Re. WA vs No Deal
Even as an ardent Remainer, reality is now forcing me to confront the binary choice of WA vs ND, as I can't see any other alternative (PV, Revoke or anything else) being possible at this late stage. A short-term extension of A50 would be just useless temporising.
Looking at it selfishly, I'd prefer the WA, as this will give us time to sell the house and move back to Germany (DW is German and she and the DCs have dual nationality). We should have done this ages ago, of course, but never underestimate the power of inertia coupled with (blind) optimism. Anyway, we are where we are now.
We're reasonably financially secure (providing we continue to get our pensions abroad), certainly once we've sold the house, so I don't foresee any problems with German residence. The thought of uprooting after 40 years here is of course horrifying, not just the expense and sheer admin hassle of moving, but also the loss of friendships built up over the years. We know practically no-one in Germany any more.
My greatest worry is healthcare, as DW has had breast cancer (now thankfully recovered, thanks to the wonderful NHS) and I had a heart attack 8 years ago, so we've got a poor track record and private insurance may be prohibitively expensive. My general health has been deteriorating over the past couple of years (shamefully self-inflicted
) and I can definitely see me requiring medical assistance in the not too distant future. I hope I would be able to cope with the strains of moving, but it's far from certain.
Of course, in the event of No Deal it will be difficult, if not impossible, to sell the house for anything like a reasonable price, so we'd be stuck here for the foreseeable. And in that scenario, will the NHS function well enough to assure any medical help I may need, quite apart from my daily meds? Stockpiling is well advanced, thanks to advice on these threads, so I'm not too worried about short-term survival.
Putting all those considerations aside and ignoring my passionate Remainership, I guess the best thing for us would be the WA. I think either option is dreadful for the UK, but in the end my core loyalty is to my family.
And any attempts by Brexiteers to shift blame can fuck right off. I hold them (active pushers and passive drones alike) responsible for this unholy mess. I would always seek to forgive, but that first requires repentance, which seems to be in very short supply. The damage caused by their arrogance or ignorance makes my blood boil.
Sorry, rant over and back to semi-lurking.