I am going to Brexit information evening at the British Embassy in Berlin tomorrow. No idea what the hell they are going to tell me. I am going for the LOLZ and the buffet.
Trip Report?
(Particularly interested in buffet review)
Absolutely disappointing. Only twiglets and nuts. Water or orange juice. Not even tea. Aren't we supposed to be British? And where is the free beer?
My conclusion is that nobody really has a clue about anything. The British ambassador parrotted the government line about the deal being the best blah blah. 30 minutes of my life wasted. The Germans seem more organised for no deal than we are. Jane Goldman is head of the British in Germany organisation and she seemed like a great advocate, so I am happy about that.
So British in Germany get a three months transition period in the event of no deal so sort stuff out. I think they announced this for the first time at the meeting because everyone clapped and seemed excited.
I am told there could be announcement tomorrow by the EU of a 6 or 9 month transition period in case of no deal for British Nationals within the the EU.
There were may more questions than answers. Most questions from the audience regarding individual circumstances were met by the answer "it is complicated"
Oh and there are an estimated 20,000 British in Berlin and if after 29 March everyone needed a quick appointment and processing at the Foreign Nationals office in the event of no deal then even using all the staff that they have available this would book out all their appointments and resources for two months.
Thanks Bergeroo. Top reporting, sir.
On a personal level, I'm disappointed that you had to make do with Twiglets, nuts and non-alcoholic beverages. No excuse for the absence of a tea urn, though... On a macro level, it would've sent out the wrong signals if there'd been casks of Best Bitter and Whisky chasers (known as Boiler-makers in my day), don't you think?
On to the more substantial elements of the review: 20,000 Brits in Berlin alone? Goodness gracious, that's an enormous number. I'm struggling to resist the temptation to use a MANTIS inspired WWII analogy with the 1939/40 BEF. I daresay that a reasonable number are spouses of EU Nationals, so the number of appointments at the Foreign Nationals Office might only run to a 6 week waitlist. Cold comfort, I suspect.
Thanks again.
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