‘A plea to my British friends’

Despite living in Great Britain for more than 20 years and in Bristol with my British wife for the last eight, I am a French Bristolian so I have no right to vote in the European Union referendum.

Like Scots abroad not able to vote in last year’s Scottish independence referendum, I find myself democratically silenced on an issue very dear to me.

In some ways, it has made me look at the referendum with a different viewpoint and I wanted to share it with you, my British friends

I truly love the greatness of the UK people with their sense of rebellion, creativity yet inclusiveness, their love for music and the arts and the partying that goes with it. But most of all, I love the freedom that inhabits every single Briton. 

Now, you could call me a migrant and you’d be right. But Britain and Ireland were wiped clean of humans by the last ice age, and so everybody here is a migrant from the continent too. Why is it such a cultural issue now?

I could continue to talk about the British spirit and how nothing will defeat the primal nature of your nation but I digress.

My point about the EU referendum is quite simple: 

Why would you leave the EU after 43 years of unprecedented economic growth which has raised the standard of living so dramatically for everybody?

Rewind to the seventies and the gap between the European Community countries and Britain was significantly bigger back then. For example, the GDP per capita was 30 per cent lower in the UK ($3,413) compared to France ($4,865) in the seventies (it is now slightly higher). 

You could say this prosperity would have happened if Britain had stayed outside the then European Community but how would you know? No one does and what was true then is still true now so why change? 

As far as I am concerned, the British people are still very British despite being EU citizens since 1973 and I expect you will remain staunchly so if you decide to remain. 

Quite ironically, a Brexit could dismantle the United Kingdom as the Scots would go back to the polling stations and likely declare independence from the UK and rejoin the EU. 

In a way, this referendum should never have happened as it threatens the core of what we call today Great Britain. And the choice is quite simple: vote remain and keep our country together in the EU or vote leave and break the United Kingdom. 

I am denied a vote so this is my plea to you: when you vote on June 23, think about the last 43 years and how the new generation of young Bristolians deserves to have the same chance of living in prosperity in the EU for next 43 years and beyond.

Nicolas Hatton is a trustee at l’École Française de Bristol in Southmead and was elected in the last French consular election in 2014. He also works in marketing with facilities group Mitie. In his spare time, he grows vines in his allotment and enjoys living in Bristol with his wife and daughter.

Disagree with Nicolas? Or perhaps you’ve got something else to get off your chest? Bristol24/7 is always looking for opinion writers. Email louis@bristol247.com for more details.

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