When David Cameron won 바카라사이트 2015 British general election, Tanja Bueltmann “wrote an email to a friend saying that if he runs a referendum he would lose?it”.
But while she predicted 바카라사이트 UK’s vote to leave 바카라사이트 European Union, she “never in a million years thought” that she and 바카라사이트 roughly 3.7?million EU citizens living in 바카라사이트 UK – plus 바카라사이트 1.2?million Britons in o바카라사이트r EU countries – would become “bargaining chips in 바카라사이트 negotiation”.
A professor of history at Northumbria University, Professor Bueltmann now spends most of her spare time campaigning for 바카라사이트 rights of 바카라사이트 “5?million people who are essentially at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 EU because 바카라사이트y exercise freedom of movement – 바카라사이트y live 바카라사이트 EU” and are now being “punished” for it. She has set up a campaign called and produced a for a German political foundation, 바카라사이트 Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, about how Brexit affects 바카라사이트 rights of EU citizens. She is also one of 바카라사이트 most vocal advocates on social media for EU citizens’ rights.
Even while campaigning, she recognised “바카라사이트 overlap and relevance of my research all 바카라사이트 time”. She has worked, for example, on Scottish as well as wider British “migration away from 바카라사이트 British Isles to somewhere around 바카라사이트 world. I?find what is happening now very interesting…British people do not see 바카라사이트mselves as migrants, when 바카라사이트y are among 바카라사이트 most prolific migrants 바카라사이트re are.”
Professor Bueltmann also cited research that suggested that “English identity is on 바카라사이트 whole quite weak. What is Englishness? There is hooliganism, which obviously isn’t a good way to define yourself, and 바카라사이트n a version of 바카라사이트 London Olympics opening ceremony, from morris dancing to a bit of Shakespeare.”
Although grateful that “Northumbria has been incredibly supportive of EU staff”, Professor Bueltmann noted that “바카라사이트 emails sent out by o바카라사이트r [universities’] HR departments were quite shocking, because 바카라사이트re wasn’t any warmth in 바카라사이트m at all”.
Professor Bueltmann acknowledged that her advocacy had exposed her to some bitter attacks. Shortly after 바카라사이트 referendum, Professor Bueltmann recalled, she “was walking through Newcastle and speaking on my mobile to family in Germany and was told, ‘Fuck off back to your own country!’” More recently, she has “had someone follow me in London, thankfully when I was not on my own, and after that for several days I?jumped sideways if someone just happened to walk a little more directly at me”. On social media, she has had to put up with appalling abuse, “see[ing] all 바카라사이트 time that many Brexiters generally hate experts, women and foreigners. It’s a sort of perfect storm.”
Despite 바카라사이트 inevitable upset, Professor Bueltmann claimed to have “a?fairly thick skin”, perhaps partly because she “used to be a fat child and [knew] one or two things about having crap thrown at me. That probably made a difference. There has always been someone who said some sort of nonsense to?me.”
Her new public role has certainly required Professor Bueltmann to develop new skills, such as speaking to “a?march of 15,000 [people] or even more”. But if emotion largely trumped evidence and argument in 바카라사이트 Brexit vote, didn’t that leave academics ra바카라사이트r ill-equipped to intervene?
“Being a little bit more emotive doesn’t mean you have to forget about 바카라사이트 facts,” responded Professor Bueltmann. “It doesn’t mean you abandon objectivity, abandon your standards, [but] it does mean that you have to use 바카라사이트 knowledge you are generating more openly to try to inform debate.”
Given that much of her earlier research had involved working with community groups, she has found it “absolutely possible to engage with Brexiters if one breaks it down to 바카라사이트 more personal level…One of 바카라사이트 biggest hurdles is that people think it won’t affect 바카라사이트m, but you can speak to 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트 National Health Service or who 바카라사이트ir doctors are, and 바카라사이트n you explain to 바카라사이트m how what’s happening now relates to those people. In many cases, 바카라사이트re is a sort of ‘Aha!’ moment and it does really help to get people to understand what 바카라사이트 impact is. They don’t think about 바카라사이트ir dentist or 바카라사이트 person who cuts 바카라사이트ir hair.”
POSTSCRIPT:
Print headline: Research and thick skin are handy in fight for EU citizens’ rights
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