By akademiotoelektronik, 04/10/2022

Two years after Brexit, a French village on English time

A few days before Christmas, the main square is streaming with torrents of rain. Silhouettes crowd the cobbled streets of the medieval city to seek shelter. In Alet-les-Bains, in Aude, the winter is wet. In the middle of the Place de la République, stoic with her anorak, hood on her head, a tall blond woman with clear eyes prefers to ignore the shady sky to concentrate on the decorations which she delicately poses. Antoinette Fairhurst is considered by all to be the “soul” of this village of 390 inhabitants in the land of cassoulet and blanquette de Limoux. The British soul, more exactly, as his slight accent does not fail to recall it.

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She is not the only one to have crossed the Channel to settle here in Cathar country, in the small spa town. How many Brits and English speakers behind the closed doors of these abandoned stone houses to be tastefully restored? No official numbers, nor Union Jack on the windows, but there would be many of them in this village sitting on the banks of the Aude. Only a poster pasted on the windows for the promotion of Beauty & the Beast, a pantomime show, a very English tradition at Christmas, discreetly indicates their presence. The show, performed at the Théâtre dans les vignes, a former winery in the hamlet of Cornèze, near Pomas, features the merry troupe of British Troubadours from Limoux, some of whom live in Alet-les-Bains.

What did they all come to seek far from their native England? For Antoinette, "it was Keith's (her husband's, editor's note) dream of living in France". But his? “Not in the least,” she says, fourteen years later. It is told over a cup of tea in the large kitchen which serves as a living room in the beautiful 19^th century building that the couple has restored to make it into guest rooms. Antoinette, however, was not the homebody type. Born in Oxford, raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, in the country of William Shakespeare, she left the United Kingdom for Israel, staying there for ten years. After a divorce and two children, she meets Keith and in the summer, they discover the charms of France. “We knew nothing about this region, nothing about the Cathars. But Alet seduced us, we felt at home. »

A treasure equivalent to Lake Geneva

To be honest, Alet-les-Bains is not just any city. In 1578, his name is already on the map of the region, in the same way as Carcassonne. Thirty-five bishops succeeded each other in the Benedictine abbey of which only ruins remain today. Alet has known good times, living until 2009 from the exploitation of its magnesium-rich mineral waters, and classified as national property in 1886. An equivalent treasure in reserve at Lake Geneva, according to the mayor, Ghislaine Tafforeau. But since then, the activity has stopped and the treasure is flowing into the river.

The first three years? "A test", remembers Antoinette. When they arrived, neither she nor her husband spoke French, which caused some misunderstandings, especially with the contractors. “I knew how to say white in Hebrew and I insisted on saying levin to the entrepreneur who understood wine. "The youngest of my children was 1 year old, the oldest 11 years old, it was the financial crisis in 2008, we had no work, the loan to repay and work that took two years! Not to mention that by leaving England, Antoinette had the feeling of breaking ties with her country. In the new, “everything was different, we had to adapt”.

Gerri Kimber, her friend, scholar and global scholar of writer Katherine Mansfield, had more or less the same journey. Holidays in France and a real passion for the language of Molière. As a student, Gerri came regularly to France. Then, family holidays in France, love at first sight for Cognac first, and finally Minervois. Today Gerri and her husband live in Antugnac, 11 km from Alet-les-Bains, in the heart of the upper Aude valley, from where she can see the tower of Rennes-le-Château.

Wine and water from Alet

It's also a love story that Dawn Stoller, probably the village eldest, wrote with the region. Thirty-four years ago, with her husband, an architect of historical monuments, she left her luggage in Alet-les-Bains, after having criss-crossed the region as tourists. And slept in the tent with their four children. “We were traveling by car, Ryanair had not yet opened its many low cost lines to Carcassonne. We liked to visit and discover. They too fell in love with the village. Monsieur, a history buff, immersed himself in the Cathar epic, and in their wake, a couple of friends came to settle there.

Financial conditions also made it easier for them to come. Thanks to the pound sterling, whose rate was very advantageous, the British invested in stone. First, they acquired a small narrow stone house, inside the ramparts, then restored and enlarged it years later, annexing the neighboring house and its garden. In front of the door, pots of succulents resistant to the damp winter cold indicate that the house is busy all year round.

Seated on her sofa, near the bay window which plunges into the garden in the colors of winter, this beautiful woman with a strong character, widowed since last year, remembers their arrival and their efforts to blend in in local life. "At the very beginning, we met an old man from the village whom we asked what we had to do to fit in, he replied in a gruff tone: 'Obey the law, drink wine and Alet water!” Dawn recalls with a laugh. He often came back afterwards to bring us potatoes. He said in a peremptory tone: “The English like potatoes!” Dawn and her husband take a “soft” approach to integration. Full of good will, they join the team of parishioners to clean up the church. "The first time, one of them said to us, with a mischievous smile: 'Go and clean the statue of Joan of Arc at the back of the church.' »

The years pass and the couple blends into the local landscape, attends dinners and parties. Their children and eight grandchildren cross the Channel regularly for holidays, summer and winter. In the stairwell, a photo gallery is full of family memories. Life flows, sweet and happy.

Until the "cataclysm" of the Brexit referendum on June 23, 2016. The victory of the "yes" vote disrupted the peaceful life of the British in Alet and the surrounding area. On that fateful day when the United Kingdom decides to say no to the European Union, Dawn feels "a lot of anger towards her compatriots" and goes to plant her European flag in front of her door. Brexit, which is dividing the British across the Channel, is causing a real split within the small community of Occitania. Who would have thought that the Aude village would count hard Brexiters among its inhabitants?

Since Brexit, "the atmosphere is no longer the same"

Today, they refuse to express themselves on the subject, as if it were difficult for them to assume their position in this France despite everything attached to Europe. The walls of the medieval city, which shook during the war between the crown of France and the Cathar heretics, resound once again with the anger of some and the fury of others. Almost six years have passed and "the atmosphere of the village is no longer the same", admits one of the British citizens who, on this subject, prefers to remain anonymous. Brexit has created unease and tension within the expatriate community. At dinner parties, it is said, the subject is carefully avoided.

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Dawn still hasn't recovered either. “A real psychological shock for this enthusiastic European. English, I was born in Belgium and, for me, Europe is a big family of nations. We had established rules and it worked. Before the referendum, she traveled to London to defend Europe and demonstrate with more than a million people in the streets of the British capital. Proudly brandishing a sign “Mamie is for Europe”.

Gerri, for his part, describes “a state of shock”. “Especially since some French people felt offended, as if we were turning our backs on them. She evokes the concern of certain mayors of small villages in Aude, sending an e-mail to their constituents to remind them that the British were still part of their community, even though the Kingdom had slammed the door of the Europe.

The hassle of city officials can be understood. What would happen to these small towns if our English "best enemies" deserted them, when they constitute a large part of the population and drive the economy? Often, the arrival of couples still in activity has allowed the maintenance of the school. And saved the village… “In Alet, we have 26 children divided into two classes, one from the small nursery section to CE1 and another class from CE2 to CM2, with daycare and canteen”, specifies Ghislaine Tafforeau, the mayor. With its courtyard planted with plane trees, next to one of the many fountains in the village, the school saw Antoinette's four children grow up, and Dawn taught English there.

Scratched from the electoral rolls

While many Britons prefer socializing, speaking little French even after several years, others actively participate in local life and very often energize it. Tim Raby, head of the British Troubadours of Limoux, arrived from Oxford in 2017 as a pilot for a commercial company. Today, he works on the ground in the control of procedures. Like others, he succumbed to the charm "of the French way of life, in a magnificent region surrounded by vineyards and with all the conveniences". “Brexit, he says, has not changed (his) life much. His only regret? The cheddar, which he no longer brings from London, because of “monstrous” taxes. The Association des artistes alétois (AAA), founded and chaired by Bernard Espeut, includes many English-speaking artists. "If the foreigners weren't there, he says, the village would be less open to the outside world. »

But for Antoinette, the soul of the village, the blow is hard. Very integrated in Alet-les-Bains, the one that makes the link between the English-speaking community - to the British have since been added Australians, New Zealanders, Americans... - wanted to stand for municipal elections, to weigh even more on the decisions and orientations of the village. However, since Brexit, the British in France have lost their right to vote and to stand in local elections. A serious problem for many cities in Occitania and New Aquitaine, which accounted for two-thirds of the 900 municipal councilors of British citizenship elected in 2014.

Due to Brexit, the British were removed from the electoral rolls during the June 2020 municipal elections. “For us who have invested everything here in France, where we pay our taxes, not voting is difficult to accept “, admits Antoinette. With Gerri, they began their application for naturalization with a first telephone interview. “We are on the road”, claim the two friends. Becoming French is obvious for Antoinette, whose children, all bilingual, sail between the two sides of the Channel and the rest of the world. One of his daughters lives in Israel, the other hopes to join police training in London, and "the last two will certainly make their lives in France".

Broken family

Brexit has set new rules. From now on, according to a reciprocal agreement between Paris and London, the British residing in France must obtain a residence permit valid for ten years. Those with second homes are limited to a 90-day stay and are required to leave for three months in the UK before returning.

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On the financial side, pensioners like Dawn have to juggle the ups and downs of the pound, which affects the amount of pensions. They are a long way from the years 1997-2007, when one pound sterling was exchanged on average against 1.5 euros, with a peak at 1.6 between 2000 and 2002. Buying houses in France and restoring them turned out to be much cheaper than 'UK. Then in 2008-2009, with the global financial crisis, the price collapsed. Between 2008 and 2019, the average exchange rate was just 1.2 euros, a drop of 20% compared to the previous decade.

“My husband and I had invested our savings in pension funds in England. After Brexit, with the fall of the pound, we lost a lot. We had to be careful, to restrict ourselves. However, our life is good in France, we have worked hard for that, ”explains Gerri Kimber, who continues to direct the theses of her students at the university remotely and gives conferences in the region on Katherine Mansfield.

Ann McLean, too, had to start a new activity – she provides translations and teaches English – to make up for the loss of her income. For this native Briton, a former French teacher in Canada where she lived for several years before settling with her husband in Alet, Brexit is a painful subject, which affects her deep within herself, strengthening its roots in France. “I was 14 when the UK joined the EU, so we were one big family. Since Brexit, I feel like a child of divorce, torn, rejected. And I am sorry for the young Britons who will no longer be able to have access to this European cultural space. Having become an Alétoise by choice, she will also apply for naturalization this year.

A new Eire

Will time do its work, soothing the wounds and disputes born of Brexit? Reconciliation could in any case go through the reopening of the Alet grocery store. This real community project, in which Anglophones have been heavily involved, is generating general enthusiasm. It has long been held by Annie, a local woman. But after he retired, the place sat desperately empty, waiting for someone to take over the business. To do their shopping, and even buy a simple baguette, the inhabitants had to take their car and go to Couiza, a nearby village, or to Limoux.

The Anglophones had the idea of ​​offering Eleanor Spellman, known as Elie, to take care of the shop. The sparkling Irishwoman from Dublin, who arrived with her husband three years ago in Alet, enthusiastically accepted the proposal and left the grocery store where she worked in the village of Espéraza.

At the town hall, where she is finalizing the administrative papers for this community project with Ghislaine Tafforeau, the mayor, she recounts the couple's arrival in Alet: "Coming as tourists, with a one-way ticket, we stayed", says she smiles broadly under her flaming red hair. In the meantime, local goodwill has been mobilized: an interior designer from Alet has redrawn the plans of the premises, others have repainted the walls, still others have donated tables, chairs, a stove, a refrigerator, dishes and computer. On Thursday, December 9, the community and organic grocery-coffee-tea opened its doors to Alétois.

Will the British still be there in 2022? At Les Marguerites, Antoinette's guest house at the end of rue Nicolas-Pavillon, named after an illustrious bishop of the episcopal city, we are preparing to welcome tourists again. After a year 2020 marked by the Covid, a closure from November to March for lack of customers, a year 2021 with fewer American and British tourists, the offer has been adapted to French customers.

Very happy in her new grocery store and determined to improve her French, Elie concocts her little dishes for amateurs. Dawn prepares to sell her house, but will take her memories to Limoux, in an apartment, to prepare for her old age. But whatever happens, culture will be at the rendezvous in 2022, Bernard Espeut and Ann McLean are preparing for April a beautiful exhibition on the Retirada, in 1939, and in June, the first festival "Alet en concert" will sign the renewal of this Franco-British village.

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