The Brexit referendum thread: potential consequences for GB, EU and the Brits in CH

[Aeneas]

	Quote:	Tom1234
	I think you think I was in support of Brexit. I never was. Still am not (unlike those people in the Belinda Meadon interview who voted for Brexit and then moaned about what they got).

I didn't, at least it was immaterial to my argument. I just thought what I perceived argument was short sited. And for some bizarre reason you refused to correct me on it. Well, I suppose we all get our jollies some way or other.

I don't think that even promoting British manufactured exports is necessarily the best course of action, given that services constitute a far greater fraction of UK GDP - but I doubt I would have argued against it because I don't feel confident on the details involved.

[Jim2007]

	Quote:	TonyClifton
	What a great country Ireland is, booming GDP that has had zero effect on living standards. What's going wrong, Jim?

Tony, no matter how you want to dress it up a gap of over 40k per capita can't be excused. And its way beyond time the British voters started holding all parties to account for such gross miss management of the economy.

[JackieH]

	Quote:	ZuriRollt
	JackieH is not an Expat. She grew-up here, according to her own anecdotes, and knows the area „like the back of her hand“. Again, according to her own posts. I actually thought that she was a Swiss national from birth. At least that‘s the impression given.

How very narrow minded, we live in a modern world you know. Yes, born here- went to uk as a teenager and lived there all my adult and working life, married to a Brit. Got British nationality in 73, probably a lot longer than many here on EF. British Degree and career, family, and totally dependent on UK pension alone.

So yes, OH and I are British expats- very simple (well he was born South African- as said we live in a modern world).

[Biro]

	Quote:	JackieH
	How very narrow minded, we live in a modern world you know. Yes, born here- went to uk as a teenager and lived there all my adult and working life, married to a Brit. Got British nationality in 73, probably a lot longer than many here on EF. British Degree and career, family, and totally dependent on UK pension alone. So yes, OH and I are British expats- very simple (well he was born South African- as said we live in a modern world).

Does that give you a nice warm gooey feeling ?

[roegner]

	Quote:	JackieH
	How very narrow minded, we live in a modern world you know. Yes, born here- went to uk as a teenager and lived there all my adult and working life, married to a Brit. Got British nationality in 73, probably a lot longer than many here on EF. British Degree and career, family, and totally dependent on UK pension alone. So yes, OH and I are British expats- very simple (well he was born South African- as said we live in a modern world).

Aren´t you then an immigrant? An expat normally goes back to his/her country.

[Jim2007]

	Quote:	Aeneas
	Indeed, given the fact that the UK is overwhelmingly a service-based economy, how much benefit would there be to promoting manufactured exports? Would it not benefit the UK more if it focused on increasing the export of services, not goods?

The UK has been trying to concentrate on services for some time and it has not worked out so well. The problem with services is that you can't generate enough high value added job to put most average citizens to work as you can with manufacturing.

And the second problem is that you are competing in a world market on a cost basis. One of the results of the British Empire is that you have lots of countries around the world with a very similar legal structure and professional training and approach.

Accounting is the field I know best and there for instance Ireland and the UK is so similar that there is no barrier at all so that there is nothing stopping a British public accountant from signing Irish accounts and vice versa. If you then look at the other former dominions - it's a little more difficult, perhaps a multi choice exam or something like that to get recognition and so on. And beyond that most former colonies also have paths to recognition.

I'm retired now, but I still get the odd flyer from places like India where they are using our membership directories to target their advertising. The going rate to have a client set of books closed out and have the annual accounts extracted is about 100 euro. So a firm in Ireland or the UK only really needs a couple of partners with a practicing certificate to do the final review, sign off and face to face client meetings.

The barrier to entry in services is low and if you can't compete on cost it is really not going to go well.

[k_and_e]

	Quote:	roegner
	Aren´t you then an immigrant? An expat normally goes back to his/her country.

a former expat actually, if she has lived in the UK and returned to CH.

[ZuriRollt]

	Quote:	Biro
	Does that give you a nice warm gooey feeling ?

Judging by her other post on the Boris thread she resurrected to find excuses to insult people, probably enhanced by alcohol. I did try to protect her …

[roegner]

	Quote:	k_and_e
	a former expat actually, if she has lived in the UK and returned to CH.

Forgot about the Swiss passport.

[ZuriRollt]

	Quote:	roegner
	Forgot about the Swiss passport.

I was born with the entitlement to 2 passports (one which I didn‘t bother to renew yonks ago). Spent the first half of my life in the UK, and the second here. Am younger than JackieH (according to her own posts), given. But I would never classify myself as „an expat“

[roegner]

	Quote:	ZuriRollt
	I was born with the entitlement to 2 passports (one which I didn‘t bother to renew yonks ago). Spent the first half of my life in the UK, and the second here. Am younger than JackieH (according to her own posts), given. But I would never classify myself as „an expat“

One passport (I could get another one but don’t want that), I‘m an immigrant here. Although I will go to yet another country when I retire.

[Belgianmum]

	Quote:	roegner
	One passport (I could get another one but don’t want that), I‘m an immigrant here. Although I will go to yet another country when I retire.

I personally don’t think anybody who lives in their country of birth and who holds that citizenship can truly call themselves an expat, nor an immigrant for that matter.

[JackieH]

	Quote:	ZuriRollt
	I was born with the entitlement to 2 passports (one which I didn‘t bother to renew yonks ago). Spent the first half of my life in the UK, and the second here. Am younger than JackieH (according to her own posts), given. But I would never classify myself as „an expat“

Because you have said it yourself- you have not lived and worked all your life in one country, got the nationality, studied for a Degree and built your family and career there. Yes, I am a double expat- and totally reliant on an expat pension. Nationality is not quite so simple for some. And OH certainly is an expat, as he was a baby when he moved to UK.

[JackieH]

And she groans, wow!

Come on, which one of you is this

https://fb.watch/is_MV9P_EY/

BTW, I know huge areas of the UK like my back pocket too. Probably know more about British history and geography, and so many other things, than about Switzerland.

[ZuriRollt]

	Quote:	JackieH
	Because you have said it yourself- you have not lived and worked all your life in one country, got the nationality, studied for a Degree and built your family and career there. Yes, I am a double expat- and totally reliant on an expat pension. Nationality is not quite so simple for some. And OH certainly is an expat, as he was a baby when he moved to UK.

I have lived, worked and studied hard in both countries. And I established a wonderful family and also a career here. If your SA OH moved to the UK as a baby, then is he really an ex-pat???

Sometimes, you seem to forget completely that you are living in your „Vaterland“ (or whatever that is in Franglaise).

Try to enjoy life here, instead of constantly carping on and on about the land that you decided you didn‘t want to live in. I started reading your posts because you would talk about the wonderful nature around you once upon a time. And I could associate with that. It was lovely.

But now, it‘s really time to take a breath, and realise where you are and what you have achieved.
Your children will survive without you, and make their own decisions. Do you want them to remember a Mother that was obsessed with Brexit, or a Mother that made a wonderful life for herself? That‘s a fact that we all face.

[JackieH]

He is a British expat in Switzerland. Both of us have worked and lived all our adult live in the UK, he since he was a baby- both of us 100% reliant on British pension. I'd say that makes us expats. You are entitled to disagree, of course.

It is visceral and obsessive though, from you, and rather weird and all a bit disturbing though.

[roegner]

	Quote:	JackieH
	He is a British expat in Switzerland. Both of us have worked and lived all our adult live in the UK, he since he was a baby- both of us 100% reliant on British pension. I'd say that makes us expats. You are entitled to disagree, of course. It is visceral and obsessive though, from you, and rather weird and all a bit disturbing though.

Why are you so keen on being called an expat when you live in your country of birth and the country you hold citizenship from?
Nothing wrong with that nor with being an immigrant.

[ZuriRollt]

	Quote:	JackieH
	He is a British expat in Switzerland. Both of us have worked and lived all our adult live in the UK, he since he was a baby- both of us 100% reliant on British pension. I'd say that makes us expats. You are entitled to disagree, of course. It is visceral and obsessive though, from you, and rather weird and all a bit disturbing though.

You provoke responses, from people that otherwise wouldn’t give them. THATS disturbing. There‘s a word for it on the internet.

And frankly, I‘ve had enough of you insulting people on this Forum that don‘t agree with your views. If you don‘t like it, just ignore and read on.

[ZuriRollt]

	Quote:	roegner
	Why are you so keen on being called an expat when you live in your country of birth and the country you hold citizenship from? Nothing wrong with that nor with being an immigrant.

I believe that her views probably come from the times of colonialism (based on previous posts on other threads, which she has no doubt edited in the meantime to fit her narrative).

[st2lemans]

	Quote:	JackieH
	you have not lived and worked all your life in one country, got the nationality, studied for a Degree and built your family and career there.

I have (except that I already had the degree).

Tom