New blue passports will be a symbol of British nationalism and arrogance
Today the government has announced that post-Brexit the government will spend hundreds of millions in order to change British passports and make them blue. Intended to recall the days before the UK adopted the common passport colour for EU states (something which is entirely optional), the new passport won't even be the same shade of blue as it used to be, whilst the size and other qualities are all standardised at an international level. On every level it is clear that this will be a massive expense in order to achieve very little.
But what of the symbolism? Indeed, the symbolism is probably the worst aspect.
It is yet another symbolic gesture to say that the UK wants to sit on its own, apart from the rest of Europe. It will say that the UK, whatever overtures to cooperation it may make, is really just interested in spiting its former friends and allies.
Though some proclaim that the UK will be getting "back" what it used to have, in reality a whole new generation of British citizens have never had a blue passport and never wanted one. While some proclaim the blue passport as "iconic", millions of British citizens do not recognise it at all. In fact it was only in the 1960s that the passport was distinctly blue, the colour being so dark afterwards that many thought it looked black. Far from seeing it as a glorious return, many see this as an unnecessary imposition and a complete waste of money at a time when resources need to be allocated with care towards the most needy.
Once again, the UK government has chosen to spurn unity in favour of the most divisive option. Adopting a policy only mildly popular with Leave voters and incredibly unpopular with Remain voters. Entrenching the division between the new and old generations and further alienating the young from their country and its future. While the current colour could have been kept with very little fuss apart from fringe elements of society, changing the colour is an imposition on everyone that adds insult to injury for those who are proud of Britain's European roots.
The blue passport will be a symbol of an ideology that has no vision for the future but always seeks to look backwards, trying to resurrect a past that never existed. It will be a symbol of the rights stolen from UK citizens, unable to move freely across Europe but now able to stare at that blue cover for hours in queues at border controls. Even within the UK, the rights of those in Northern Ireland to claim Irish citizenship and the rights of EU citizens will highlight the second-rate nature of the blue passport. It will be a symbol for the way a narrow elite was able to completely take over the country and direct it for their own amusement and private interests, playing with it while its people suffered. It will be a symbol of the terrible sense of priorities of this government and the way that policy is being directed to appease the fragile egos of nationalists infecting our politics and media.
But what of the symbolism? Indeed, the symbolism is probably the worst aspect.
It is yet another symbolic gesture to say that the UK wants to sit on its own, apart from the rest of Europe. It will say that the UK, whatever overtures to cooperation it may make, is really just interested in spiting its former friends and allies.
Though some proclaim that the UK will be getting "back" what it used to have, in reality a whole new generation of British citizens have never had a blue passport and never wanted one. While some proclaim the blue passport as "iconic", millions of British citizens do not recognise it at all. In fact it was only in the 1960s that the passport was distinctly blue, the colour being so dark afterwards that many thought it looked black. Far from seeing it as a glorious return, many see this as an unnecessary imposition and a complete waste of money at a time when resources need to be allocated with care towards the most needy.
Once again, the UK government has chosen to spurn unity in favour of the most divisive option. Adopting a policy only mildly popular with Leave voters and incredibly unpopular with Remain voters. Entrenching the division between the new and old generations and further alienating the young from their country and its future. While the current colour could have been kept with very little fuss apart from fringe elements of society, changing the colour is an imposition on everyone that adds insult to injury for those who are proud of Britain's European roots.
The blue passport will be a symbol of an ideology that has no vision for the future but always seeks to look backwards, trying to resurrect a past that never existed. It will be a symbol of the rights stolen from UK citizens, unable to move freely across Europe but now able to stare at that blue cover for hours in queues at border controls. Even within the UK, the rights of those in Northern Ireland to claim Irish citizenship and the rights of EU citizens will highlight the second-rate nature of the blue passport. It will be a symbol for the way a narrow elite was able to completely take over the country and direct it for their own amusement and private interests, playing with it while its people suffered. It will be a symbol of the terrible sense of priorities of this government and the way that policy is being directed to appease the fragile egos of nationalists infecting our politics and media.
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