‘I’m ashamed to be British’: UK expats in Australia in no hurry to go home

UK EXPATS in Australia say they’re ashamed to be British after the vote to leave the EU. And they have an important warning for Aussies.

Brits, pictured in Adelaide, say they feel like a bit of a joke. Picture: Roy Van Der Vegt.

THIS weekend, I met a few fellow British expats for a roast at a Sydney pub.

That was unusual enough, since we all agreed the spuds here don’t match up to home and you’re better off with a burger.

Clearly, everyone was feeling a deep sense of disconnection from their home country. The Brexit, of course, was the only talking point.

“It makes me ashamed to be British,” said Gemma, a 30-year-old nurse from Lincolnshire. “I’ve always been proud of our NHS and socialist credentials, now I feel different.”

It’s a feeling echoed among UK citizens around Australia. “We’re probably more of a joke,” 42-year-old chef Tom Williams, a Sydneysider from Brighton in England, told news.com.au. “You realise it is a divided country, not united.

“When you go back, you want something to go back to, a bit of normality rather than hatred.”

Steve Morris, a 40-year-old from Cambridge who works in IT sales, said the fact the Leave campaign won was a shock for everyone.

“People don’t like the unknown. That’s why the Scottish stayed in their referendum, people opt for the status quo. It confirms we’re a nation of whingers.”

UK expats say they feel even more like a “nation of whingers”.

While Steve wasn’t eligible to vote because he’s been here 15 years, he thinks he might have been drawn to a Brexit.

“Change is good, it means opportunity and two fingers up to Brussels. The good thing about being detached is you have a globally representative view.”

But he added: “I would have educated myself more if I had to vote. I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect because the Leave campaign didn’t really have a plan. What’s next?

“The Labour, Cameron thing. It’s like a circus of in-fighting and bickering. We’re a split nation with split opinions. If you add on the football, everyone’s taking the mick. If they weren’t already taking the mick, they are now.”

Not everyone is pulling away from their British roots, however.

Jessica, a 32-year-old who has been in Australia for four years, was back at home in Remain stronghold Oxford on polling day.

“At first there was so much anger and disbelief,” she told news.com.au. “Everyone was asking, ‘Who the hell voted for it?’

“If anything, it’s made me feel a lot closer to the UK. I want to find the good about it. Hopefully, the UK will pull itself out. I’m not saying it’s not a catastrophe, I’m really upset. We need to band together.”

The communications professional said Aussies “probably think we’re all a bit stupid” right now, but it should make everyone more aware that the choices they make on election day this weekend really count.

She said many of her expat friends didn’t vote because they didn’t acknowledge that a Brexit win was a real possibility. “It’s made us more aware of politics. We do have a voice.”

The UK feels like “a nation divided”, say expats in Australia,

Many British expats failed to organise a postal vote in time, with many struggling to use the government’s website after it crashed on deadline day.

Voters in countries including Peru, Iceland, Hong Kong, Turkey, South Africa, the US and New Zealand reported not receiving their postal votes in time after registration.

Jackie Donkin, who lives in Australia, told The Independent she received hers on 23 June — complete with instructions to return it by 10pm on the same day.

Christina Watkins, who lives in Normandy, said she had spoken to many other British friends in France who did not receive their postal votes.

Olly Wilton, a 33-year-old from London working in media sales in Sydney, echoed many non-voters when he told news.com.au: “I didn’t think it was going to happen.

“We’re famous for being a diverse, multicultural society, with so many residents from places like India, Pakistan and Europe. We’re one of the most racially diverse countries in the world.

“We live in a global village in terms of markets, travel and opportunities, so to cut off our economy seems like a step backwards.

“The UK’s going to be increasingly small-minded because of the lack of travel.

“It was a situation we should never have been put in. It’s just ‘us and them.’ It became ‘are you happy or not?’ People are disenfranchised so they said not.

“We weren’t exactly the most popular in Europe. It’s dented our reputation even more.

“At the rugby on the weekend, the Aussies were chanting ‘Brexit’. I feel lucky to live far away from the conflict.

“My passport feels less valuable.”