This picture of the County Hall in Abingdon on Thames was taken at 11 pm on 31st January 2020. Britain has just left the European Union.
There is a fine drizzle. Sami’s queue continues unchanged. There is a phut phut where somebody has launched a small rocket but no bang or shower of sparks. We are entering a new era but unlike new year there is no tradition for leaving the EU.
Having walked around the town centre and failed to find any signs of celebration, I check the time. No bells were rung. There was no dancing in or outside the pubs. Some people watched a face on a large screen explaining the significance of this day.
We celebrated at a local restaurant. The staff had made a Union Jack flag for our table. We then went home and had a celebratory bottle of wine. What a great occasion. Britain is free to make it’s own laws and trade with the rest of the world. Other countries admire our democracy and the British people. It shows that the will of the people will prevail.
I had no plans or interest in celebrating or mourning; however I have just checked and the sky is still where it is supposed to be. So that’s good
I forgot to mention the unexpected respect Brits seem to have gained from the rest of the world. Australians seem to admire the determination of the British. Also other countries have admiration for the UK. An Italian M P said he admires the UK and it was a beautiful example of democrary. (His words).
Well, I am very sad that we have left the EU. It had many flaws, but it is first and foremost a peace project which we are no longer a part of.
Mr Farrago has “enjoyed playing the pantomime Demon King” (his own words); but the panto season is over and negotiating from a position of numerical weakness will not be a joke.
I hope we can make a good future for our world – but it’s a bit early to be celebrating.
What can you do today Janet, that you could not do yesterday ?
My freedom has been curtailed: I can no longer travel all over Europe for as long as I want. I shall , at the end of this year, be restricted to 90 days in Schengen countries in any 180 day period. That matters if you are not keen on the British winter.
Yes a very sad day. I’d be interested to hear what these laws we are now free to make are, and who you now wish to trade with?
I hope you are still celebrating Janet when reality hits home once the truth of what this really means comes out!
Just playing devils advocate;. I want to clarify…. There is no way on God’s green earth that it is at all possible, in any way, to ask to stay in a country that is part of the EU for more than 90days in any 180day period? There’s no form, there’s no stamp, nothing that allows this? On day 91 you will be hunted down, hounded and thrown out of the country?
And, just to be clear…this situation is cast in stone, effective from exactly now (well 13.5hrs ago) and will now never ever change?
Oh and Janet most of the world are laughing at us and the Americans will soon be laughing once we have sold ourselves to them
A very sad day, but don’t worry Europe, we’ll be back – after most of our manufacturing and finance have moved.
Not hunted down etc Daniel but simply refused entry next time you attempt to travel to Europe, via stamp on passport. There was talk of fines as well. There are visas for business, work or education which are available on application and fee to the country you want to visit, but not for long term holiday stays. The government website says;
Quote
Entering other countries
Visas for short trips: you will not need one if you’re a tourist
If you’re a tourist, you will not need a visa for short trips to EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
You may need a visa or permit to stay for longer, to work or study, or for business travel.
Check each country’s travel advice page for information on how to get a visa or permit.
Unquote
The Spanish government website, so far, makes this rule clear and does not offer exemptions for over- wintering Brits.
If you stay for 89 consecutive days in Schengen – as very, very many UK retirees do – then, within a period of 180 days, you can only go back to Europe for 1 day.
Trust me, this is exercising the minds of very many people currently affected !
I’m very sad that we’ve left the EU for absolutely no good reasons. As for congratulations from right and far right Italian MPs and MEPs just remember that Italian fascist PM Benito Mussolini got his ambassador to the UK – Count Dino Grandi – to congratulate Chamberlain on his appeasement towards Hitler. Not usually thought to be a good thing.
As for Australian views: some Aussies want to cut ties to the UK monarchy and to remove the Union flag from the canton of the Australian flag, but have failed to get this done so far. Some will see the UK cutting ties with the EU, and looking to do a trade deal with Australia, as encouraging
I feel sorry for Janet – celebrating having left the EU when in fact all theat changed is that the UK will have to follow EU rules (good thing) but is now unable to influence or partake in any of the decision making for the next 12 months. Congratulations to the brexiteers on bringing the UK into an era of isolation and uncertainty
The E U has suppresed British industry to further their own. They forced English apple growers to dig up and destroy most of their apple trees so that they could import french apples. Kent lost 85% of trees and Somerset 65% We now import 75% of our apples. The same with fishing. We now only are allowed to catch 3% of fish in our own waters. Huges foreign factory ships catch the rest. The E U imports more to us, (by design), then we export to them. Poland and Romania love the EU. They pay the less in and get more back, plus they have exported all their umemployed to other E U contries including the UK. People in other countries such as Germany and Itally are not happy being in the EU. Only the politicians seem to be. Our TV will not show the demonstrations in France and other countries.
Just wondering aloud…but if you want to spend more than 90 days living outside the Country you love…should you really have the right to have a say on what happens to the rest of us that are staying here? Hmmmm…
In what way will my wintering somewhere warm affect you ?
I’ve worked in UK for much of my working life, still pay UK taxes, have a house and all familythere so pay rates etc and, am proud to be British. I think my vote is the least thing to be concerned about.
Incidentally, over the last 3 years I have talked to literally hundreds of Europeans, from Finns to Italians and, with the exception of one Frenchman who thought the EU would fold without us, have found everyone else sorry that we are leaving, convinced we are making a mistake and sure we are governed by. lunatics ! One Swiss man pointed out that we Brits are not used to referenda and should not try them for important matters as look where it got us.
It affects me not one iota, and thankfully, your vote didn’t either because you were in the minority. (Not that you’ll accept that).
I’m sure that the rest of the EU are very sorry to see us go…they will not be getting our millions to subsidise them. Hopefully, mine and your taxes, will now be spent on our roads and not Spanish ones.
Of course, it is a terrible thing to spend money helping those less well-off that we are…
Many of our industries and economically deprived area have benefited from EU subsidies. But, of course, that runs counter to the Farrago narrative.
Less well off…… so whilst our own people are having to resort to foodbanks, or sleeping rough on the streets, it’s ok to send billions to Spain so that they have pristine roads, whilst our roads now resemble a 3rd world country, with dangerous pot-holes everywhere, road markings that are almost invisible, and major trunk roads that desperately need updating/improving for safety.
Yes some areas here have benefitted from EU subsidies, but that was our own money that we’ve paid in and graciously been paid a fraction of it back!
Money would have been spent on our roads had the UK government agreed to match the EU road grants offered. In the EU many projects, from village playgrounds to water treatment works are part financed by the EU and part financed by the municipality. We won’t guarantee the money in UK so we have lost out.
If you go around in UK with open eyes there are still lots of projects that have been wholly built by the EU: the bridge over the river at Cragside in Northumberland is one that springs to mind as well as lots of farm buildings in the Shap area.
Oh dear Janet you really don’t have a clue do you (it’s not a question in case you wondered)
And I haven’t even mentioned the money that the EU wastes yet, nor it’s carbon footprint. Just by moving to Strasbourg! https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/20/eu-parliament-s-114m-a-year-move-to-strasbourg-a-waste-of-money-but-will-it-ever-be-scrapp
Yes….its not like the UK cabinet moved their most recent cabinet meeting to redcar purely for PR reasons….oh wait that’s exactly what they did. What about that carbon footprint.
Definitely a bit left wing in here! We can see why you all voted for lefty Layla …
Hmmm. It’s all certainly a conundrum.
Wondered when the lift wing would get the blame when the far right have proven to be such bad winners
I think this is one of those posts where comments should be disabled.
I’ve not said left or right is best, I’m just merely pointing out that the majority of these posts are leaning so far left it’s unreal!
Good grief! Left wing! You need to get out more.
I think the issue is that the left think they’re right and of those that want BREXIT only the rights left.
See…it’s all jumbled up.
PPJS you do make me chuckle!
So Janet. These unemployed that Poland have exported to the UK. Would these by any chance be the people who now serve me my beer in the pub, pick the fruit and vegetables that are grown on our farms, mend the plumbing and electrics in my house when they need repairing, drive the buses that take us where we want to go, deliver to our houses the many and varied goods we choose to buy online, and look after our loved ones in hospitals, hospices and care homes? It’s been a bloody disgrace hasn’t it?
Excellent post Flamingo Lane…….we await Janets reply…………………
Brexit may come and go. Howard Moon remains where he is.
Thank you, Flamingo Lane. That needed saying.
I don’t know whether this country’s International reputation witll ever recover now that The Rest of The World knows that a polled 48% of our adult population are undemocratic, petulant losers. It’s just too un-British to compute.
…it’s all a bit tedious if you ask me.
How do you feel about this situation, Daniel?
Which situation are you talking about newcomer? There are many tedious ones…
Janet r.e. your comments on fishing, what utter tosh. Please read the UK Sea Fisheries Statistics to see the true data on fish quantities landed here and abroad by UK and EU boats, not fabricated lies put out to stimulate emotive ractions by brexit supporters.
Really happy to have left.
Surprised to see County Hall still standing the next day – felt certain that would crumble, along with our finance and tech sectors at 23:01hrs.
Still time of course: the Remainer at work has told me the end of Britain is now scheduled for midnight on 31st December. This time he’s not joking, apparently.
Oh well. Just 11 months to get as much off the bucket list as possible.
Careful in those buckets ph64. The old EU buckets were perfect, don’t get a UK one built to a lower standard.
Also depends if it’s a metric or imperial bucket, left handed or right handed. A lot of differences.
I personally am glad to have left, the EU had stagnated beyond what it was supposed to be, it is bleeding cash left right and centre. I think most of you will find that many of our European friends are far more likely to be wishing we stayed than the amount of people in the UK wishing the same thing. My German colleague has said that the Germans are gutted, the french are lavishing the prospect of boycotting so much based on their self styled imperialistic ways, and the Benelux countries are desperate to get a trade deal sorted due to their ports and trading with us. All these people saying we are doomed… forget it! Switzerland have never been doomed, they are fine in their own, as are many other countries around the world. The EU ‘community’ is not a thing, it’s an idea, an idea to make people think they are part of something great, yet if you had been to Brussels or Strasbourg you would know it’s far from that
What’s that got to do with buckets?
You could get stagnated water in buckets, Daniel?
Not UK buckets Julian…they’ll be substandard, full of holes. But then….how much over the odds would you want to pay for one that has no holes in it; for now?
Did anyone have one of the Unicorn steaks they were serving up in the Narrows?