU will be willing to have us back. If we do rejoin, it will certainly be on worse terms than the ones that we had.

[knackersknockersknickers]

I'd come off social media op, it seems far too complicated for you.

[AlexaShutUp]

Why are people describing themselves as having lost their European citizenship? You are still citizens of Europe, you are still European.

We have lost our citizenship of the EU, and all of the rights that that entailed. Being a "citizen of Europe" means nothing because "Europe" is a geographical entity and cannot confer any rights. What on earth does it mean to you?

I am indeed "still European" but I have lost my citizenship and my rights because others voted to remove them from me.

[MeringueCloud]

@giletrouge

Because my European citizenship and rights have been ripped from me against my will. By old white men, mostly.
HTH.

It was never a "European citizenship". Presumably you are a uk citizen that used to live in an EU country (the UK).

Even the BBC political reporter got Europe and the EU confused this morning. So annoying.

[daisypond]

You are being disingenuous. It clear what people mean.

[eurochick]

What a disingenuous pile of shyte.

Like many, I am sad that my EU rights have been ripped from me. I still identify with the EU. I wish I was still an EU citizen, but I am not. Because of the choices of others.

[MeringueCloud]

@daisypond

You are being disingenuous. It clear what people mean.

It'a not clear. How do we know when people actually mean Europe, not the EU? Would you be happy for people to refer to the UK as " England"?

[Kendodd]

There's even a rejoin march planned.

rejoineu.uk/?fbclid=IwAR3WplZdSIZN3Q7SvBQFkHWVDZ_-kqaf7elooijXX89Ve2nbcSm6RISzv3w

[Fifilafrog]

I've done it. I was born here, I live here, it's my home. My mum is French. She has lived here for almost 50 years, worked as a teacher that whole time, educated thousands of kids, paid her taxes, used the nhs twice to birth her children and yet she has now had to fight for her right to remain in this country. We have travelled between France and England our whole lives as half of our family live there. My French grandma is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's and previous to brexit (and covid) mum would go back and forth to visit every few weeks with ease, have the right to stay for as long as necessary if anything were to happen. Used to spend six months there in the summer with my dad, who is English, and their two cats, no problem. Now, that's not so easy (forms to fill, declarations to sign, insurance to arrange, pets not so easy to transport now, the list goes on). This has been proved by the fact that her friend (also French and married to an Englishman) came back from France at the end of December and within 12 hours had a call from the home office asking her why she was here!!! It's disgusting. Yes, geographically we are still in Europe but for those in our situation, it stinks of xenophobia. England is my home, and so is France. I AM European, not just British, thankfully. That's why.

[shamalidacdak]

That's so weird. I never felt European and never knew anyone who did. I only started seeing European declarations online after the
Referendum.

[2magpies1pigeon]

You certainly learn to value something more when it's being forcibly removed from you, yes.

[RunningFromInsanity]

@shamalidacdak

That's so weird. I never felt European and never knew anyone who did. I only started seeing European declarations online after the
Referendum.

This. Before Brexit very very few British born people would have described themselves as ‘European’.

[DappledThings]

I have a tshirt with this on.

It's a statement of fact yes. A fact that many Brexiteers would prefer is not the case. It is small comfort to me to be able to still say I am European and an up yours to those who seek to make being British the only thing to be proud of. It is a "you can't take that away from me".

[AlexaShutUp]

That's so weird. I never felt European and never knew anyone who did.

It's not the kind of thing that you need to proclaim unless you start to feel that it's under threat. Being European has always been as much a part of my identity as being British. If others decided to take away my right to British citizenship, I would be angry and upset. I feel the same way about my citizenship of the EU.

Clearly, many didn't feel any sense of European identity, which is why we ended up with the referendum result that we got, but that doesn't diminish the profound sense of loss for those who have always identified themselves as Europeans.

[DappledThings]

This. Before Brexit very very few British born people would have described themselves as ‘European’.

In the census there is a question about this. I can't remember quite how it is phrased but it gives a list of geopolitical identities for you to tick which ones you feel part of and a space to add any others. I ticked both English and British and added European in the space.

[cyclingmad]

Have to laugh really people putting energy into marches about rejoining.

How about a march to reform our NHS so it serves us better cos rejoining the EU isn't going to do that

Or a march to find solutions to improving our economy and getting people back to work due to pandemic, because rejoining EU isn't going to do that

Or a march on better policing and reforming sentencing so we all feel safer and not have 3 people killed from being shot on day 1 of 2021...rejoining the EU isn't going to fix that

So many fecking things we need to do as a country to improve our lives and instead of focusing on that we continue to fight each other

4yrs of this back n forth shite with peolels attention and focus on brexit or remain. Its done, let's move on and focus on what's going on at game right now for the love of God let's start trying to make our country better, our health care better, policing, education etc.

[AlexaShutUp]

Before Brexit very very few British born people would have described themselves as ‘European’.

I can only speak for myself, but I always identified myself very much as a European.

[daisypond]

let's start trying to make our country better, our health care better, policing, education etc.
All of that has just been made harder now. Our country will be worse.

[ilovesooty]

@AlexaShutUp

Before Brexit very very few British born people would have described themselves as ‘European’.

I can only speak for myself, but I always identified myself very much as a European.

So did I.

[cyclingmad]

@daisypond

Sorry I didnt realise the EU decided how the nhs spends its money and how its structured

I must so blind to not have seen how the EU decides how policing is done and what budgets they get and what their focus should be on

I mean who knew the EU decided upon our education system either

Blimey the EU controlled so much! Your right we are completely screwed now we no longer have them deciding these things for us

[Kendodd]

Won't the NHS be getting 350 million a week extra from now on? Oh... no... was that a lie?

[daisypond]

[quote cyclingmad]@daisypond

Sorry I didnt realise the EU decided how the nhs spends its money and how its structured

I must so blind to not have seen how the EU decides how policing is done and what budgets they get and what their focus should be on

I mean who knew the EU decided upon our education system either

Blimey the EU controlled so much! Your right we are completely screwed now we no longer have them deciding these things for us

[/quote]
Because leaving the EU makes the U.K. poorer, therefore we won’t have the same money to spend on healthcare, policing, education etc- and it’s made it harder for the EU staff who work in those fields, which is why many have left, and fewer can be recruited.