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I was too young to vote in the referendum. I’m incredibly angry about having lost freedom of movement. If the UK by some miracle rejoins the EU I will make the

by cedws 8mo ago

I was too young to vote in the referendum. I’m incredibly angry about having lost freedom of movement. If the UK by some miracle rejoins the EU I will make the jump to Europe the very same day. Still looking for a way out in the meantime. The UK just keeps kicking young people down. The boomers voting against our interests are whipping us into working to pay for their triple locked pensions.

casenmgreen 8mo ago
I tried to vote, by post, as I lived in the EU. The ballot paper arrived the day before the vote. It was impossible to return it in time, and indeed, when I checked, my vote had arrived too late and was not counted.
- cedws 8mo ago
  This kind of thing makes me so cynical about democracy.
teamonkey 8mo ago
Worth mentioning that 16-year-olds will be able to vote in the next general election. Hopefully they will use that vote.
darreninthenet 8mo ago
You have a way out... you are allowed to live and work in Ireland. Stay there for a few years (I forget how many) and apply for an Irish ( = EU) passport
- cedws 8mo ago
  Yes, it’s a path I have considered/am considering, but it’s a 5 year commitment. I’m in my mid 20s and want to be able to travel without worrying if my residency application will be jeopardised. The years where I want the freedom of movement the most will have passed by then.
  - Fire-Dragon-DoL 8mo ago
    25 you are definitely in time to move! That's exactly when I moved from Italy to Canada and kicked off my life there. 20 is plenty young, what locks you in is usually kids. Friends are a pain to leave behind, but that's a constant.
junofan 8mo ago
Freedom of movement applies to the territory of a country [1]. Sorry you learned the hard way. Historically you get rights when you pick up a service weapon. Everything else is privilege granted by others. [1]: Gilbert, Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights (2014), p. 73: "Freedom of movement within a country encompasses both the right to travel freely within the territory of the State and the right to relocate oneself and to choose one's place of residence".
roysting 8mo ago
What makes you believe you have lost freedom of movement, I’ve met British people all over Europe. If I can meet a Russian living in Switzerland in Amsterdam and a British couple that took the ferry from the island, why are you not free to “move”? On a related note; do you enjoy what America is right now? Because centralizing power and handing your country’s (American states are/were/should be essentially countries) sovereignty and self/determination to Brussels is how you get this, become the US of Europe, the next iteration in the centralized war machine of the psychopathic, narcissistic parasitic ruling class. When you lack diversity through separate, unique, district, and sovereign countries where people have oversight and control and can push back against horrible ideas and actions, you end up like us. I’ve always found it unfortunate that the EU did not become a legitimate, constitutional form of the USA like it was before the Civil War that created this centralized authoritarian fake federal state that we know today. It would have been awe inspiring and really could have become the example for the rest of the world. Instead, the current version of the EU is strangling the whole continent. The EU is right now talking about becoming a great military force to fight Russia. That’s the kind of movement you’re advocating for, my friend. You think young people are kept down now, wait till they’re laying in some muddy battlefield as chopped meat or hiding from drone swarm or hypersonic missile attacks on their cities due to the belligerence of the EU aristocrats with no clothes.
- saubeidl 8mo ago
  >separate, unique, district, and sovereign countries that can push back against horrible ideas and actions, you end up like us. The separate, unique sovereign countries are the ones with the horrible ideas and actions. See Victor Orban's Hungary. The whole point is to not let some goulash mussolini control European affairs. > The EU is right now talking about becoming a great military force to fight Russia. That’s the kind of movement you’re advocating for, my friend. Would you rather... not be able to fight Russia? It's not like the EU is the one with the invasion plans and threats, they're just preparing for the changing world order.
  - roysting 8mo ago
    You really don't see the inherent contradiction and disastrous concept inherent to your mentality? It's inherently authoritarian and supremacist, i.e., you or the ideological cluster you believe you are a member of; knows best and knows infallibly, perfectly so, what exactly needs to be done for any and all people, at all times everywhere equally? ... thus, there is no need for such a thorn in your eye as the elected leader of Hungary Victor Orban... you know better, as you repeat like a trained robot. It is oddly concerning, scary, and amusing at the same time that you are totally unaware of your own "Mussolini" tendencies of imposing your will or those ideas you have been trained to repeat and parrot on others. Why does everyone, everywhere, in all countries need to bow to the will you have been trained to parrot? Why can't people of other countries decide and do other things? You really don't see the problem in that? Have you even ever visited Hungary? Do you speak Hungarian? Do you live there and are culturally invested through generations of ancestors there? Why do you care so much about what Hungarians do in Hungary? What happened to democracy? Why then if none of those apply to you, would you have any right, let alone care or concern with what Hungarians want, do or who they elect outside of you simply being a useful idiot for the central power in Brussels that commands you to really really care about Hungary's elected leaders? It's literally no different than the fools we have her in the USA who really really care about combatting and countering and bombing and invading Iran (and Iraq before) ... which has absolutely zero actual, direct national interest implications or effects on the USA in any way. You are quite literally just a "dumb American" now as you morph into the grotesque that is modern America.
neRok 8mo ago
> Still looking for a way out in the meantime. Have you got an ancestor that was born in Canada? [1] It sounds like that a child of a "red coat" born on the lands that would become Canada is sufficient... [2] [1]: [Heads Up: Canadian Genealogy is about to get VERY popular!](https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up_canadian_genealogy_is_about_to_get_very/ https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up...) > On December 15, 2025 Canada enacted "Bill C-3", granting citizenship to people born before Dec. 15, 2025 with ANY level of Canadian ancestry they can document. (It used to be a "first generation limit") [2]: https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up_canadian_genealogy_is_about_to_get_very/o2hxc1y/ https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up... > ancestors domiciled in the former colony of Newfoundland are still considered as Canadian born or naturalized for the purpose of citizenship by descent.
- cedws 8mo ago
  Unfortunately not, but thank you.
- smspillaz 8mo ago
  > December 15, 2025 Canada enacted "Bill C-3", granting citizenship to people born before Dec. 15, 2025 with ANY level of Canadian ancestry they can document. (It used to be a "first generation limit") This is misleading. Outside the first generation, the Canadian parent must have spent 3 years cumulatively in Canada prior to the birth, otherwise the child will not be a citizen. That's not a threshold you're likely to meet with a few holiday trips here and there. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2025/12/bill-c-3-an-act-to-amend-the-citizenship-act-2025-comes-into-effect.html https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/ne...
  - interloxia 8mo ago
    The link says that the three year connection is for "people born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025".
- swat535 8mo ago
  I’m not sure Canada is doing well right now. Young people are really struggling and we are dealing with housing crisis. There is also trade conflicts with the United States. An anti immigration sentiment has also taken over half the country due to rising costs and shortages, which is trickling down to various aspects of the life here. The harsh weather is not pleasant either. Ironically, young Canadians are looking to move elsewhere.
dingaling 8mo ago
> I'm incredibly angry about having lost freedom of movement. I think this was indicative of much of the thinking on both sides of the debate though; focusing tightly on a single, subjective aspect for or against. "Why the EU is important / abhorrent to me right now?" rather than something like "What is the anticipated future nature of the EU and what does that mean for the UK?"
- cedws 8mo ago
  I agree with you but the other side's arguments were pretty weak. The Leave side was for immigration control (which has not materially changed, we still have an influx of small boats, but have made it harder for educated, hard working people to get in), and mythical funding for the NHS to the tune of £350m a week which never happened.
jemmyw 8mo ago
I feel for you. I moved away to New Zealand long before brexit and then did move to Europe for awhile and freedom of movement made that easier than otherwise. However, if you're mid 20s now you don't need it to move places, you can easily get working visas for EU countries or Australia or NZ or Canada, and there are paths then to citizenship. Everywhere has it's troubles of one kind or another. I grew up in the UK and while I have plenty of good memories, I feel like it's a miserable place when you're trying to get on in the world. And the pay for IT professional is atrocious.
disgruntledphd2 8mo ago
Move to Ireland, work for five years and get citizenship. Congratulations, you're now an EU citizen.

by cedws 8mo ago

casenmgreen 8mo ago

I tried to vote, by post, as I lived in the EU. The ballot paper arrived the day before the vote. It was impossible to return it in time, and indeed, when I checked, my vote had arrived too late and was not counted.

cedws 8mo ago
This kind of thing makes me so cynical about democracy.

teamonkey 8mo ago

Worth mentioning that 16-year-olds will be able to vote in the next general election. Hopefully they will use that vote.

darreninthenet 8mo ago

You have a way out... you are allowed to live and work in Ireland. Stay there for a few years (I forget how many) and apply for an Irish ( = EU) passport

cedws 8mo ago
Yes, it’s a path I have considered/am considering, but it’s a 5 year commitment. I’m in my mid 20s and want to be able to travel without worrying if my residency application will be jeopardised. The years where I want the freedom of movement the most will have passed by then.
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 8mo ago
  25 you are definitely in time to move! That's exactly when I moved from Italy to Canada and kicked off my life there. 20 is plenty young, what locks you in is usually kids. Friends are a pain to leave behind, but that's a constant.

junofan 8mo ago

Freedom of movement applies to the territory of a country [1]. Sorry you learned the hard way. Historically you get rights when you pick up a service weapon. Everything else is privilege granted by others. [1]: Gilbert, Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights (2014), p. 73: "Freedom of movement within a country encompasses both the right to travel freely within the territory of the State and the right to relocate oneself and to choose one's place of residence".

roysting 8mo ago

What makes you believe you have lost freedom of movement, I’ve met British people all over Europe. If I can meet a Russian living in Switzerland in Amsterdam and a British couple that took the ferry from the island, why are you not free to “move”? On a related note; do you enjoy what America is right now? Because centralizing power and handing your country’s (American states are/were/should be essentially countries) sovereignty and self/determination to Brussels is how you get this, become the US of Europe, the next iteration in the centralized war machine of the psychopathic, narcissistic parasitic ruling class. When you lack diversity through separate, unique, district, and sovereign countries where people have oversight and control and can push back against horrible ideas and actions, you end up like us. I’ve always found it unfortunate that the EU did not become a legitimate, constitutional form of the USA like it was before the Civil War that created this centralized authoritarian fake federal state that we know today. It would have been awe inspiring and really could have become the example for the rest of the world. Instead, the current version of the EU is strangling the whole continent. The EU is right now talking about becoming a great military force to fight Russia. That’s the kind of movement you’re advocating for, my friend. You think young people are kept down now, wait till they’re laying in some muddy battlefield as chopped meat or hiding from drone swarm or hypersonic missile attacks on their cities due to the belligerence of the EU aristocrats with no clothes.

saubeidl 8mo ago
>separate, unique, district, and sovereign countries that can push back against horrible ideas and actions, you end up like us. The separate, unique sovereign countries are the ones with the horrible ideas and actions. See Victor Orban's Hungary. The whole point is to not let some goulash mussolini control European affairs. > The EU is right now talking about becoming a great military force to fight Russia. That’s the kind of movement you’re advocating for, my friend. Would you rather... not be able to fight Russia? It's not like the EU is the one with the invasion plans and threats, they're just preparing for the changing world order.
- roysting 8mo ago
  You really don't see the inherent contradiction and disastrous concept inherent to your mentality? It's inherently authoritarian and supremacist, i.e., you or the ideological cluster you believe you are a member of; knows best and knows infallibly, perfectly so, what exactly needs to be done for any and all people, at all times everywhere equally? ... thus, there is no need for such a thorn in your eye as the elected leader of Hungary Victor Orban... you know better, as you repeat like a trained robot. It is oddly concerning, scary, and amusing at the same time that you are totally unaware of your own "Mussolini" tendencies of imposing your will or those ideas you have been trained to repeat and parrot on others. Why does everyone, everywhere, in all countries need to bow to the will you have been trained to parrot? Why can't people of other countries decide and do other things? You really don't see the problem in that? Have you even ever visited Hungary? Do you speak Hungarian? Do you live there and are culturally invested through generations of ancestors there? Why do you care so much about what Hungarians do in Hungary? What happened to democracy? Why then if none of those apply to you, would you have any right, let alone care or concern with what Hungarians want, do or who they elect outside of you simply being a useful idiot for the central power in Brussels that commands you to really really care about Hungary's elected leaders? It's literally no different than the fools we have her in the USA who really really care about combatting and countering and bombing and invading Iran (and Iraq before) ... which has absolutely zero actual, direct national interest implications or effects on the USA in any way. You are quite literally just a "dumb American" now as you morph into the grotesque that is modern America.

neRok 8mo ago

> Still looking for a way out in the meantime. Have you got an ancestor that was born in Canada? [1] It sounds like that a child of a "red coat" born on the lands that would become Canada is sufficient... [2] [1]: [Heads Up: Canadian Genealogy is about to get VERY popular!](https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up_canadian_genealogy_is_about_to_get_very/ https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up...) > On December 15, 2025 Canada enacted "Bill C-3", granting citizenship to people born before Dec. 15, 2025 with ANY level of Canadian ancestry they can document. (It used to be a "first generation limit") [2]: https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up_canadian_genealogy_is_about_to_get_very/o2hxc1y/ https://old.reddit.com/r/Genealogy/comments/1qqkzte/heads_up... > ancestors domiciled in the former colony of Newfoundland are still considered as Canadian born or naturalized for the purpose of citizenship by descent.

cedws 8mo ago
Unfortunately not, but thank you.
smspillaz 8mo ago
> December 15, 2025 Canada enacted "Bill C-3", granting citizenship to people born before Dec. 15, 2025 with ANY level of Canadian ancestry they can document. (It used to be a "first generation limit") This is misleading. Outside the first generation, the Canadian parent must have spent 3 years cumulatively in Canada prior to the birth, otherwise the child will not be a citizen. That's not a threshold you're likely to meet with a few holiday trips here and there. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2025/12/bill-c-3-an-act-to-amend-the-citizenship-act-2025-comes-into-effect.html https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/ne...
- interloxia 8mo ago
  The link says that the three year connection is for "people born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025".
swat535 8mo ago
I’m not sure Canada is doing well right now. Young people are really struggling and we are dealing with housing crisis. There is also trade conflicts with the United States. An anti immigration sentiment has also taken over half the country due to rising costs and shortages, which is trickling down to various aspects of the life here. The harsh weather is not pleasant either. Ironically, young Canadians are looking to move elsewhere.

dingaling 8mo ago

> I'm incredibly angry about having lost freedom of movement. I think this was indicative of much of the thinking on both sides of the debate though; focusing tightly on a single, subjective aspect for or against. "Why the EU is important / abhorrent to me right now?" rather than something like "What is the anticipated future nature of the EU and what does that mean for the UK?"

cedws 8mo ago
I agree with you but the other side's arguments were pretty weak. The Leave side was for immigration control (which has not materially changed, we still have an influx of small boats, but have made it harder for educated, hard working people to get in), and mythical funding for the NHS to the tune of £350m a week which never happened.

jemmyw 8mo ago

I feel for you. I moved away to New Zealand long before brexit and then did move to Europe for awhile and freedom of movement made that easier than otherwise. However, if you're mid 20s now you don't need it to move places, you can easily get working visas for EU countries or Australia or NZ or Canada, and there are paths then to citizenship. Everywhere has it's troubles of one kind or another. I grew up in the UK and while I have plenty of good memories, I feel like it's a miserable place when you're trying to get on in the world. And the pay for IT professional is atrocious.

disgruntledphd2 8mo ago

Move to Ireland, work for five years and get citizenship. Congratulations, you're now an EU citizen.