eu citizens and the brexit vote

[xmasadsboohiss]

I've lived here for over twenty years and have worked and paid taxes and am in the process of raising a family. So I could almost be one of Mr Farage's 'ordinary, decent' people. Except my passport comes from an EU country so I guess that, in his eyes, that rules me out of that particular tranche of society.

I'm hurt on a personal level by the vote - talk of 'Getting our country back' is so upsetting. I for one was unaware that I or any of my fellow EU citizens had stolen it! I'm also troubled by the realisation that the country I have lived in for most of my adult life, and which I thought of as open, welcoming and progressive may not be so. Do I want to raise my children in a place that prides itself in looking inwards rather than outwards? Hmmm.

And then of course there are the practicalities. I'm an EU citizen and one of the implicit aims of the Leave campaign was to push British people at the top of the queue for jobs. So my job prospects are by definition impacted despite years of hard work and contribution to this country on my part.

Now I know there are many words of reassurance coming from politicians but frankly why should I believe any of it? This is new to everyone so anything can happen.

To me whether I am being unreasonable or not is neither here nor there. I'm sad and I'm worried.

[Cocoabutton]

Maybe, but that would surprise me, she was turned back at immigration the first time she tried to come over.

Anyways, it is irrelevant to the thread, it is just one of those random things I felt far too polite to ask and have never quite understood.

[Lottielo]

Before the referendum, an EU migrant friend expressed her concern that she could be asked to leave the country because her British husband is unemployed and,therefore, would not satisfy the minimum earnings regulations. I told her not to worry, that there is absolutely no way that EU migrants would be asked to leave because our economy relies on them and, besides, we are not a racist country and such a thing is absolutely unthinkable. I also totally believed that we would vote remain. Now, I think that anything is possible. I find myself with exactly the same worries she has as I'm married to an EU migrant who is in a low paid job. I have also been shocked about, and as a British citizen thoroughly ashamed of, the racist incidents that have taken place since the referendum. This is not the sort of environment in which I want to raise my children but I can't make any plans because we've no idea what is going to happen.

[EnthusiasmDisturbed]

I have friends that are feeling hurt. They are not feeling quite so bad as they did at first and feel confident they can stay but feel they were used for when they were needed by the uk. They also think most politicians wanted to leave and it was a big set up from the start

They also sympathise with the immigration argument as they themselves are not keen on their home country neighbours and think they come here to take advantage of benefits and give others from the EU a bad name (didn't agree but felt it wasn't the time to have that conversation)