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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/08/eu-citizens-rights-brexit-bargaining-chips
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| The Tories tell us the rights of EU citizens are now secure. It’s a lie | The Tories tell us the rights of EU citizens are now secure. It’s a lie |
| (1 day later) | |
| EU nationals in the UK, and British nationals resident in EU countries, have been living in limbo for well over 500 days now. Let’s always be clear about this – this situation is the result of Theresa May’s government making EU nationals in the UK bargaining chips in the Brexit negotiations. Friday could have marked the end of that situation, finally putting people before politics. It has not. | EU nationals in the UK, and British nationals resident in EU countries, have been living in limbo for well over 500 days now. Let’s always be clear about this – this situation is the result of Theresa May’s government making EU nationals in the UK bargaining chips in the Brexit negotiations. Friday could have marked the end of that situation, finally putting people before politics. It has not. |
| The reality is that, once EU nationals had been made bargaining chips, there was always going to have to be a negotiation, and therefore, also compromises made, and concessions to Brexiters. My head is screwed on enough to see the reality of that situation. But the implications of this are devastating nonetheless, not least because many of the biggest issues have been deferred to the next stage of the talks. So, far from being a solution, Friday’s report is simply a stalling technique – one that affects millions of lives; this is the greatest tragedy of Brexit and, for the UK, a national disgrace. | The reality is that, once EU nationals had been made bargaining chips, there was always going to have to be a negotiation, and therefore, also compromises made, and concessions to Brexiters. My head is screwed on enough to see the reality of that situation. But the implications of this are devastating nonetheless, not least because many of the biggest issues have been deferred to the next stage of the talks. So, far from being a solution, Friday’s report is simply a stalling technique – one that affects millions of lives; this is the greatest tragedy of Brexit and, for the UK, a national disgrace. |
| Today confirms that EU nationals in the UK and British nationals resident in EU countries will remain in limbo | Today confirms that EU nationals in the UK and British nationals resident in EU countries will remain in limbo |
| The basic problem is that the report is not a withdrawal agreement. So while there are some positive points, for example on access to healthcare, the fact is that all of this, ultimately, remains meaningless because the details now provided can still be adjusted as the negotiations continue. | The basic problem is that the report is not a withdrawal agreement. So while there are some positive points, for example on access to healthcare, the fact is that all of this, ultimately, remains meaningless because the details now provided can still be adjusted as the negotiations continue. |
| Today's deal secures the rights of the three million EU citizens living here and the million British citizens living in the EU so they can get on with their lives knowing that their rights are secure. pic.twitter.com/Rb5nvVKjpY | Today's deal secures the rights of the three million EU citizens living here and the million British citizens living in the EU so they can get on with their lives knowing that their rights are secure. pic.twitter.com/Rb5nvVKjpY |
| And then there are some actual compromises that will, if they are upheld, have a significant impact on our lives. While there is, for example, a provision for family reunion, it is restrictive. The requirement for criminal checks is also a significant concession that could have real repercussions, and is entirely unacceptable given that we are legally resident now. Of great concern, too, is the provision for immediate expulsion in cases of perceived abuse: for the most vulnerable among EU nationals, for instance, those who are homeless, this is a serious threat – in light of the recent increase in deportations of EU nationals it is one that is already very real. | And then there are some actual compromises that will, if they are upheld, have a significant impact on our lives. While there is, for example, a provision for family reunion, it is restrictive. The requirement for criminal checks is also a significant concession that could have real repercussions, and is entirely unacceptable given that we are legally resident now. Of great concern, too, is the provision for immediate expulsion in cases of perceived abuse: for the most vulnerable among EU nationals, for instance, those who are homeless, this is a serious threat – in light of the recent increase in deportations of EU nationals it is one that is already very real. |
| Most worrying for the future is the concession the EU has made on the European court of justice. There had been speculation about this over recent days and campaign groups for both EU nationals in the UK and British nationals in EU countries continued to make a case against any such decision. I am deeply disappointed that the EU has conceded on this, although I must say that I expected it. And it means that, for years to come, EU nationals in the UK will never be able to be entirely certain about our status and protections. | Most worrying for the future is the concession the EU has made on the European court of justice. There had been speculation about this over recent days and campaign groups for both EU nationals in the UK and British nationals in EU countries continued to make a case against any such decision. I am deeply disappointed that the EU has conceded on this, although I must say that I expected it. And it means that, for years to come, EU nationals in the UK will never be able to be entirely certain about our status and protections. |
| What happens if, after eight years, the UK government introduces new legislation that threatens our rights after all? This is not scaremongering, it is a genuine question as a result of the evidence we already have of the UK government’s “hostile environment” strategy and the actions of the Home Office. Just think of the case of Anthony Bryan who, having lived in the UK for 52 years, was threatened with deportation. Given this context, I have no reason to believe that the status of EU nationals in the UK is safe – no matter how long we have been here. | What happens if, after eight years, the UK government introduces new legislation that threatens our rights after all? This is not scaremongering, it is a genuine question as a result of the evidence we already have of the UK government’s “hostile environment” strategy and the actions of the Home Office. Just think of the case of Anthony Bryan who, having lived in the UK for 52 years, was threatened with deportation. Given this context, I have no reason to believe that the status of EU nationals in the UK is safe – no matter how long we have been here. |
| Ultimately, Friday only confirms two things. First, that EU nationals in the UK and British nationals resident in EU countries will remain in limbo. At any number of points over the coming months and years, because this is not an actual withdrawal agreement and citizens’ rights have not been ringfenced, protections could be withdrawn or amended. Second, we now know, once and for all, that the lives of millions of people are little more than collateral damage in Brexit talks. | Ultimately, Friday only confirms two things. First, that EU nationals in the UK and British nationals resident in EU countries will remain in limbo. At any number of points over the coming months and years, because this is not an actual withdrawal agreement and citizens’ rights have not been ringfenced, protections could be withdrawn or amended. Second, we now know, once and for all, that the lives of millions of people are little more than collateral damage in Brexit talks. |
| Given the hostility we have seen during and since the EU referendum campaign, Friday simply continues a path EU citizens have been on for far too long already: we are the subject of much discussion, but reduced to passive recipients of decisions that profoundly affect our lives. So when the Conservatives claim on their Twitter feed that they have secured our rights, and that we can now get on with our lives knowing that they are secure, and that we will “enjoy the same rights as [we] do now” it is, quite simply, a lie. | Given the hostility we have seen during and since the EU referendum campaign, Friday simply continues a path EU citizens have been on for far too long already: we are the subject of much discussion, but reduced to passive recipients of decisions that profoundly affect our lives. So when the Conservatives claim on their Twitter feed that they have secured our rights, and that we can now get on with our lives knowing that they are secure, and that we will “enjoy the same rights as [we] do now” it is, quite simply, a lie. |
| • Tanja Bueltmann is an EU national and professor in history at Northumbria University, focusing on diaspora and migration history | • Tanja Bueltmann is an EU national and professor in history at Northumbria University, focusing on diaspora and migration history |
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