In the third of a series looking at the views of people from outside of the political bubble, on the EU referendum, Lucy Ashton gets the perspective from a Sheffield academic.
There’s a bitter wind blowing as Petra burrows her face into her waterproof jacket and stamps her feet. Coming from the Netherlands, she’s used to our weather of squally gales and rain.
Petra and her husband are both university academics who left their home country 20 years ago to pursue their careers and are now settled in Sheffield with their two young children.
“When we left the Netherlands, I was working as an occupational therapist in a large university hospital but my two-year contract was coming to an end,” she explains, stuffing her hands in her pockets.
“Sharing my life with a scientist, we knew we would be spending time abroad as it was a requirement in his career.
“We just never returned to the Netherlands and I’m not sure I could live there these days. The things we do for love…” she trails off with a grin.
Despite living here for the past two decades, Petra and her husband will not be allowed to vote in the EU referendum, which she feels is unfair.
“We do use the NHS and we get child benefits but we have always worked and never claimed other benefits. We know that we are expected to supplement our retirement income due to us moving around and we have always paid our taxes.
“But we are only allowed to vote in local elections which I do not think is fair, but those are the rules.
“I would really like to have a say in this. I do understand the sentiment of not being allowed to vote but it does mean that there are times, when listening to the radio or reading a paper, I feel no longer welcome.”
Petra is a supporter of the EU and says if she could vote she would “remain, without hesitation”.
“People in general have no idea of all the things that the European Union means in daily life. I am not saying I know it all but I firmly believe it has done more good than bad.
“I have always been interested in the EU and try to keep abreast of what is going on.
Working for a university means I have dealings with Erasmus and other exchange students as well. There are also large research grants that the EU gives out.
“That is not to say there is no need to reform. The first thing that should be done is improve the speed with which decisions are made in the EU, which is difficult with 28 countries plus some in the influence sphere involved.”
For Petra’s family, if Britain leaves the EU it could mean the end of their life here.
“We are seriously talking about leaving if the UK decides to exit the EU. This might not happen immediately, as we will have to secure other positions and sell the house, but we feel strongly that small countries can’t do this independently.
“We are all dependent on each other and we are all connected.”
Lucy Ashton is a journalist and former Political Editor
Tags: academia, EU referendum, Lucy Ashton, Stronger In, Vote Leave
There is so much wrong with this article factually that it’s of little value other than laugh content – and I’m actually marginally Remain. I was overwhelmingly pro-EU since the 1970’s up until a couple of months ago but have started drifting precisely because of drivel. And crap like this – and if garbage like this keeps coming from Remain I will probably vote to leave. And in the words f George Galloway, ‘I’m not the only one.’
If you want to be taken seriously, stop putting out rubbish like this,
“Working for a university means I have dealings with Erasmus and other exchange students as well. There are also large research grants that the EU gives out.
“That is not to say there is no need to reform. The first thing that should be done is improve the speed with which decisions are made in the EU, which is difficult with 28 countries plus some in the influence sphere involved.”
When we leave, we must make sure of our EEA membership and also our EFTA membership so that all trading arrangements are maintained seamlessly.
It is going to take a couple of years to leave anyway.
Erasmus includes Norway and Iceland who are both EFTA members.
The grants from Europe actually distort Academic views on the EU. In EFTA they would hardly be affected, and after that they would have to negotiated.
As the EU becomes totally dominated by the Eurozone in the future, we will anyway have to secure our position because everyone is agreed that the Euro is not going to be our currency. Whatever the result on June 23rd, this is going to be a constant pressure on our country.
“… looking at the views of people from outside of the political bubble, on the EU referendum …”
Perhaps you should try looking at the views of people outside of the liberal bubble instead? Everyone knows what academia thinks. We’ve heard it all many times, over decades. Patronising sanctimonious handwringing combined with a track record of increasingly impractical liberal-left politics. Fewer and fewer people care in the real world.
Petra and her husband have been, by their own account, away from the Netherlands and living in the UK for twenty years. In all that time they have chosen to remain Dutch citizens and not to take UK nationality, as they could easily have done.
Fair enough, that’s a reasonable choice, can’t say I blame them. But by remaining Dutch citizens, as they had every right to do, they have disqualified themselves from voting on a matter of great concern to UK citizens, but not so much to Dutch.
Then she complains. Why, exactly?
Interestingly Prof Himon Hix of the LSE reckons the overall effects will be quite similar whether we are in or out of the EU http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/government/2016/02/24/hotseat-simon-hix-on-britain-europe-the-eu-referendum/