So the next time I work
in Germany I will be a foreigner. I have not thought that way for
more than 20 years. No apologies Mrs May I reject the identity that
you are trying to force on to me. I may be British but I have always
been and will continue to be a European.
It has taken me months
to get to the root of my anger, but I really think this is it. I
genuinely consider myself to be European, all my grandparents are
immigrants, as is true for a lot of people in Britain. In fact who is
not an immigrant if you go back far enough. I remember posting some
goods to Germany about 22 years ago (pre Maastricht Treaty), the post
office clerk asked me a question which I cannot remember, I
automatically replied "Its not going abroad its going to
Germany" - I meant it then and still do not consider Europe to
be 'foreign' - but the row that ensued in the queue was epic. I guess
we are fortunate to have lived the main part of our lives as EU
citizens, living with the benefits, and breathing in the freedom that
came with them: an ethos that placed people at the centre of our
society with freedoms our parents could only dream of. That freedom
can never come from a Free Trade deal - because it is people who need
freedom not 'things'. I had hoped we had moved on from Nationalism
but clearly we still have a lot of work to do. I deeply resent the
attack on my identity, and the loss of my rights.
