Unintended Consequences

[ZigZagJigsaw]

A colleague who voted for Brexit has just been informed she has no right to emigrate to the Netherlands with her family. The reason she wants to move there is because she says NL have a better healthcare system than the U.K. Her youngest child (teenager) is highly dependent on the NHS and apparently that would disqualify them, unless they agreed to not use the public health care system.

The above would apply even if the NL classed my colleague and her husband as highly skilled, which they don’t. British nationals are now classed as third country nationals so they have to relocate as highly skilled immigrants. No more free movement after Brexit.

She’s trying to be exactly the same kind of economic migrant to the NL that she voted to keep out of the U.K. And for some reason doesn’t seem to see the link.

I’m just nodding politely at work but I had to come and vent somewhere.

AIBU to think “you brought this on yourself”?

YANBU

My parents voted brexit and are utterly aghast that they can only spend 90 days in Europe per year now. Plus the visa thing that's coming in, and queues at passport control as they enter for their winter-sun trips.

Good on the Netherlands, it sounds like she wants to go there solely to leech off their health service, without paying a single penny towards it.

Actions have consequences and you can rarely have your cake and eat it.

No idea if it’s still the case but a friend fought for an autism diagnosis for her ds. NHS said he didn’t have it so she went private. The third attempt got her the diagnosis for her dc. Then she tried to emigrate to Australia (because school disagreed with the diagnosis and refused 1-1 tuition so she wanted a better life for dc) and they wouldn’t allow it due to his diagnosis.

YANBU In her head, restrictions should only apply to THEM and never US. She is entitled and has had her comeuppance.

YANBU. But I'm in no way surprised as I've seen similar several times.

This is one of the many reasons why there never should have been a referendum put in the public's hands. Forgive me but the public are WAY too stupid (understandably) to grasp the complexities of and myriad long-ranging consequences of such a decision.

We should be mean about people who made a mistake voting Brexit and never ever let them forget their mistake. We deserve to be refused the opportunity to live in Europe.
anyone who arrives in Britain deserves to be free to stay here and use State benefits and the NHS, because they didn’t vote brexit.

I am wondering if she realised what she was voting for.

That's exactly what I thought. If you under-spend in education for decades then don't go giving the public a vote on something so complicated. Tbh Brexit and Boris and Trump have put me off democracy altogether.

There’s a case doing the rounds in the press at the moment. Young couple being denied permanent residency in Aus because he’s been diagnosed with MS.

I live in Spain, We're Irish but plenty of Brits that we knew who had holiday homes out here voted to leave. Same people who are now really angry at the 90 day rule / have had to sell up and return to the UK.
@Didimum has hit the nail on the head.

I don’t think she thinks she made a mistake, she’s happy that Europeans can’t move here and use our state supplied benefits, healthcare etc. She’s just unhappy that she can’t move to Europe and do the same.

Sounds like the Netherlands have dodged a bullet. Not highly skilled and wanting to move for better healthcare? Not exactly attractive people for the Netherlands are they?

The vast majority of people didn't, and I can't blame them to be honest. It was an unbelievably inappropriate and mishandled political decision. Almost every insolvable issue the UK is facing today is down to Brexit, and whether you're aligned with the blues or the reds in your ideology, no political party is going to be able to 'fix' it. It's just going to be painful for many, many years to come.

I am about as anti-Brexit as you can get but she already lives in Europe.

I meant the EU (clearly, given the topic and context).

Then use the correct term.

Plenty of people did try to warn pro Brexit voters what the consequences would be, but this was dismissed as ‘Project Fear’. People were basically sticking their fingers in their ears and going ‘la la la la la’ - and now they are reaping the rewards of this.

Completely agree. The amount of folk I know who voted for it and then afterwards whinged and moaned about the implications….. when I asked why they voted for it they all said they just wanted the government to see they wouldn’t bend to their will - but none of them actually wanted to leave Europe.

Flabbergasted!

Tell her that, when it comes up again say this was always a possibility if the country voted to leave. No point getting an ulcer because you don’t want to be honest with her. She might not bring it up again.

If ever there was a reason for a head tilt and twinkly mumsnet laugh, this would be it for
me. 🤭

I’m bemused more than anything, it’s unlikely I’ll get an ulcer from being bemused. I think she’s more likely to get an ulcer, given how furious she is. And she’s already talking about trying other countries such as Denmark and Sweden.

YABU for not calling out her lunacy when she complains. “It’s what you voted for, Janet”

Totally agree

Most of the people had no idea what they even thought they were voting for

This is why I hate political discussions at work. I wouldn't be able to stop myself saying what the hell?

How old is the child by the way? I'm curious if she had very different views nine years ago.