I am a Dutch person and I’ve lived abroad for about half of my adult life in places like Japan and USA. I identify myself as both a Dutchman and a European. Jus

I am a Dutch person and I’ve lived abroad for about half of my adult life in places like Japan and USA. I identify myself as both a Dutchman and a European. Just two weeks ago I shared a beer with an unknown Frenchman while watching the Eurocup in an Irish Pub while rooting for his country (Netherlands did not qualify). I am European and I love Europe. The things I miss most about home are my friends in Amsterdam (many of which have different nationalities) and I miss European food (the seasonal stuff you find in small villages in Southern Europe). Even though I have these strong feelings towards Europe, I am against the EU as a super-state. I have been a “Euro Skeptic” ever since I started reading about liberty and became a libertarian. Unfortunately, being a Euro Skeptic and/or believing in smaller governments gets you cast into the “Right-wing Nutbag” camp in Europe (even by my own parents). A lot of “Remainians” have strong personal feelings towards Europe just like me. They’ve benefited from some EU initiative at a university, or perhaps they married a fellow European person. Also, they enjoy the benefits of the Schengen treaty, being able to travel and settle freely - without spending years of legal fees and stress on immigration like me. All of these things can be accomplished by treaties and standards without a monolithic EU super nation. Trade and treaties (like Shengen) are great, and they are perfectly achievable without an EU super state). There are countless of arguments around the democracy and economics of the EU, but at the end of the day the EU is an idealistic construct. It was created with noble intensions to create peace on a warn-torn continent - accelerated quickly after the fall of the Berlin Wall (to address a strong and unified Germany). Yet once again, the idealism of Europe (and in my opinion the disregard for the fundamentals of liberty) is creating a new cycle of instability on the continent. Whether there’s going to be a Brexit or Bremain, a storm is coming.