Not Brexcited

As a former UK resident, friend of British people and fan of British culture, it is of course a dull time for me.

I have to say that I always thought David Cameron was taking a huge risk putting Britain through such a volatile exercise and just for his political career's sake. Part of me knew the British people never fully embraced this European utopia and have always been half-in and half-out. Asking them the question so directly was a real gamble

After all, Britain is the motherland of pragmatism and there has always been something fundamentally non-pragmatic about  the European Union: The European dream and the British cynism have struggled to coexist. And with the difficulties of the single currency, the economic and demographic tensions and Brussels' utter failure to pursue any decent defence or foreign policy agenda, the British Eurosceptic tenors were often proven right in the latest decade. All this made me even more bearish about the outcome of this referendum.  

So if all this was not really a surprise, why was I disappointed today? Maybe because I once fell in love with this brilliant civilization, this precious art of living (even started gardening!) and really enjoyed feeling almost at home there as a European citizen. I never realized that this was fragile and could change one day. When voting for the municipal elections in London, I couldn't imagine that this nice and inclusive European practice would ever die. Also, a French friend rightly told me this afternoon: "the English are a bit like some cousins. They are annoying but you still like them. You criticize them, they make fun of you but at the end of the day, they're still family." And I said to myself: "We went through so much together, so the day they decide to go and leave us, we feel lost and sad."

And my most melancholic thought today went to all British soldiers who died on French soil in the battle of the Somme in 1916 or in Normandy in 1944. Their sacrifices granted us a free and peaceful Europe. No Brexit should ever alter this beautiful legacy. 

Not Brexcited

As a former UK resident, friend of British people and fan of British culture, it is of course a dull time for me.

I have to say that I always thought David Cameron was taking a huge risk putting Britain through such a volatile exercise and just for his political career's sake. Part of me knew the British people never fully embraced this European utopia and have always been half-in and half-out. Asking them the question so directly was a real gamble

After all, Britain is the motherland of pragmatism and there has always been something fundamentally non-pragmatic about  the European Union: The European dream and the British cynism have struggled to coexist. And with the difficulties of the single currency, the economic and demographic tensions and Brussels' utter failure to pursue any decent defence or foreign policy agenda, the British Eurosceptic tenors were often proven right in the latest decade. All this made me even more bearish about the outcome of this referendum.  

So if all this was not really a surprise, why was I disappointed today? Maybe because I once fell in love with this brilliant civilization, this precious art of living (even started gardening!) and really enjoyed feeling almost at home there as a European citizen. I never realized that this was fragile and could change one day. When voting for the municipal elections in London, I couldn't imagine that this nice and inclusive European practice would ever die. Also, a French friend rightly told me this afternoon: "the English are a bit like some cousins. They are annoying,m but you still like them. You criticize them, they make fun of you but at the end if the day, they're still family." And I said to myself: "We went through so much together, so the day they decide to go and leave us, we feel lost and sad."

And my most melancholic thought today went to all British soldiers who died on French soil in the battle of the Somme in 1916 or in Normandy in 1944. Their sacrifices granted us a free and peaceful Europe. No Brexit should ever alter this beautiful legacy.