08-23-2010, 01:27 PM
As a British EU citizen, I have benefited having the right to live and work in other member states. I have lived in several and have enjoyed learning about other cultures and experiencing a different lifestyle.
The other day, I was at a dinner party when a French chappie starting making it pretty clear that he did not approve of me living in “his” country. There were little jokes about taking a French persons job and so on. It made me think that in spite of the obvious advantages of free movement, we also hear a lot of complaints.
From little Greek islands to major international capitals, one hears grumbles about foreigners driving up house prices, taking jobs for the locals, destroying local culture, marrying local women, etc. So does this free movement work? Do the negatives out weight the positives? Should we continue to roam freely around the EU or would we be better staying in our own member state?
The other day, I was at a dinner party when a French chappie starting making it pretty clear that he did not approve of me living in “his” country. There were little jokes about taking a French persons job and so on. It made me think that in spite of the obvious advantages of free movement, we also hear a lot of complaints.
From little Greek islands to major international capitals, one hears grumbles about foreigners driving up house prices, taking jobs for the locals, destroying local culture, marrying local women, etc. So does this free movement work? Do the negatives out weight the positives? Should we continue to roam freely around the EU or would we be better staying in our own member state?