The fall of the pound and
job losses in finance have greatly affected the living standards of
British citizens living in our skies.
They had arrived in
France on deep pockets with the certainty of a life dream in the
country. They left despondent by
counting their money. Displaced by the crisis
they had restored farmhouses and villages they had adopted many English
are forced to return home today. Heavy heart and the
wallet a little emptier.
For several weeks, the
British press is largely echo the story of these expatriate prey to
sudden financial difficulties. Against the euro, the
pound has lost about one third of its value in 2008 and resulted in a
loss of purchasing power to those who receive their income in British
currency. This applies to retirees
who run quiet days in our provinces, but also those living in our
villages, working in the UK. In addition, a surge in
prices in France, affecting in particular food. Life is suddenly become
too expensive for many of these foreigners. Happiness is not in the
meadow.
For English papers, so it
is now forced return. Taken aback by this
setback, many Britons fold luggage or are considering doing so. "The British are leaving
the Perigord" or "fro the English Channel" titrent also some French
newspapers. They drop the restored
farmhouses to the borders of the Dordogne or Brittany, sell houses in
Normandy or the Pas-de-Calais, get rid of areas in the Limousin, the
Loire Valley or in the Alps. Few indeed are the
regions where they are not present, the subjects of Her Gracious Majesty
has always been to their liking every bit of French countryside. As long as housing prices
there are much milder than at home, there is some sun, but there are
beautiful rows of vines browsing the rolling plains. Now a dream has been
broken and the verdict is final. For the Guardian, the
Observer or the Daily Express, France is no longer the promised land
where everything was so much more affordable than in England.
"We're in the fantasy"
How are they to be
returned to the English coast? The phenomenon is
difficult to measure. Because the number of
Britons living in France remains uncertain at first. 128 000, according to
figures from INSEE 2005. Sales more likely: over
500 000 estimated by the United Kingdom. "A British national who
moved to France has no reporting obligation. We can therefore make an
accurate census, "says one at the Embassy of the United Kingdom. There remains sparse data
and local. Thus in the Dordogne,
home of the English exiles, they would be between 20 000 to 30 000 to
reside permanently in the department. "There are among them 600
contractors, artisans and merchants," says Marc Mercier, head of the
Chamber of Commerce Franco-British Perigueux cautious on the number of
departures in its region. "There has been, but it
really is not an exodus. It exaggerates the
phenomenon. "
To check the direction
Eymet, the village most English of the Dordogne. We speak English, English
people eat and live in English. Of the 2 650 inhabitants,
30% come from across the Channel and the 150 students, 20% are British.
In the street and on the
Thursday market, the language of Shakespeare has overtaken that of
Molière. The British grocery
store, but the pub is part of the decor.
At the Court of Eymet,
one of the best restaurants in town, we'd rather not worry about the
effects of the crisis. "Some of our British
customers have left a year ago. Working mostly in
finance, they felt the wind change and have their bags, "says the wife
of the boss. Elsewhere, among other
retailers, the subject immediately freezes faces. All are exasperated by
the headlines in the British press. "Stop saying they are
going. It is fantasy. There were only a few
departures, "insists the bubbling Dursapt Cathy, who runs an estate
agency, where a dozen cats occupying the premises are overheated office
cushions on the sofas. To date, in private
schools in the municipality where the English are enrolled in small
numbers, only three of them - all from the same family - were missing
due to family move. "How could they all go? In the United Kingdom,
although real estate has fallen, it remains higher than ours. And here everything is
hard to sell, "said another official agency.
Despite cheaper prices,
the housing market in the Dordogne, argued a year ago by 30% of English
investors, is doing badly. "The UK customer base has
fallen by half," says President Charles Gillooley Fnaim County and
already informed several bankruptcy estate agents. A similar situation in
other regions. "I lost 50% of my clients
UK. She disappeared from the
market, "says Jean-Jacques Wilhelm branch manager in Carcassonne.
Because of this market
bloodless, only one class of English could leave France by Keith Martin,
Regional Representative of the Chamber of Commerce Franco-British
Britain. "These are the owners of
second homes. They were able to sell
their property without having to immediately find a buyer to relocate to
their country, "he says. But once the suitcases
packed, it is not certain that all these expatriates join their country
of origin. According to Françoise
Kaloupschi, the head of an estate agency near Cahors, many try adventure
elsewhere. "Right now, they sell. But English is a
traveler and goes where he can do business, "she said. According to her, Croatia
and Morocco are becoming their new Eden.
25% of salary less
As for the British Left
in France - by choice or forced mostly because they can sell their
property - life is very bleak for many today. The retirees are reducing
their lifestyle. No more restaurants,
visits to their country to see the children. English families also
tighten their belts. "My husband, Mark, who
works in London is paid in pounds. With the collapse of our
currency has lost 25% of his salary, "says Kate, who lives in
Capelle-les Hesdin in the Pas-de-Calais. His recipe for savings:
heat the house exclusively with wood fire and is Mark London reported
that food. "It is now cheaper than
in France."
But the English paid in
euros are not spared. For many working in real
estate or with compatriots. Terrible vicious circle
where some lack of money, do more work on other ... Gini, who resides in
Eymet, combines the difficulties. This mother of four
children working in estate agency and James, her husband, tiler, was
mainly in contact with a British customer. They both drink the cup. "James has more control
and for me it's hard. We buy more clothes and
we made a cross on winter sports, "says Gini, which owns two houses. "I need to sell for
money. But there is no buyer. "A
little later, Benita, an employee of an architectural firm, did not
hide his anxiety. "Our business has dropped
40%. I do not know if my post
will be preserved. "Julan, a seller of natural stone tile, is given as
to him a few months before making a decision. "If my work does not
restart, I return with my family in England where I would have more
chances to bounce back."
In this context, Derek
asks if he has done well to get to France, Eymet two months ago, with
his wife and two children. For the moment, the
Englishman 52 years accumulating disability. He sold his flag near
Dover when the property prices fell English. With the decline of the
pound has lost a total of 150 000 euros. Today, he no longer
afford to buy a house and finds himself in a cramped apartment. To top it all, his
business - selling online kitchen - idling. "My wife speaks English
and it would take French classes, but I can not afford to pay it," he
said in the middle of his office, an empty room occupied by two tables
and a telephone. But standing with hands
in the pockets of his jeans, Derek keeps smiling. "I achieved my dream. I am in France. "And he
kept his British humor. "There's just a little
too much English here!" In a few months, there will be perhaps a little
less.
