What if.

[daveuprite]

Daveuprite has explained why Nigel Farage was so anxious to get a German passport for himself, and also why many of my friends in NI quietly got themselves RoI passports a year two back.
All this was explained 'before the vote' but dismissed as project fear by those who thought we could have out cake and eat it.

Yep, there's been a record increase in Irish passport applications in both 2018 and 2019, as people with a sniff of Irish ancestry have a go at getting hold of an EU passport before January 2021. Sadly, Tracie and I don't have so much as a shamrock in our ancestry, so we have to go down the lengthy French nationality route. Of course it wasn't important before, but now it seems the exact place where your mum and dad's egg & sperm coincided all those years ago is a vital matter! In the case of proving Irishness it can even be your grandparents' zygote...

In brexit world, the random and absurd have become normal.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/brexit-plans- ... 32296.html

Brilliant!

I think we currently have the most incompetent Government since the start of WWI

[Jak*]

Every time I go to Europe I wonder why I am coming home. Whilst I realise that being on holiday is different from living there, but generally the quality of life seems better. Having said that the place that I live in the UK is pretty good. The trouble with going to live abroad is which country would I chose, I love France but is certainly not cheap anymore. Portugal is fantastic, but a bit of a hassle to get to and from unless you fly. Germany, Greece and Italy could all be contenders and then there are those places I have not been to yet. I guess the solution maybe a camper with enough space for a bike or two. The Brexit disaster would cause slightly fewer problems, although it will be more expensive and complicated than it is now. On the bright side with a camper at least you could have your own loo whilst you are waiting in the queues in Kent.

[daveuprite]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/brexit-plans- ... 32296.html

Brilliant!

I think we currently have the most incompetent Government since the start of WWI

They should call them Jacob Rees-Bogs.

[Spike941]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/brexit-plans- ... 32296.html

Brilliant!

I think we currently have the most incompetent Government since the start of WWI

You couldn’t make this up, especially the bit about needing a separate passport just to get into Kent. The reality is becoming a greater concern than that prophesied by so called project fear.

[Dark Knight]

Phils place looks to have plenty of character and should be cheap to run with low council tax.
There is no doubt that the coming years will be full of challenges but I think that we are used to facing challenges in our line of business.
On the subject of Brexit, I was told that the EU had been forcing us to place work abroad, thus losing jobs in country.
Would be difficult to verify this I suspect.
I know that Boris does not come over very well, but he is a master negotiator.

[Jak*]

There has already been a net loss of jobs in the UK due to Brexit, this will increase when the transition period is over. This was an inevitable consequence of what the British people voted for. The EU have done what they can to protect the welfare and livelihoods of their member states. I guess it depends what business you are in how much it impacts you. The economic predictions for the UK post the transition period at not rosy whoever you believe and this may well lead to a further drop in the pound against the EU.
Even if Boris was the best negotiator in the world, the problem is that he cannot get as good a deal with the EU as we had when we were members. We are likely to end up with a much worse deal, or no deal because he cannot be seen to back down. Any deal with the rest of the world will be based on what they hope to get out of it, but it is unlikely that most of them will be as good as the deal we had with these countries when we were in the EU, simply because in global terms the EU was a big player, in comparison we are not.
Good luck if you do move out there, but I think the days of Brits being able to retire out there and be significantly better off are gone. If you have a skill or service that you can sell over there and can obtain their nationality that may be a different matter. Several of the ex pats I know of who are already living over there are still facing uncertain futures and may have to return to the UK.

[Dark Knight]

I am an old guy and have retired, so my situation is different to most you young guys.
Of course you could always escape to the Chateau (spelling?).

[Jak*]

One of the things that is worrying some of the retired expats I know is whether their UK pensions will be taxed as income from outside the EU after the transition period. I don’t know the answer but when I was out there this summer neither did they. If that is the case then many UK pensioners living over there may well have to come back and some of them will struggle to find housing. Medical care over there post Brexit is also a concern.

[qcnr]

It's also why I have applied for Norwegian citizenship. I'll then have a UK and Norwegian passport.