Ten years on from the vote to leave the EU, many people are still surprised when I tell them that I can no longer sell my veils to customers in EU countries. To do so, I would need to have a representative physically located in an EU country and, as a sole trader based in the UK, I don’t.
There are of course agencies that have set in the EU up offering to represent UK sellers, but the fees are simply too high for me to do this. So I had to stop selling to all EU countries.
Etsy, where most of my veils sales come from, did this automatically, so my veils don’t even appear in search results in the EU.
I don’t suppose anyone who voted for Brexit realised this was what they were voting for. Perhaps they consider it a side effect of Brexit. This is not a side effect of Brexit. This IS Brexit.
As far as I’m aware, there is no such reciprocal restriction on EU businesses selling to the UK (nor do I believe there should be). So Brexit has put British small businesses at a global disadvantage. I really hope I’m wrong on this so please, I beg you, correct me if I am.
However, it’s on a more personal level that Brexit continues to break my heart. I am British but European is a major part of my identity. With a German grandma, I have extensive family in Germany, one of whom headed a British school in London. She wouldn’t be able to do that now.
I speak German, albeit not perfectly. My French is worse but I get by. I’ve also studied Italian, Greek and Portuguese (but don’t test me on those), and I’m currently learning Spanish. I love languages.
It was embarrassing when I travelled to Germany – for a family funeral – shortly after the vote to see people’s reactions when they realised I was British. The UK was a laughing stock, seen as arrogant, stupid and incompetent. I made sure I knew the German for, “Please don’t hate me; I voted Remain.”
When my passport came up for renewal – and it’s still a burgundy one – this was the necklace I wore in the photo. I wear it every time I travel. It never fails to get me an extra hug.
