The taxi driver was very friendly. He picked me up at Edinburgh's Waverley station and we discussed the violence in his native Kashmir. Then we talked about the book I had written on Brexit, which I was on my way to promote in Scotland. The driver talked wisely about how communities that are split – Britain over Brexit, Scotland over independence, Kashmir over whether it belongs with India or Pakistan – must somehow find ways to heal their divisions.
When we reached my destination, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, we continued talking with the meter still running – then, to my astonishment, the driver refused to take any payment. He said he enjoyed our conversation. So did I, and I walked into the book festival with a spring in my step, wishing all the world’s problems could be solved just as amicably with conversations between strangers.
Perhaps book festivals bring out what Abraham Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature”. They are certainly a growth industry. I’ve begun a festival tour to speak about my Brexit book, which will take me from big cities like Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Leeds and London to the university cities of Cambridge and Oxford, and many destinations and small towns in between, all the way from Wigtown in Scotland to Rye and Folkestone in the southeast of England.
It is also an opportunity to explore my country – or rather, countries – travelling the length and breadth of Britain plus Ireland and even Gibraltar, where voters overwhelmingly voted to stay in the EU. Everywhere I have visited, there is a fear that the incompetence with which Brexit is being pursued by prime minister Boris Johnson's government will seriously disrupt lives, families and livelihoods.
Edinburgh, at least, is home turf. I went to school in this capital of the Enlightenment, and from schools and universities to law courts and religious organisations, it's a city which delights in reason, facts, medical expertise, literature, knowledge and science. In 2016 Edinburgh voted overwhelmingly to reject Brexit and remain in the European Union. All 32 of Scotland's electoral districts voted Remain. But many Scots say – sometimes vigorously – that since 2016, their voice has been ignored by an essentially English nationalist government in Westminster.
The EU is far from perfect, but from the Kashmiri taxi driver to my old friend to the Scots in the literary festival audience, leaving the European Union against their will is something many Scottish people resist
This resentment has brought about significant changes in the outlook of my old Scottish friends. Over coffee, one said the Brexit vote made him realise he had taken for granted his three concentric identities – Scottish, British, European. He realised that the identity he most cherished was European and he recounted how, for centuries, Edinburgh traded with a north German collective of merchant ports of northern Europe called the Hanseatic League, from Hamburg to Gdansk, Lubeck to Tallinn. For him, leaving the EU meant something in his culture and identity was lost, for no gain.
The conversation then turned to an even more divisive issue – Scottish independence. My friend’s family, like many others, had been split in the 2014 independence vote, when Scotland narrowly voted to stay in the United Kingdom.
“That’s changed,” he said, acknowledging that change comes slowly in Edinburgh. The city’s so-called New Town is 200 years old. It’s a conservative place and Brexit, my friend said, was a crazy leap in the dark most Scots do not like.
“Independence is now the safer, more conservative option,” he laughed, “compared to the Brexit revolution.”
That was just one conversation with one person, but I heard echoes of it elsewhere. In a festival theatre with 250 audience members, I took part in a discussion in which it was clear that most of the audience were – to use traditional Scottish dialect – “scunnered”, or sickened, by the political leadership in London. The following day a stranger who had been in that audience stopped me in the street to ask if Brexit could be stopped.
"Possibly," I said. "We have two months."
“We need to try,” he replied.
Before I left Scotland I walked, as I always do, through the magnificent gardens under Edinburgh castle, stopping at the Polish war memorial. Among my old Scottish schoolmates were boys with Polish names. Their parents and grandparents were refugees from the Nazis and the Soviets, and many fought bravely for their freedom and ours. Those great struggles for the soul of Europe in the 20th century led to the creation of an extraordinary alliance – the one now known as the European Union. The EU is far from perfect, but from the Kashmiri taxi driver to my old friend to the Scots in the literary festival audience, leaving the European Union against their will is something many Scottish people resist.
As I write this on the train heading south from Edinburgh, through the hilly border country between England and Scotland to my next book festival near London, I was struck by our history. For centuries, marauding armies of Scots and English invaded each other’s land across this lovely border country. Cattle and sheep rustlers plundered each other’s farms. The union of the Scottish and English monarchies in 1603 put an end to that, just as the European Union helped bring peace across this continent. The Scots I spoke to fear something worse than cattle thieves. They feel a predominantly English parliament is stealing the futures of their children. This feeling will become much stronger if by October 31, Brexit does occur.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and presenter
Specs
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Race card
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6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; 6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m
More coverage from the Future Forum
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Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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