This is what is happening now.
Little Britain has voted for leaving the European Union. By now we know the great majority who voted did so through the influence of politicians and loudmouths: most of them voted to Leave as they were fed up of the flow of foreigners, though without realising that in order to maintain any kind of deals with the European Union they will have to allow freedom of movement anyway: so basically, that will have been all for nothing.
Little Britain will be fine, I'm sure, in the end. Voters forgot that England had problems before Europeans and others came to live here, and they will have problems later. That there are more criminals and w@nkers on the street in England (who are English, born and bred) than I have ever witnessed in any country, foreigners included, and yet they think their problems are caused by foreigners.
But something has changed, and that is that us Europeans, for the most part, don't want to hang around anymore.
If we have a choice, we'll go.
You know why?
The other day I signed for a petition. Here it is, do sign, it breaks my heart:
Anyway. I put my signature here out of habit, out of feeling part of this country, and then I realised that my signature is completely worthless, in fact, it might even undermine the validity of that petition. I am just a foreigner, in fact, a EU citizen whose son, if he had this problem, could just go and get treated in Europe and he would be fine. I, a European, signed for an English boy to have the same treatment he would have in the Europe the majority of this country just voted to leave. How ironic and twisted it all is.
Funny how the only person who signed up is another (lovely) daughter of European migrants, of those that they also loudly wanted out, of Polish origin. They are amazing people, the Poles, certainly less lazy than us Italians, but the Little Britons take exception to them too. She might have English citizenship though, I'm not sure, her vote might count more than mine.
I have stopped feeling like smiling to all my neighbours here. This is a small town, mostly elderly people, I thought we'd become popular young people amongst the elderly, we could help them, we tried to fit in, with our roses, try to tend to the garden the way they like it. My son volunteers at the local hospital: though he, luckily for him, has an English surname. I wonder what all those elderly Leave voters would say if they knew that that lovely volunteer young man who is so helpful is of 50% Italian blood, Italian born, Italian raised when he was little and is working there, for free, to help them?
Since the Vote, they don't even bother pretending to smile, pretending to be polite.
I look at the countryside round here in Derbyshire, still so pretty, but now it looks grey, and cold: yes it is literally grey and cold, but it is so in spirit too. It is not mine to enjoy, I am merely tolerated here. No, I WAS merely tolerated here. Now, they have told me to get out.
Now, I am falling deeper and deeper in love with my little budgies. Correction: my daughter's little budgies, Tulip and Ethel. Because I like to distract my mind, I started looking for ads for more budgies (I'd like a boy), found one for very little, then realised this guy would probably not want to give them to me. He might be the same I contacted months back when I got these, who ignored me after 1 exchange, either because he was a dodgy breeder, or because I was Italian (though I never would have dreamed of that at the time).
Now, he probably wouldn't hide his contempt, just like people at the supermarket, people crossing the road and glaring mat the Italian stripes on the car, and so on.
Is it all paranoia? Maybe. Perhaps. But see, I am not alone in feeling it. Now all I can think of is the warmth of my grandparents' land, and hope and pray people will be nicer there, and every day I want to leave this beautiful house, and pray my dog survives long enough to take him out of Little Britain, and fear going out, feel heavy in the chest, feel sad.
That is what Leave voters have done. You may be one of them, your friends or relatives may be one of them. Please tell me, from me, they have broken my heart. It is not rational, I am sure they might have had plenty of legitimate reasons for their vote, some of them might even tell you whatever they thought of the migrants they want to keep out, I was not included in them. it doesn't matter. For me, my children, and all those migrants like me or worse, migrants that come from abusive, horrible places and just wanted to improve their lives, they have shown egoism and contempt and they have broken my heart.
A free boy budgie might help, or a new kitten, or a new puppy. More animals, to add to the beauties I have already, are the only cure to this heartache while I wait to LEAVE, as they loudly have said they wish me to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment