Why Jack left Britain
A journalist who left Britain for Brussels a decade ago but will forever feel like a Brit
Welcome back to this ongoing series, in which I interview Brits about their reasons for leaving Britain to try to better understand what is going on…
This week I spoke to Jack: A journalist who left Britain for Brussels back in 2014, but will always feel like a Brit - and a Bristolian - no matter where he goes in the world. Read to the end for my thoughts!
If you would like to share your story about Leaving Britain (either considering leaving, are leaving, have left, or perhaps left and returned) please send me a message. You can be anonymous - or not - that is entirely up to you. I will call or message you with some basic questions. We will have a nice chat, and then I will carefully write and share your story here. Just hit this button if you are interested in taking part:
Jack’s story
Occupation: Journalist
Age: Thirties
Current location: Brussels, Belgium
Left Britain: At the end of 2014
Hi Jack! What draws you to the topic of Brits leaving Britain?
It's a massive topic, and it really shows a huge shift in our post-Empire thinking.
I know so many people who have been leaving or trying to get out. We have always had this idea - which is implanted in us from a young age - that Britain is the best country in the world. We are powerful, dynamic, interesting, cool… and we are! We are those things. But, at the same time, the quality of life - both professionally and financially - and the standard of healthcare, is just so much better in other countries.
A lot of people might never question staying in Britain: You grow up in Britain, you stay in Britain… because nowhere else is better than Britain. But now that narrative is changing. For sure, it is.
The internet has opened up the world massively. Everybody sees all these different things. everyone is travelling all the time. So it's like: “We don't have to stay in Banbury forever” you know.
When did you leave Britain?
I made the move over to Brussels in late 2014. The intention was only to stay for six months, and then to transfer back to London. Six months came and went… and I've been here ever since.
Was there a tipping point for your move?
I began my journalism career scratting around in the UK, freelancing for pittance. Then I got offered the job in Brussels and jumped. It just made sense. There was a chance for me to get on TV. Whereas the BBC stations that I was working for were more like a 5-to-10 year timeline to become a TV reporter.
Before I got on the Eurostar to do my trial week in Brussels, I honestly didn’t even know that the Eurostar went to Brussels! I am joking. But I had lived in Germany as part of my Erasmus year, so I knew I would be fine moving away.
Looking back, was it a good decision?
Without a shadow of a doubt. For me, it was a no-brainer. Brussels is central to everywhere. That’s why it's called the Europe Bureau for a lot of news organisations. Meanwhile, the Brexit debate made the UK far more introspective and far more inward-looking. And that made me want to stay outside even more, travelling all over, covering international stories from Brussels.
Speaking of Brexit, how have you managed to stay in Europe for so long? Readers might be curious about the paperwork.
I have become a Belgian citizen!
How does that feel?
It's a strange one, to be honest. Because I do not - in any way - feel Belgian.
Belgians have a very elastic identity anyway because there are the Flemish, and there’s Brussels, and then there are the French-speakers, and the German-speakers. They’re all very different. And they're very gracious. All the Belgians I meet are like: “Yeah, that's fine, take a passport.”
But I am a Brit. It would be weird of me to wander around pretending I am assimilated into Belgium. Whereas, really, I've assimilated into the EU World that exists in Brussels. And the Belgians have kindly given me a Belgian passport. It’s practical. And who knows what's going to happen in the future? Collect all the passports you can, I say!
Would you describe yourself as patriotic? Are you proud to be British?
Yes. I love the UK. And I really love Bristol, and what Bristol means as a city. I am really proud to be from my hometown. There are just so many nice parts of the UK. I miss English breakfasts and walks in the countryside to the pub.
We are open chatty people. I was at a wedding this summer, with all my old mates from Bristol, and it was just so fun and easy. The free flowing society that exists in the UK. I miss that. I miss popping to your mate's mum's house and having a cup of tea.
What’s your first port of call when you go back?
I am embarrassed to say this, but I always go back to Bristol through Paddington station and I go to the pasty shop and get a giant Cornish pasty! The sandwiches and the food-on-the-go is so much better in Britain.
Would anything make you move back to Britain?
I have looked and tried at different times. I've had waves of wanting to move back more and wanting to move back less.
I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but I have a good reputation in Brussels. The career that I've built here is respected. And whenever I go back to the UK, I feel like I’m unknown as a journalist. People don't seem to think that what I've done holds any weight. So for me professionally, it would involve a real step back.
And my friends that work in the UK, at the same kind of level, are not earning the same money I’m earning. And that's a bit gross, but it's true. Like the money just doesn't stand up. It's so much more exciting to be a journalist where I am, doing what I'm doing and travelling around.
Health issues in the family obviously always pull you back, and family issues make me feel really far away. That feeling of distance can feel quite strong.
How do you deal with missing family?
Family is a difficult one for me. I don't even know if it's them or if it’s my perception. But when there are big family calls, I always get this sense of: “But you're not here, Jack.” Whether they say it, or I hear it, that is definitely something that I sense. And that can be quite difficult.
How engaged do you stay with what’s going on back in Britain?
I used to wake up every morning and put the British radio on and read British papers. I am still subscribed to the FT and the Times, because the FT is really good for Brussels news. I know who all the UK ministers are, and the main government figures. I follow the main stories generally. But, to be 100% honest, I am quite glad to not be so involved in UK politics at the moment.
Are you registered to vote?
I am registered to vote and I actively vote. And now I'm in Belgium, which is a mandatory voting country - so I must vote! But I've always voted whenever I've had the opportunity. I am obsessed with that. Especially in the UK - I feel like a vote holds a bit more weight there. It's a bit of a weird thing to say, but the UK is a more powerful country. So I feel that if I have the right to vote in one of the big economies of the world, I am going to vote. For as long as that's afforded to me.
What about British television?
I always watch Strictly! And Great British Bake Off. British television is good. Especially compared to Belgian TV. Although, I’ve really put a lot of effort into learning French to a much higher level recently, so I have been watching a lot of French TV. I watch this rap talent show, and I absolutely love it. It's really hard to understand, but it's really good to learn French because they speak so fast, so you have to focus.
Is there anything fundamentally wrong with Britain?
I just think that it's a different country to what we thought it was. I don’t buy into the whole “Broken Britain, everything is sh*t” story. But we just aren’t the power that we thought we were. And Trump in the U.S. is basically knocking us around and making us look stupid. And the Brexit debate really made us question who we were and what we are in the world. Still - I do think things are better than people think they are. Britain is still a nice country to live in.
Do you feel like Britain cares about people who leave?
I suppose the flip-side to that question is not so much whether it cares about me, but whether I care about it - and if I still care about representing Britain. It sounds stupid, but when Eurovision is on, even if the song is crap, I will alway back the UK. And I will always support England in a football match.
You know when you go on holiday and the Brits are getting hammered in the bars? I am culturally connected to that - whether I want to be or not! You don't get to release that just because you've moved away.
I am still very much a Brit. And that's always what I will be, wherever I go, whatever I do.
How long do you think you will stay in Brussels?
I am relatively keen to start considering what life outside Brussels would look like. When I left the UK 11 years ago, I always thought that I was going to return. And now I can envisage a life where I never live in the UK again. That is a possibility. But I think it is also possible that I will end up going back, at some point, for some period of time. But if I don't ever live in the UK again - that isn't something that feels like it would destroy my soul at the moment.
How do you describe yourself as a British person out in the world?
I am a migrant-expat-nomad! I don't know. I don't really see myself in those terms. Since I've taken the Belgian passport, I just describe myself as a British-Belgian. I am a citizen of their country - and then, when I'm in the UK, I'm a citizen of the UK. I am a subject to two Kings! That's my joke. That’s my identity.
Thank you Jack.
Standard disclaimer: These interviews are meant to reflect an individual’s experience and do not necessarily reflect my own point of view.
My thoughts
I’m back from holiday! It was all-too-short. A few days negroni-tasting in Rome with my sister. A few days learning how to herd cattle with Italian cowboys on a ranch in the Sibillini mountains... If you are curious about what that looks like, follow me on instagram.
Back into the 45-degree swing of things now (people who live in Dubai are a lot less smug about it in the summer) and back with another fun Leaving Britain contributor.
In case you hadn’t guessed it, Jack is a real-life friend of mine. A bestie from journalism college. Here is us catching each other in London at some point:
I promise I don’t normally interview friends - and I hope we kept it professional - but I wanted to speak to Jack, because his story brings a much-needed Europe perspective to the collection. And he is always good value.
What struck me about Jack’s interview was his own ongoing dilemma about whether-or-not he sees himself ever returning to Britain, and how he manages the love he has for his country alongside the better opportunities he finds outside of it. All very relatable.
And I am quite jealous of his well-earned Belgian passport! Well done Jack. Love you mate.
Before you leave…
Have you seen it yet?
The unflattering Coinbase advert about the UK, which may - or may not - have been “banned” by UK regulators (which, in itself, is likely part of the marketing strategy).
Watch and tell me your thoughts:
Coinbase is an American crypto firm. The advert is heavily critical about life in the UK at the moment. And, for any further details around the meltdown this has caused - read this article by my former CNBC colleague Holly Ellyat
And one more tidbit for your bedside table…
Another former Leaving Britain Contributor™ (hi James!) forwarded this piece he spotted in CityAM: Read Here
“Over a quarter of young Brits are considering leaving the UK to escape the country’s stuttering economy and unaffordable housing market.
As many as 28 per cent of 18-30 year-olds are either planning to quit the UK or have seriously considered emigrating, according to a poll from free-market think tank the Adam Smith Institute (ASI).
Another 30 per cent said they had ‘briefly considered’ it, while 35 per cent said leaving the UK had never crossed their mind.
Respondents overwhelmingly cited the UK’s supply-starved housing market and difficult financial backdrop as being a core driver of their disillusion with Britain.”
Thank you James. We are never far from some sort of validation for this topic at the moment, it seems!
In honour of today’s Bristolian contributor, and my fellow West Country brethren, allow me to say -
See you in a fortnight, me luvvers!
Have something to say? Please be kind with your comments (these are real people).
If you would like to share your story about Leaving Britain (either considering leaving, are leaving, have left, or perhaps left and returned) please send me a message. You can be anonymous - or not - that is entirely up to you. I will call or message you with some basic questions. We will have a nice chat, and then I will carefully write and share your story here. Just hit this button if you are interested in taking part:
Maybe I’m weird, but I think the Coinbase video makes life in the UK look quite jolly!
Learned a new word today. Is ‘scratting’ Bristol dialect?