The Brexit Vote

Tomorrow, the UK is voting to leave or stay in the European Union.  This has been on the table since last summer when the Prime Minister agreed to hold a referendum about EU membership.  I bet he wishes he had never agreed to that when he was trying to get re-elected.  It is quite the gamble. Polls are showing that there is as much support for leaving as there is for staying.  

It is interesting to see how the different sides tend to align themselves very much like our own country.  The "Vote Leave" folks tends to be made up of older voters and, as in our own country, most are a a xenophobic group, if not down right racist.  They feel that immigrants are taking over their country and want to go back to "whiter" days.  The "Vote Stay" group is made up of progressives. Most are under 40 and have never known a UK that was not part of the EU. They grew up with diversity. 

This has been the talk of the town I live in. I have been stopped at the town center several times by both sides. Good thing that as soon as they hear my accent and I confirm that I can't vote in their referendum, they end their sales pitch. But I do enjoy listening to their take on what is happening or will happen.  Because, you know.  We all know what happens when you speculate - Much A Do About Nothing.

Battle lines have been drawn across the country, neighbors against neighbors. I can drive down a road and see the flags or signs to vote one way or another. At times, it has gotten nasty.  Both sides have been using fear tactics - fear of what could happen if they stay or if they leave.  Things took a tragic turn last week when with the murder of a 42 year old pro-stay Labour Party MP by a pro-leave radical. Both sides suspended campaigning.

Recently, I had a pleasant conversation with my stylist about the differences and similarities between our countries.  He is a young twenty something who told me he is voting to stay in the EU.  He made a very good point about how this was more about the burden of immigration on their system of welfare.  We have similar issues with our own benefit system in the US, but not on as large a scale since our welfare system is limited.  

Did you know that if you are a refugee or immigrant, you are given free housing, free healthcare, and welfare?  He said people can stay on these benefits for a long time and everyone is eligible.  This is why we also get to use the NHS for healthcare - it is open to everyone.  In the US, immigrants do not automatically get benefits until they become permanent residents. And even then, it is need based. They have to show that they are working on gainful employment in order to get it or must prove that they are disabled and unable to work.  Here, it is automatic. Take the ease of benefits and the strong pound sterling and its no wonder people are flocking to cross the English Channel.

Take the NHS. The few times I have sought care through the NHS I have noticed that 1) they have very good health care and 2) their wait times are very long. I was told that if I wanted to have my shoulder surgery via NHS, I may have to wait 2-3 years to be seen and get that scheduled.  Don't know if that is accurate, but I do notice that to get the kind of care I am accustomed to, I have to go private pay.  

Earlier this week, I met with a retiree who keeps Tigger while we are on holiday.  She asked me my thoughts and I told her I couldn't vote. She told me that she just doesn't know.  She said she feels it is her son's generation who should be required to vote while her generation abstains because this will affect his generation more than hers.  

I have spoken to other older adults here who tell me that people are just coming over here to take advantage of their welfare system.  Sound familiar? It makes you think that if that is the problem why not reform the system rather than vote to leave?

I think they will vote to stay just like the Scots voted to stay within the UK. Human beings do not like the unknown and leaving is a big unknown. It is exciting to be here during such an important vote. One thing is certain: it is going to be a nail biter.

All seriousness aside, take a look at John Oliver's take on Brexit.  He can weigh in.  He's British. Enjoy.

The Royal Ascot

Every country has a high society event.  The United Kingdom, with its Royal family, has many high society events, but none is more fascinating than the Royal Ascot.

The Royal Ascot is the Gold Cup of horse racing.  The Queen, an avid horse lover, holds court at the event with the Duke of Edinburgh every year for each of its five days of racing.  She is joined by different members of the Royal family each day.

The Royal Enclosure provided the best and least crowded view. You could watch from the stands or walk down to the track.

There are several enclosures available to the general public.  The Royal enclosure is open only to members (likely those with titles) and diplomatic missions who sponsor their employees in the enclosure. So it was that we received instructions to submit an application for the Royal enclosure this past April for one of the premier social events of the year.

We were not sure how it worked, but we put our application in the proverbial top hat for the chance to attend. I'm pretty sure security checks were run for everyone who applied and we had the good fortune to be invited to buy tickets.

Tickets to the Royal Enclosure are not cheap.  Adults are 150£ each.  Children are a mere 20£.  Parking is 30£.  These prices do not include the attire required to adhere to the strict dress code. 

You may have seen the pictures in the news from the first few days of the event.  The crazy hats/fascinators and outrageous dresses - that was NOT in the Royal Enclosure.  For one, fascinators were not allowed in the Royal Enclosure.

Hat Swap!

For the ladies and girls, dresses had to be at or below the knee.  Any straps had to be one inch in diameter.  If wearing a trouser suit, the material for both pieces must match.  All ladies must wear hats with a minimum 4" diameter base.  Girls can wear fascinators or head pieces. Heels were optional.

Men were required to wear morning dress - top hat and tails. Within the Royal Enclosure, the top hats had to be kept on at all times. Boys could opt to wear a suit and their hat was optional.

Optional or not, this is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities.  We decided to go all out. 

Hat, check! I went ahead and bought one. I plan to wear it to every event that I can justify wearing it. I have never been a hat girl, but the head band that ensured it would not fly off my head at any time. I loved it. I even wore it at work after the event. 

Dress for me and for my girl, check.  Morning dress for my dear husband and son, check.  Sensible shoes...that was the biggest challenge.  Everything I read, including tips from Pippa Middleton, praised sensible shoes since you are on your feet all day.  But, heels tend to be best with a dress.  In the end, the weather took that decision out of my hands. 

Royal Ascot commenced on what had to be the rainiest day and week of the year.  The rain started on the previous Sunday and continued off and on, but mostly on, for days.  By the time the first day arrived, the ground was very soft and flooded in some areas of the car park which led to some fantastic pictures.  The forecast changed multiple times over the week, but our chosen day of attendance, Saturday, gave us the best odds for no rain.

We arrived on a cloudy overcast day early.  We tried to caravan in since tailgating is allowed.  It pays to be in the Royal Enclosure as we were a short walk to the racecourse. 

It was cold rather than rainy.  I think we had a few sprinkles of misty rain and it was over.  But the soft ground was not over.  I stepped out of our car with my heels and began to sink into the mud.  That made the shoe decision real easy.  I pulled out my back up flats and didn't look back.

Tailgating at Ascot is an art.  Forget the tailgating you are accustomed to at a football game! This was high class tailgating.  People brought tents - the kind that you would see at an outdoor wedding.  Under the tents, tables with white table cloths popped up. Tables were topped with fine dinnerware, silverware, cloth napkins, candelabras, champagne flutes and buckets of champagne on ice. Some folks had their tents professionally catered.  We ate, we drank, we laughed and took lots of pictures for about three hours before we started making our way to the racecourse.

The Queen's horse drawn carriage procession begins every day at 2pm in the parade ring. This is a separate area opposite the actual racecourse.  We managed to get there just as the procession was getting underway and managed to snap a few shots of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.  In case you are wondering, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made an appearance on Day 2 and Prince Harry arrived on the first day.

As the procession concludes, members of the Royal family make their way to their box.  Spectators in the Royal enclosure have a chance to see the Royal family inside the building.  Levels 3 and 4 offer the best view, but make your way up the escalator early as it is packed. Once the Royal family is settled, racing begins.

The races are spaced about 30-45 minutes apart.  There are no assigned seats as you are expected to move about.  People place their bets on the next race and collect their winnings in between races. If you ever want to see a British man, decked out in a top hat and tails, lose all composure upon their horse winning a race, come over to the Royal Ascot. If you want to see the Queen all smiles as her horse wins the race, this is the place to be.

There are many bars, cafes and restaurants set up throughout the enclosure - for a price.  As I have said before, this event is far from reasonably priced.  Top chefs in Britain head the kitchens in these restaurants.  This is why so many people opt for the fancy tailgate.  The cheapest meal other than a cup of coffee and a piece of cake was 40£ per person for afternoon tea with other plates going for upwards of 500£. Wine and Bollinger Champagne was sold by the bottle.

This was our first ever horse race. The races combined with all the glamour made the day go by very quickly. When the races ended, we could not believe that it was nearly 18:00.  But the party didn't end there.  Following the races, there was a sing along in one of the other enclosures and then the place turns into a club for several hours.  Many people continued tailgating at their cars afterwards.

Do you remember being a child on Christmas morning?  All the excitement, anticipation, not knowing what gift to open first? That is what it was like attending the Royal Ascot in the Royal Enclosure.  As for the morning after?  It felt like 26 December too.