2 min read
Dear Jewish Grandparent!
For once, it seems, we Jews are not exceptional. Just like the majority, the old voted overwhelmingly to Leave the European Union, and the young overwhelmingly to stay. And, just like the majority, despite all our Shabbat dinners, young Jews are also pretty peeved at old Jews voting them out of the EU.
Dear Jewish Grandparent! I can see you raising an eyebrow now already. But why would anyone be peeved to leave the European Union - the European Union of the Euro, mismanaged migration, and Jean-Claude Juncker?
Well, firstly we stand to lose out on a lot of pretty concrete things. Let's start with our universities: they will lose 15 per cent of funding that comes from the EU. Research grants will be gone. We will not be able apply for the EU packages that have made the difference for decades. Nor will we be able to study abroad in the same way. Every year, 11,000 British students study in the EU, as cheaply (or even cheaper) as they would study here.
That's over now - as outside the European Union we will have to pay the exorbitant foreign, and not the subsidised home, fees. This is just the start of it. Things are unclear - as we haven't started to leave yet - but it seems pretty certain it will be more difficult for us to work and live in other European countries, as we will no longer be European citizens. This is sad news for us, a real end to free movement is not just in the abstract for us. It is the cities we will not live in, the EU jobs we will not work and the marriages that will not happen.
It is the cities we will not live in, the jobs we will not work
We also stand to lose out on a lot at home. Our generation was very badly hit by the 2009 Great Recession. The last thing we wanted was a new recession and new uncertainty just as we were entering peak earning potential. Sadly, this vote has already triggered rumblings of a recession. For us, this is bad news: a recession is missed promotions and missed salary hikes.
What about our jobs? Following your advice, many of us have rushed to work in the City as bankers and traders. But, sadly, your vote to leave has put these jobs at risk.
Foreign banks in London enjoy something called "passporting" that allows them to provide their services to the rest of the European Union. France has made it clear that, by voting to leave, no matter what deal Britain eventually strikes, this right will go. This means that many foreign investment and mutual funds will move to Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. France also wants to make sure the clearing of Euros takes place on the continent and not in London. Whatever comes of the negotiations, one thing is clear: the City is going to get smaller and many of us in finance will have to think about working in the EU (which will be more difficult!).
So how can you make it up to us? Britain may have voted to leave the European Union. But it's not clear how it has voted to leave the European Union. There are many Brexit options available - some which are better for the young, some which are better for London.
So, if you want to make it up to us, write to your MP asking for a General Election before triggering Article 50, the red-button that starts the countdown to leave the European Union, where we can vote for different versions of Brexit: left, right, centre and green.
Ben Judah is the author of 'This is London'
