I’ve been Brexit bounced!
Scots-born mayor of German village had to quit after EU departure
FOR more than a decade, he has held the title of mayor of a small German village.
But Scots-born Iain Macnab has now told how he has given up the role – after being forced to step down by Brexit.
And for the first time in half a century, Mr Macnab is considering a return to his native Highlands.
The 70-year-old businessman took office as Bürgermeister of Brunsmark in northern Germany 12 years ago.
He moved to the 170-strong community in the mid-1980s as a musician before setting up his own websitebuilding company and marrying his German wife Inge, 45.
But following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on January 31, Mr Macnab, who does not hold a German passport, was forced to leave his post under rules that the mayor must be eligible to vote in Germany.
The Gaelic-speaking father-of-three said the loss of his EU citizenship means he is now considering moving back to the hamlet of Achiltibuie in Wester Ross.
Speaking from the home in Brunsmark that he shares with his wife and their two teenage daughters, he said: ‘I’m an alien with no voting rights anywhere for the first time in my life. I have no say in any matter of local government any more.
‘My job was here so I was tied and had no wish to leave.
‘But now after Brexit I am seriously considering going back. My children love Scotland and are getting to an age where they will be moving out, so it wouldn’t be a problem for them.’
Mr Macnab was born in Dundee and spent his childhood in the Highlands before working as a journalist in Perthshire.
He then moved to Germany to work in the music industry in the mid-1970s, rubbing shoulders with bands such as AC/DC, The Clash and Sex Pistols.
Mr Macnab, whose children are all German citizens, then volunteered in the fire service for 25 years before finally becoming mayor of his adopted village. But on January 30, the day before Brexit, he surrendered his mayoralty to his deputy at a meeting of the council, and said: ‘I walked through the door and thought “My God, after 12 years, this is the last committee meeting”, it was a bit sad.’
He has been asked to apply for a residency permit but does not wish to become a German citizen, adding: ‘I’ve been a Scot for 70 years and I will end my days that way’.
‘I’m an alien with no voting rights’