Lost in France after Brexit vote

As Britain negotiates its withdrawal from the EU British expats are perhaps understandably nervous and anxious about their future.

In the Dordogne region of France, a popular haunt for Britons living in Europe, many are unsure how the situation will play out.

Some are looking at obtaining French citizenship, but others, having been in France so long feel as though they shouldn't have to jump through hoops in order to stay.

"No, I'm British," says Peter, one expat who has been in France for fifty years, when asked if he might apply for French citizenship. "I guess they can always try and find me and throw me out." 

While wanting to stay in France he feels the British government have failed in attempting to negotiate from a position of strength and that the EU will walk all over Britain in the withdrawal negotiations.

Other Brits are pragmatic and are seriously appraising their situation. "I guess I'll apply for French citizenship," says Alan, originally from Liverpool, and who now works at a campsite by the river Dordogne. Unlike some, he has yet to look into the bureaucracy and paperwork involved.

Others have been more focused. "I've got all the forms, but yes, you're right I really should make a start on it," Paul, another British expat, says. He moved to France over 15 years ago having quit his job in IT and has a successful business growing grapes and making wine.

Brexit could make his life all the more complicated given that his children, who were born in France, are French, while he and his wife are still British.

While attaining citizenship may not be a problem, for Paul and his family at least, the forms are daunting. 

French authorities require information on family members including mother and father of all those applying and birth and marriage certificates must be officially notarized and translated.

Tax documents must be submitted to show one's earnings. And many of the forms, of course, have to be filled in and submitted in French.

Any mistakes and one has to reapply. It can be a real headache as some of the required documents are only valid for a short period of time. So should issues arise with one part of the application, things can get very complicated and frustrating.

It is perhaps understandable that some British expats simply do a Gallic shrug of the shoulders and say, "I don't know what's going to happen," whilst perhaps hoping that the whole Brexit thing would just go away.

tvnewswatch, Dordogne, France

May wins 3rd place in unpopularity contest

After months of sloganeering Theresa May has dug herself, her party and the country into an ever deeper hole as she adamantly continues along the path towards Brexit.

May essentially seized control of the party by default as other potential candidates dropped out of the leadership battle after Cameron left the ship following the EU referendum. And since then she has continued to throw out one-line battle slogans.

Theresa May immediately maintained that Britain was going to leave the EU, that it was the "Will of the people". But what sort of Brexit would it be. May refused to give any more detail than to say "Brexit Means Brexit", a meaningless slogan which prompted much ridicule and incredulity. As the months passed her slogan changed as she declared she was to seek a "Red, White & Blue Brexit". The meaning was just as opaque. Then as it became clearer that a Brexiteer's vision of a "Having a cake and eating it" was not on the table May declared "No deal is better than a bad deal".

Attempting to consolidate power May declared an election soon after invoking Article 50 and less than a month after the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack. Running under the banner of "Strong and Stable" May saw her strength gradually drift away as she was instead accused of being "Weak and Wobbly".

"Enough is Enough" May chanted as terrorists once again launched another terror attack, this time targeting children and families at a pop concert in Manchester. Dreadful and appalling as it was, the slogan made her sound like a screeching head mistress rather than a leader. The statement also seemed to belittle previous attacks.

Within days soldiers were on the streets and security was beefed up at transport hubs while the terror threat level was raised from severe to critical suggesting an attack was imminent. It all seemed little more than a publicity stunt to get pictures in the papers of law enforcement and army soldiers protecting Britain.

However only days after the threat level was raised it was once again lowered to severe and security levels diminished. Then came yet another terror attack this time targeting Londoners and tourists on London Bridge and at restaurants near Borough Market. It was the third terrorist attack in Great Britain in just over two months.

While condemned by all sides of the house, there was also criticism of May for her police cutbacks during her time as Home Secretary.

May won the election, but there was certainly no mandate. The Tories lost a number of seats and May had to seek support from the DUP to prop up her minority government in what the opposition labelled a "Coalition of Chaos". Tory policies, austerity, May's stance on a hard Brexit and arguably a number of terror attacks and her police cutbacks had all played a part in her loss of support.

In little over a year May had taken a weak mandate for Brexit [52% was, after all, hardly a super majority that many democracies require for any major constitutional change] and doggedly sailed Britain towards what was looking like a more and more calamitous cliff edge.

Just weeks after the election and three months after Article 50 was invoked negotiations with the EU already seemed to be going somewhat awry.

Meanwhile May's first G20 didn't seem very welcoming. She looked somewhat isolated and appeared to hitch herself to President Trump [Business Insider]. But while he declared that he would be looking to secure a quick trade deal with the UK, he evidently seemed to be unaware that Britain could not actually sign anything until it had left the EU which won't be until March 2019.

Trump may seem to have a liking for Theresa May, but her popularity both at home and across Europe has dwindled significantly [Sky News].

While Trump and Putin were more unpopular in many European countries, May came a clear third place in unpopularity ratings of a YouGov poll. May had a negative rating in all European countries, with the Prime Minister viewed most unfavourably in Germany.

Among the 2,070 Germans surveyed, 62% had an unfavourable view of Theresa May with just 17% viewing her favourably, giving the PM an overall rating of -45 in the European powerhouse. May also had a negative rating in France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

The unpopularity is growing not only in Europe, but also back at home, and within her own party.

There are clear disagreements within Tory ranks as to what direction Brexit might take. And there are warnings from outside the party that Britain risks far more than even so-called 'project fear' predicted.

Top former civil servants have warned Theresa May that squabbling cabinet ministers, unrealistic expectations and an overburdened administration risk derailing her hopes of a smooth Brexit [Guardian].

May's Red, White and Blue Brexit may well send Britain over the cliff, but according to one former PM, a Corbyn government could put Britain on it's back.

"If a rightwing populist punch in the form of Brexit was followed by a leftwing populist punch in the form of unreconstructed hard-left economics, Britain would hit the canvas, flat on our back and be out for a long count," former Labour prime minister Tony Blair wrote [Guardian].

While there are still a great number of eurosceptics and Leave voters who doggedly with to continue on their mission to drag Britain out of the EU, there is, at least according to some within Tory ranks, that perhaps wish there had never been a referendum and that the whole issue would just disappear.

"I think a lot of people will turn over in the night and think is there a way out of this" Alan Duncan said during a BBC2 documentary 'Brexit Means Brexit'.

With all the problems that Brexit is likely to create, the economic uncertainty, and the increased societal division, it is perhaps no wonder that people outside Britain are puzzled why the country is extracting itself from the single biggest trading block in the world.

May is unpopular, but Britain is fast becoming a laughing stock [Guardian].

tvnewswatch, London

Return from a long hiatus

Any regular readers of this blog may well have noticed a lack of posts these last few months. There are a wide variety of reasons but one primary reason is to do with time.

Anyone who creates any online content will know that it takes time and thought. An article that takes just 5 minutes to read may take 30 minutes to writes, longer if there is a great deal of research behind it. YouTube videos can take even longer especially if one employs profession production methods.

But what's the reward? For some it's purely a thing of passion or interest. Even if no-one reads or views the online video or article, it was merely the creation that was important to the creator. For others it is the kudos; the thrill that someone has even taken time to read or watch one's creation. And there are of course some that create content to make money, although one has to get a lot of hits to get any significant return.

But whether a hobby, passion or financial venture, it still comes down to time. And that has been the primary issue resulting in the lack of posts on this platform. One has to juggle work, family and leisure time and somehow find space and time to write and create a blog post. And it all becomes even more complicated when one throws international travel into the equation. A reduced passion, it has to be said, has also played a part. Even for a news junky everyday events can become just too depressing after a while, especially if it's one's own country that's in the firing line.

Britain has seen one terror attack after another in recent months [Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, London Bridge and Finsbury Park Mosque], and a devastating fire at Grenfell Tower which left dozens dead and many families displaced. The UK is now being led by a weakened Tory government following a disastrous election which has created further uncertainties in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement due to deals made with the DUP. And all this against the backdrop of Brexit. Whether one is pro or anti Brexit no-one can surely deny the uncertainty and division created by the EU referendum.

Burnout is a real challenge for a lot of journalists who cover death on a regular basis. Many war reporters come home with similar post traumatic stress symptoms to soldiers. But what is often overlooked is the effects on those who write on the less extreme, but nonetheless equally depressing reports that journalists have to cover.

As a photojournalist I have seen, photographed and reported on countless serious road traffic accidents, fatal fires, riots, terror incidents and the aftermath as well as funerals and memorials. There are the less dramatic stories which can be just as heart-rending, be it a cancer sufferer doing a fun run or victims of surgery or crime.

Good employers will make counsellors available for reporters who have been involved covering tragedies, war zones or too much death in general, but just as with soldiers, many journalists don't want to admit they need help. For some that help is not even offered since many people involved in news gathering are freelance.

Many journalists try to disconnect and leave it at work. But this can be hard to do. You try to appreciate your friends and family more. You try to make time for positive stories. But ultimately, a lot of people move on to other beats or leave the industry altogether.

So there are are a lot of reasons for the hiatus. But one has definitely not quite hung up one's boots and camera yet. But sometimes one needs a rest from it all. And family and work have to come first. That said, efforts may well be made to post more content in the coming months, although it is difficult to pick up the baton and run with it after such a large gap.

tvnewswatch, London