5 ms·

What makes it a net gain now when it was not previously? (I'm not super informed about Brexit details)

• gaius 10y ago
  Actually, nothing, since no-one knows what the post-Brexit world will look like, and even if they did, Article 50 takes 2 years.
• iamflimflam1 10y ago
  No ones knows what Brexit actually means (apart from the slightly pathetic "Brexit means Brexit" which we seem to be getting from the current prime minister) Currently there seem to be two groups: The Brexit Light group who want to preserve access to the single market with hopefully some concessions on free movements. And the Hard Brexit group who see controlling migration as the most important thing even at the cost of losing access to the single market. Whatever happens there is going to be a long period of uncertainty which could last for 5-10 years. Only once the dust has settled will we know what impact there has been on the economy and country. Companies are going to be less likely to invest in the UK, before Brexit it was a logical choice to open offices in London, now it is not so clear cut. It is also less likely that talented people from across Europe will be tempted to move to London. Pre Brexit the UK (in particular London) has been a very attractive place for highly skilled people, post Brexit those people are likely to choose a different capital city to call home. My feeling is that Brexit will be very bad for London in the short to medium term.
• zigzigzag 10y ago
  It makes little different for computer programmers, as evidenced by the abundance of American (i.e. non EU) apps and services used throughout the EU. It would make more difference for other industries, but "move to Berlin from London as a js dev" doesn't make much sense to me. I suspect some Berlin-based recruiters are just desperate and trying out a new tack to see if a bit of fear works better vs just advertising Berlin itself (which is a lovely city, mind you, I've thought about moving there in the past).
  • phillc73 10y ago
    Non-British EU citizens, currently living in the UK/London could be very attracted by a move to Berlin. It would remove a large chunk of uncertainty from their future, regardless of industry. As a British citizen currently living in another EU country, I have no idea what my official immigration status will be in a couple of years. My crystal ball shows me a future filled by paperwork and bureaucracy.
    • zigzigzag 10y ago
      That would be the case if there were forced expulsions, which realistically would only occur if the EU did the same thing to Brits. It's a worst case scenario that everyone presumably wants to avoid (though the EU seems increasingly fanatical, so who knows what will happen).
      • guitarbill 10y ago
        > That would be the case if there were forced expulsion No, I think phillc73 is spot on. Consider the case where Brits get EU visas (and vice versa), it's still a shit-tonne of paperwork for everybody involved. For companies, even without forced expulsion, other tech hubs are likely to be more attractive now as an EU base.
      • felipeerias 10y ago
        The problem is not the far-fetched possibility of mass expulsions: it's simply that, after Brexit, British citizens will likely need a work visa in order to work in the EU. And work visas for non-EU applicants are neither easy nor quick to get. I guess the UK could propose to allow free movement of British workers to the EU, but the EU will demand in turn that European workers be allowed the same free movement to the UK (and stopping that was one of the main points of the Brexit vote, wasn't it?).