For Europeans, “Brexit Day” Marks The End of The “British Dream”
Once idolised as the epitome of “cool”, post-Brexit Britain has lost much of the sparkle that made it so appealing to its continental neighbours
Nick Fewings / Unsplash
At 11pm tonight, the UK will finally be calling it quits on the EU, after a nearly four-year-long mess of an exit. The process is far from over — indeed, the transition period will last until the end of 2020 — but the country’s departure is now set in stone. “We’re out!”, to quote David Dimbleby as he read the incoming results on that fateful June morning of 2016.
“Brexit Day”, as it’s so been called, is inevitably bringing a mixed set of reactions to a population which is just as divided today as it was at the time of the referendum. But for European citizens, not only the over three million residing in the UK, but those on the continent as well, today represents much more than just a political fracture — rather, it’s the nail in the “British dream”’s coffin.
The “British dream” isn’t spoken about much, but for many Europeans, it was a real concept. Its narrative was far from the “little Britain” image that a large number of Brits seem to nostalgically pine for — Europeans routinely revile traditional British food, for instance, and poke fun at some of the country’s more “backward” traits (separate taps comes to mind) — but rather one of a nation which managed to make itself so effortlessly cool since the end of the war.
To the minds of Europeans, especially those from the south, centre and east of the continent, there was something immensely liberating about this rainy isle. Life in most countries across the channel has been dominated by bickering, inefficient political systems, a general resistance to change and experimentation, and highly polarised social attitudes. Britain, on the other hand, appeared to be a nation on a forward path, a country which had managed to balance tradition and modernity, stability and change, in a seemingly perfect manner. In the UK, you could crash your way through established social labels to create your very own, mish-mashed identity. You could shave your head and wear punk clothes, and then come home to the safety of your suburban bungalow with its little front garden, turning on the news to yet again discover that nothing interesting was going on over in Westminster. It was a life that, alongside the fairly decent prospect of finding a well-paying job, proved attractive to many Europeans — indeed, since the EU’s enlargement in 2004, the number of EU27 nationals in Britain more than doubled.
Of course, this “dream” has always been built on somewhat exaggerated, if not misleading, pretences. The UK may have been skilled at hiding its dirty laundry, but a closer look reveals many deep-seated social inequalities which are a far cry from its utopian image. Classism, for instance, is imbued within British society, remaining a crippling issue the country has yet to fully grapple with. Likewise, Britain’s reputation for being a place of tolerance and multiculturalism didn’t prevent Stephen Lawrence from being murdered for his race back in 1993, nor did it stop the Home Office sending “Go Home” vans around the country a year after the “triumphant” London Summer Olympics. Nevertheless, much of this didn’t make the airwaves across the Channel, leaving the UK’s “hip” reputation astonishingly solid.
2016 changed this all. From being Europe’s “too-cool-for-school” sibling, part of the family yet at the same time nonchalantly distant, it became petty and whiny. A country famed for its ability to “keep calm and carry on” suddenly descended into chaos, with news headlines around the world making a mockery of the political hurricane that followed the referendum. The true icing on the cake came when water leaked into the House of Commons last year, providing a farcical quality to an already dire political situation. Brexit ultimately revealed a nation that was bitterly divided, that didn’t always treat its immigrants (and even its own citizens) well, and that was willing to sacrifice its economic health for a delusional, incomprehensible fantasy. However sophisticated and complex the reasons behind the “Leave” vote may have been, most people throughout Europe have yet to see any cause beyond blue passports and curved bananas. The “British dream’”s decline may have set in at the time of the referendum, but today marks its true death knell (perhaps we should have granted Mark Francois’ wish for a “Big Ben bong” after all).
In my upbringing as a European residing in the UK, I was fortunate enough to experience what could perhaps be considered the “quintessence” of the “British dream”. Since coming to the country from Ireland fifteen years ago, my life was spent moving from one detached house to the other, all in leafy, quiet commuter towns just outside London. I won a scholarship to a boarding school, and then went on to do my undergraduate degree at Oxford, after which I embarked on a Master’s at Cambridge, which I’ll be finishing this year. My thick Cork accent was gradually replaced with an inconspicuous RP, I learned how to play cricket (albeit never growing to like it), and ended up memorising too many English hymns to count. Then, just over two years ago, I picked up my UK citizenship, thus turning my lifelong experience into a paper reality.
But now, that same “dream” seems tired and uninspired. As someone who feels and considers himself British now as well as Italian, I do feel a sense of affection for a place that has ultimately adopted me. But looking at things from my other, “European” perspective, I no longer feel that sense of wide-eyed excitement at the prospect of building my life in a country which, I fear, will only continue to isolate and retreat itself. This is a sentiment which is echoed by many EU27 nationals I speak to at university. Alice*, a Belgian student in my college, has said that the “uncertainty of staying here” has changed her views on pursuing a career in London, with her sights now set on Brussels. Likewise, Filippo*, a fellow Italian postgrad, has said that he is considering leaving Britain as a result of feeling “like [his] presence here is merely tolerated”, which sharply contrasts his initial attraction to this country for its “thriving international community.” Indeed, the figures themselves show that Europeans don’t find “Cool Britannia” all that “cool” anymore — numbers of EU citizens moving to the UK are steadily declining, and those that are already here are leaving in droves.
With the “British dream” closely awaiting its funeral, maybe a new “dream” will take its place — the “Dutch dream”, or the “Scandinavian” one, perhaps. Maybe Scotland will create its own version of the “British dream”, since it seems increasingly intent on carrying the baton by itself. Perhaps we’ll give up on the notion of national “dreams” in the first place, since the arch-genesis of the concept — our siblings across the pond — haven’t been doing so well either. Regardless, it’s clear that whatever vision for Britain that Boris Johnson and his crew are planning on rolling out sharply differs from the image which so many people in Europe once held of this country. My greatest fear is that what will ultimately be left of what I can now call “my” island will be large puddles and soggy shepherd’s pie.
*Names changed upon the individuals’ requests
