On Monday afternoon I took the train from London to Brussels. The following day I flew from Brussels to Rome and the day after that flew back to London. Nothing special about that you might think, but yet a unique and emotional experience for me because most likely it’s the last time I’ll do it all as a citizen of the European Union.  Although I’m too young to remember much about the UK’s entry in 1973 into what everyone then called the EEC, I grew up believing in the “European ideal” and still do to this day.  Today is Brexit Day and, more than ever, I regret deeply the outcome of the referendum in 2016 and will never forgive David Cameron and his cabal for the stupidity, fear-mongering, and lies that led to it.

Sure it was easy to poke fun at the Brussels bureaucrats, to sneer at their occasionally ludicrous regulations and directives, and to complain about the tax burden. But the heart of the EU for me was always a treasured principle: the idea that removing barriers and encouraging easy movement across borders promoted understanding and peace. That idea is too strong to be broken by the idiocy of British politicians but it’s certainly vulnerable to ugly nationalism and xenophobia, signs of which can be found in so many European countries right now.

In practical terms Brexit means minor inconveniences for me and my generation. A different passport, or maybe more bureaucracy when I travel around the continent. It’s much more serious for my children. It’s my hope that over time their generation’s elected leaders will re-discover the high ideals that drove the formation of the EU.