Freedom of movement.
It once gave my life such joy. Travelling throughout Europe, experiencing new cultures, tasting different foods, sharing experiences with such a broad spectrum of people. Then came Brexit and I became a prisoner in my own country, confined to just 90 out of every 180 days in the continent I loved.
Now, Andy Burnham looks as if he’s going to claw back freedom of movement from the EU – but only for young people. Yet again, we older folk have been shelved in favour of making life easier for the young. Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy for the youth who crave excitement and adventure and want to broaden their horizons. But so do many older people – we’re not dead yet.
How many youngsters are that keen to travel anyway? Many students I know live at home because they can’t afford to do anything else, and those that do live closer to their unis are still close enough to home so they can head back at weekends to get their washing done for them (and some decent food in their belies). Those who aren’t studying are working long hours, saving their money to get on the property ladder, looking to procreate. and have next to no interest in anything other than two weeks in Benidorm in August.
Here’s a thought: How about giving greater freedom to seniors? It kills two birds with one stone: stops everyone from listening to us all banging on about (a) how Brexit has ruined our lives (b) how we can’t afford to heat our houses (c) we can’t afford a house to heat at all – just me? (d) the exorbitant cost of living and (e) how much better life is elsewhere.
Just let us go there then, why don’t you!
Yes, it’s possible to get a visa elsewhere, but depending on where you go, the process can be complicated – not least for non-EU Brits. I recently obtained a Bulgarian Visa, which gives me six months freedom – but only in Bulgaria. For the other EU countries, the restriction is still 90/180 for all of them combined.
Not everyone wants to (or is able to) move out of Britain, obviously. Families, friends, jobs at home – there’s a lot to consider. I am able to because I have no ties and have been moving around since I first went to live in Paris in 2001, a time I regard as one of the happiest of my life.
I was very happy in Los Angeles and New York, too, and life is made easier there now that I have citizenship. I won’t even consider returning full-time while Trump is President.
But there is so much more that I want so see and do, without having to go on the 90/180 app and so sums every time I travel. ‘Travel while you’ve got your health’ someone once told me. I’m 68 this week and it’s what I want to do more than anything.
For the most part, people don’t contemplate moving because they like to stay in their comfort zone, which is fine, and many people still enjoy varied holidays that open their eyes to the fact that there really is life elsewhere.
But the spirit of adventure is not something that comes naturally to a population with island mentality: a people with an inflated sense of superiority and a lack of interest (now manifesting itself in abject hatred) in people and cultures different from their own. The rise of racism in the UK is, frankly, despicable and horrifying, and it’s prevalent among the young as well as the old. There are relatively few people who relish freedom of movement, because they view it with terror as to who might be coming in, not the opportunities it might give them if they had the chance to leave.
So come on, Prime Minister! Make it easier not just for young people, but for seniors to escape the tyranny of island mentality.
Honestly, my bags are packed. You just have to give the word.
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