Despite my Dutch and Norwegian heritage, I am, or rather was, immensely proud to be British in general and English in particular. The Beatles, the NHS, all the sports we invented (but are now crap at), our culture, beer, fish and chips, the railways – what’s not to be proud of? This magnificent island, always batting way above its average. Until now.
In leaving the EU, we have decided to raise the drawbridge to Europe. It is nonsense to suggest otherwise. We don’t want to be part of the European economy, we don’t want European people working here, we don’t want to travel freely, study, live, love and retire in Europe. Well, at least 52% of us don’t. I do, so that’s why I am in the process of seeking dual citizenship.
The land of my mother was the Netherlands which could be my passport to getting a Dutch passport and perhaps dual citizenship. If successful, it could mean I’d still be able to do all the things I could before across Europe. Though I am in the final quarter of my life – what a cheerful thought for a Wednesday morning: I’ll be in the end zone soon enough – you never know what’s around the corner. I can’t see me emigrating and I don’t want to, but what if this country sets itself on fire again, as it did with the vote to leave the EU? You never know, do you? They might come looking for people with silly foreign names like Johansen and contend that I don’t have enough true British blood, less even than that part Irishman Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
I’m deadly serious about all this, even though I don’t want to be. The thought that if Brexiters had their way, my Norwegian/Swedish grandfather would not have been able to come here to work and live, nor would my Dutch mother. It’s as if, despite my family having paid taxes all their lives, are no longer welcome here that sticks in the craw. I’m afraid I take that very seriously and personally. If you hate foreigners that much, you probably hate me, too.
So, I’m trying to preserve the freedoms and rights I enjoy and have enjoyed for much of my life. It is not a decision I take lightly because, despite all this, I am as patriotic as the next person and I don’t care if you don’t agree with me about that.
With my ‘foreign’ heritage, perhaps I don’t see differences in people as others do. I am not that bothered about nationality, I could not care less about a person’s colour or their sexuality, not even their religion so long as they keep it to themselves and I still don’t quite understand why 52% of the British people have such qualms about nationality (I am hoping the other things don’t bother them quite so much).
I’m literally the end of the line with my Dutch family. Out of necessity, I am going to do my little bit to keep it going.
