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  • On a clear day, Philippe Cosette can see the famed cliffs of Dover from his hometown of Calais, France.

  • He muses how the water in between used to be a wall.

  • The sea separated us until the human drive to unite outmaneuvered Mother Nature That historic day December 1st, 1990 the last barrier between the two sides crumbled.

  • Philip Cosette and his British counterpart, Graeme Fag, linked hands and lands.

  • Yeah, the two ton Alors had been chosen by lottery for the honor.

  • Cosette remembers the moment vividly.

  • E was there way were on hold until 12 o'clock.

  • Exactly 12 hours 12 minutes 12 seconds.

  • Way saw each other villa on Ivan.

  • Six years in construction.

  • The tunnel under the English Channel was a feat of engineering and partnership, cementing the UK European Union bond personified by the two happy men in hard hats.

  • Mark, this is a remarkable image of Graham and me enlarging the whole We just made a yes, the memories, memories and a memorial in Calais to the workers who forged this connection physically and created one emotionally to weigh, learned to work together to live together.

  • We don't have the same way off looking at things the French and the English.

  • But we learned on love after so much effort to come together, work together and live together.

  • Who could have imagined just three decades later the breach that is Brexit Now, 4.5 years after that vote, even many of those who actively campaigned to remain are ready to move on people like Paul Bartlett, deputy council leader in the city of Ashford, just half a Knauer inland from Dover.

  • The result was a disappointment, but obviously we as politicians, local politicians have to embrace the result.

  • What the council has done locally is to ensure that the impact of Brexit is minimized completely or as far as possible on residents and businesses so that they can continue their lives.

  • As if Brexit didn't happen.

  • That might be hard with the potential backup of traffic in his own neighborhood, brought on by extra bureaucracy required for delivery trucks with the UK out of the EU single market.

  • But Bartlett says he expects things will work out.

  • I am sad that we've left the EU, but equally we haven't left.

  • Europe will be working together both with France and with the wider EU community.

  • We're all in this together, but not together.

  • Like the period Philippe Cosette calls the highlight of his career, when both sides were blasting through obstacles to meet in the middle.

  • Cosette says he respects the British decision, but the future will tell if they were right or wrong.

  • They will certainly notice it quickly enough, and at that point maybe they'll change their minds.

  • Cosette admits he hopes UK citizens will want to rejoin the you.

  • He says the path he helped build will always be there for them.

On a clear day, Philippe Cosette can see the famed cliffs of Dover from his hometown of Calais, France.

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