That I'll never be able to vote or belong anywhere again?

[daretodenim]

I'm Scottish and live in an EU country where you have to be a national to vote. So I can't vote here. If I were to become a national, I'd have to renounce my UK citizenship. I'm British, I don't want to do that.

As I've been out of the UK for 15 years, I am not eligible to vote in the UK.

As I'm not living in Scotland I'm not eligible to vote in any Indy Ref.

I've been holding out hope that IF Scotland became independent I'd get a Scottish passport and somehow made a link that I'd get a vote. However, I realised today that every single time an indy ref is discussed by Sturgeon and she refers to Scottish voters, she refers to "the people of Scotland". She does not refer to "Scots".

So basically, I'm not considered a person of Scotland, as that's those who live there.

I'm never going to get to vote again, am I? In the country I'm living in (and will have to for complex reasons for the foreseeable future), I'm considered British/Scottish. They don't see me as one of them, because I come from abroad. Fair enough. Yet, neither Britain nor Scotland see me as one of them either, because I'm living abroad.

So if I want to be part of a democracy, I have to renounce my identity. I can't quite believe this can be happening.

Yes but not everyone has moved abroad intends to be there forever - even after more than 15 years.

Because they aren’t citizens 🙄

Yes but not everyone has moved abroad intends to be there forever - even after more than 15 years.

IMO, there should be a cut-off at some point. There will be people who have lived abroad for 5 years with no intention of returning, and there will be people who have lived abroad for 20 years but plan to return next year. No cut-off will ever be perfect, or address every circumstance, but I believe is it fair and reasonable to have one.

Like I said - it was in the Queen's Speech so little point arguing about it.

How do people who live abroad actually pick a constituency anyway?

Sorry if this has already been said, but does becoming a British citizen require you to renounce other citizenships? If not, can't you just renounce your British citizenship, apply for and get citizenship of your new country and then reapply for British citizenship on top?

grant voting rights to the children of ex pats as well?

Citizenship is inherited, so... Yes.

I believe is it fair and reasonable to have one.

How is it fair and reasonable to exclude fellow citizens who have done nothing wrong?! It's good for the country to have citizens abroad- culturally and business wise. It's good for their perspective to be heard.

There are some massively ignorant posts on here.
I've been out the UK for over 20 years, so cannot vote there any more, but also can't vote in the country I live in as I have not given up my British citizenship. Why not? Well, as the OP says, I'm British and my nationality actually does mean a lot to me. You don't stop being British just because you don't live there any more.
Some UK politics actually DO affect me, especially recent Brexit-related ones; I worked in the UK before emigrating and so will receive a (very small) UK pension at some point too, my dc have British passports and may well want to study there one day (having been brought up as part British), so both pension and education policies are of particular interest to us.

But actually I think it would be completely fair to say you can vote in your country of residency (pay tax = get to vote). The way things stand at the moment, we can't do that either.

It's good for the country to have citizens abroad- culturally and business wise.

This may well be true, but it doesn't necessarily follow that citizens who are not resident and have no plans to ever reside in the UK again should be able to vote in general elections. I think it is far fairer for voting to be based on residency, and I'd include foreign nationals who are resident here, as they are far more affected by UK government policy.

Personally I think I would say if you have been resident in a country for 5+ years you should be able to vote there.

And if you haven’t; then you shouldn’t.

You have options; you just don’t want them. Personally I would never marry, have kids with and move country with someone, precisely because of the legal nightmare you now find yourself in. I am sympathetic to that to an extent- but you chose it. But that’s the law I think is unfair here, not voting eligibility rules.

I don't think non-residents should vote in their home constituencies, which is where you vote up until 15 years abroad - where you were last registered to vote is where you vote. I think there should be one seat in the HOP for Brits abroad and that's our "constituency". When/if we move back, then we vote where we are registered.

If you haven't lived in Scotland/Britain for 15 years - why on earth should you get to vote here

You don't pay tax here and the consequences of your vote don't impact on you.

I'm sorry you can't vote in your 'new' home country but don't see why you should get to vote in mine.

You have options; you just don’t want them. Personally I would never marry, have kids with and move country with someone, precisely because of the legal nightmare you now find yourself in. I am sympathetic to that to an extent- but you chose it. But that’s the law I think is unfair here, not voting eligibility rules.

Sadly we don't have crystal balls! When I left the UK, got married and later had kids there was no hint that I'd have my European rights stripped. But if you knew all about the potential legal difficulties of marrying a foreigner and living in foreign parts then good for you. I had no idea my rights could be removed from me. I had no idea that your ex could determine where you lived. And I've met many other people who didn't know - and this thread contains quite a few who also have no idea. I even saw a lawyer before getting married for advice and none of this was told to me!

You don't pay tax here and the consequences of your vote don't impact on you.
Are you completely unaware of what Brexit is?!

Many of us do pay tax and have paid NI contributions whilst abroad yet are not allowed to use the NHS.

May I ask which country you are talking about denim or do you think this is too outing?

the consequences of your vote don't impact on you

Fucksake we've been through this. Yes they do.

To those who think I'm not British, what makes someone British?

And how do I remove my British parts? Should I change where I was born, my parents' nationality, my childhood, my uni years, my accent, how I look (been told I look Celtic ), my need yo form an orderly queue when others around me don't? How do I unBritish myself?!

Dh paid NI the whole time we were abroad. I came back to the uk pregnant and was told I didn’t automatically get care and unless I could provide certain paperwork, I’d have to fund my pregnancy and birth. I nearly hit the roof. I was pretty pregnant at the time and I had to sort it out as a matter of urgency.

I'm sorry you can't vote in your 'new' home country but don't see why you should get to vote in mine.

This is the OP’s country.

songs initially it was because it was too outing, but the more I read I actually think it doesn't make any difference. It would seem that not living in the UK makes some people think I should have the same rights (or lack thereof) as some of our worst criminals! It's quite enlightening.

That'd be the British "quite", which elsewhere in the world would be interpreted as "a bit" but because I'm British, means "very".

Who knows if/when any expats will return. Things change, nothing is guaranteed

To those who think I'm not British, what makes someone British

If you live in a foreign country for a long time, use their healthcare, your kids go to their schools, you live 'as a resident' of that country, do you start to become as if you are a member of that country?

You can always be British. But you can start to identify as a person who comes from the country you live in. Especially if you live there for a long time, you gain the accent, the mannerisms and the customs of your new country.

That’s far easier for you to say this seeing as you live in a country, where the common language is English and where your European citizenship means nothing.

Especially if you live there for a long time, you gain the accent, the mannerisms and the customs of your new country.

Not everyone does though.

I was born in the UK, and lived there for 6 months, only one of my parents is British.

I spent all my childhood in mainly one other country and only settled in England in my mid 20s.

However I never assimilated in my host country, I was always an expat, and now I am home.