Irish people in UK, do you have British citizenship?

[SomersetBrie]

As above. I'm Irish, lived here most of my adult life and live my life quite happily on my Irish passport. I can vote and do almost exactly what a British passport holder can do.
In the light of recent comments from Farage about immigration, are any Irish people thinking of becoming citizens, or had you done it already? I kind of resent paying £900 to do it, but I obviously will if it makes my rights here safer.

Been here 40 years and see no need to take out British nationality. I value my EU passport and Brexit has made me entirely reject the idea of being a UK citizen. I'm just sad my DH doesn't have the option of Irish citizenship.

The Irish have much stronger rights than other immigrants in the UK, there really is no need. Say for example Farage wanted to target Irish people next, what would they do about the North of Ireland? It' would unenforceable so long as NI remains as part of the UK.

A whole host of things would have to change before it would be possible to remove the rights of Irish in the UK (and it would probably trigger a border poll ) so unless you particularly want British citizen there's really no need at all.

Good Friday Agreement is far stronger than Farage and his band of merry idiots.

I left after Brexit, after nearly 30 years in the UK, but no, it never occurred to me to become a citizen.

Considered it briefly when I worked in government so I could get a higher class of security clearance (only British citizens can get DV), but I didn’t need it for anything else and I ended up leaving government anyway.

I agree the GFA/Belfast Agreement is stronger than that and there is no political will to risk splitting the Union, or the Conservatives would have got rid of ECHR if they could. The Common Travel Area which provides most of the reciprocity predates the GFA, and benefits British citizens (and businesses!) in Ireland too, so it’s not as simple as just requiring Irish people to naturalise and hold a UK passport.

I am not concerned Farage will target the Irish. I feel protected by existing laws and have no plans to become a British citizen.

Nope. Lived here almost 30 years and have an English husband and two English children. Never wanted or needed British citizenship. Conversely have got the children Irish passports so they have Irish citizenship!

Well they could scrap both the GFA and the UKs submission to the ECHR if they wanted.

I'm not Irish but I really don't see the point.

I think the rights of Irish people in the UK are basically untouchable.

I became a citizen of the country where I live. My rights were protected under the withdrawal agreement so I really didn't need to, and the only real difference for me is that I can now vote. You can already vote in the UK.

If not for the risk of Troubles 2.0 it would be hilarious is Farage caused Irish Reunification by messing with the GFA

I think the rights of Irish people in the UK are basically untouchable.

weirdly I think the opposite and that no ones rights in the UK are untouchable. Especially when so many people are elbowing each other out of the way to give up their own.

Use them or lose them.

Like you said, you’re not Irish.

I think if Brexit has taught us anything, it's that you can mess with everyone else's rights, but the Good Friday Agreement is a sacred cow.

Were you actually reading the news around Brexit and the amount of work that had to put in to ensure that a monumentally stupid political decision didn’t impact on an agreement that stopped a bloody civil war?

Yes I'm applying today as it happens. I've lived here for 20 years now as has DH.

Yes, the point is that that work was done. The Brexit deal was entirely shaped around what was and wasn't possible thanks to the Good Friday Agreement. It might have looked very different otherwise.

Various other people who didn't have their rights enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement were thrown under various buses though.

I'm not Irish at all. But from what I've read. Having an Irish passport gives you all the same rights in the UK? You can also stand and be an MP with "just" and Irish passport. You have full right to work due to the CTA?

Thanks all. I'm not worried about being deported as such, just worried that things will get harder. And if it's harder for other immigrants, then it will be harder for all immigrants.

I think the only exclusion would be very senior government positions (but fair enough). You want a private sector job, that's fine. Go for it.

Brexit taught us that 80% of English people know fuck all about Ireland and Anglo Irish history.

Remember the Member of Parliament who told us British people were also Irish citizens ?

Let that sink in. A lawmaker believed that. If we take the iceberg principle then 80% of his constituents are equally dim. And that isn't great news if you aren't British.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/irish-passport-england-uk-andrew-bridgen-tory-mp-brexit-border-eu-a8587286.html

The CTA is only as robust as the GFA and HRA and UKs membership of the ECHR.

My parents took citizenship in the late 70s 'just in case' when the National Front were on the rise. The view of Irish people was far less sympathetic then too.

Just shows how history repeats itself. I don't think you have anything to lose except £900.

You have less rights in Ireland as a UK citizen, as some of our elections don’t even allow Irish born citizens not to mind British ones to vote, than being Irish in Britain where we get a great deal.

I remember the ease of getting my NI number compared to other countries citizens we were practically considered British.

Which elections are these, I've never heard of that?
I thought the rights were mutual.

I'm Irish, and became a British citizen in 2012. Had been here since 2000. I didn't feel that I 'needed to', it was a personal choice because the UK is my adopted home and I wanted to become a citizen. I don't feel that Irish people's rights would be under threat even if Reform did get in, but then again plenty of weird surprising things have happened in the past few years