Brexit and Retirement

Image by Foto-Rabe from Pixabay

Brexit and retirement; the two were never meant to be synonymous. In fact when I retired in 2014, difficult as it may be to believe, who had even considered the concept of Brexit or factored it into their retirement plans? Now, entering the final few days before the postponed exit date, it is hard not to be caught up in the turmoil. Will there be another delay or, despite the best efforts of those working tirelessly to try to find a solution, will we actually crash out without a deal on 12th April?

Whilst the rest of the world looks on at the UK with incredulity, on the surface, life here continues as normal. Or does it? The press are now reporting that civil servants are being offered counselling, more than 60% of the population feels stressed or anxious and you only have to take a look at a politician to see the effect it is having on them.

Throughout this sorry debacle experts have always countered against the cliff edge ending of exiting without a deal. If the last two years have shown anything, it is only to demonstrate that any possible compromise is worse than the deal the country already has as a full member state within the European Union. Nevertheless we continue to prepare for this great act of national suicide regardless. The result of an ill-conceived referendum, intended to settle internal Conservative Party differences and in which it is now openly accepted the Leave campaign cheated and lied, must, it seems, be respected at all costs.

But what does this mean for retirement? I guess there are many people now pondering as to whether or not they can afford to go ahead with their plans to retire and who may be reconsidering their strategy until such time as the position becomes clear. 

For those of us already there, we obviously have the time to reflect in depth. Today I found myself idly looking at the source of my prescribed medication: Belgium, Croatia and Sweden; no comfort there then. Nothing on the News Channels either as the negotiations between Government and Opposition leadership continue in relative secrecy, the House of Commons abandons its sitting due to a water leak and the House of Lords spends its day seeking to avert attempts to filibuster the piece of legislation that hopes to prevent a No Deal Brexit by giving Parliament the power to command the Prime Minister to seek an extension of time. It all seems a little bit like Nero fiddling whilst Rome burns.

Those who are retired seem to fall into two distinct categories regardless of which way they voted. The first cites boredom and moans from time to time at the scaremongering and time the whole thing is taking. The other, and sadly I fall into this category, is compelled to watch and listen to history in the making by having a radio tuned permanently to Five Live and a TV remote that can now find the Parliament Channel and 24 Hour News with ease. We have WhatsApp discussions about the latest twists and turns and a meet up with friends turns into a game where we guess the outcome of the next vote by MPs, with the speaker of the House having become an idol for us all. We are the group who now know more than we ever imagined possible about the workings of both our own and the European Parliaments, have sought to get our heads around the difference between a Customs Union and the Single Market and can now identify even backbench MPs not just by sight but also from the sound of voices. We are tired of writing to our MP, who must be equally tired of responding even with a stock response from a party template. We have signed every possible petition, marched and tweeted, but what now?

Neither group has any real experience of a life where neither you nor anybody else (including it would seem the Government)  has a proper grasp of what is going to happen in the near future. It's not something you can seize and shape like your own retirement. Instead it is the monster that is spoiling that seizing and shaping.

Superficially it may appear we are proceeding as usual but in reality normality is suspended. So many are deferring plans for European travels, house moves or large purchases, whilst those who had planned to retire to France or Spain are no longer thinking in such terms. Some are stocking their pantries and medicine cabinets, others are talking about the potential for a return to work. None of it is real, it is all a diversion from the unknown.

The nation is currently holding its breath; life is on hold and when we appear to be behaving in accordance with our customary routine, it is only a distraction before total paralysis kicks in.