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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To worry that I might lose my British citizenship one day because of the new law going through parliament?

438 replies

flashbac · 11/12/2021 14:03

I was born here and so was one parent.

There is a Bill that has just been passed, while we were all distracted with shenanigans with parties and what not, that will allow citizenship to be revoked without notice.

I know the power to remove citizenship already exists but the without notice bit is quite scary. I assume that means someone could happily go about their business until they need to show right to be in the UK e.g new job or new rental and then poof, they can't access things and possibly get detained and then deported when they enquire about it and it's probably too late to contest it through the courts.

I know the responses will indicate how so many don't care, "don't do anything naughty then and they won't put you in the naughty bin ready to be turfed off to another land" but remember the right to protest, to give an example of how easy it will be to get on the wrong side of the authorities, will also be outlawed soon so anyone could be arrested, if the circumstances meant a person was driven to it, e.g you do a sit down protest outside a hospital because they covered up malpractice or, it's decided that a huge Amazon warehouse is built in the field behind your garden and you wanted to protest with your neighbours.

Lots of people will think this only affects 'foriners' so probably won't care. I think it's awful.

OP posts:
ldontWanna · 12/12/2021 14:10

@Starcup

  • I think you’re OTT about a government decision that will not impact you, ever. So what’s the point in stressing about it?

To add, I’m of Irish descent….*

How do you know it will not happen , ever?

reasysteady · 12/12/2021 14:11

I'm in the same position as you op.

British born and bred.

But the 2nd class citizen type.

After Windrush and Begum I know that no matter how much tax I pay and how 'good' my family is and how much we contribute, I'm not a 1st class citizen and never will be.

I think it's horrific and the UK is a nastier place the longer the tories are in power.

Starcup · 12/12/2021 14:12

@Redheadedbookworm

I have wondered how this might affect me.

Both my daughter and I are Australian born , Australia citizens but have lived in the UK on British passports since 2010.

I met her British dad when he was backpacking through Australia. We weren’t married when we had her. She qualified for the passport because of his British citizenship.

I was able to apply for a British passport as my mother was Scottish born and though she had moved to Australia as a child in the 70s, she and my grandma were still British citizens.

Could put British passports ever be revoked under this new bill?

I wouldn’t bother reading some of these replies, otherwise you’ll be a bag of nerves by tea time, panicking that you’re going to get deport for a parking fine Confused
Starcup · 12/12/2021 14:16

@TooBigForMyBoots

I think you’re OTT about a government decision that will not impact you, ever. So what’s the point in stressing about it?

I think you are being naive and ignorant of history if you think two tier citizenship is the answer to terrorism. You say it will never impact me. I dont believe you and I don't believe this current government.

They have to have something in place for the purpose of national security. If that means revoking the citizenships of those that commit serious crimes, in order to make us all safer then I support that.
Rummikub · 12/12/2021 14:19

The point being that people will be treated differently according to their parents/ grandparents origins.
The message is you are not British enough.

Meadowbreeze · 12/12/2021 14:19

@starcup look, I get your point in a way. I don't think people should be living in fear and overanalyzing something that may not happen. However, please, can you really not see how this could be used in a really bad way in the future? No one is saying this will be used tomorrow, but ask yourself why does the government need to have this put in place, at the same time as this policing bill.
You may not agree with my comparisons to holocaust and I really do appreciate your respect in the subject, but this is something very real in my family. There are thousands of other atrocities in human history and most often the laws used to excuse them, were put in place before the big bad thing happens. This is the main worry. Not tomorrow. Not a silly parking ticket. The fact that the way is now paved for this to be abused with no real reason to.

TooBigForMyBoots · 12/12/2021 14:19

You're not ruining the scaremonger narrative @Starcup, just coming across as naive and too trusting of a seriously dodgy government of proven liars.🤷‍♀️

Oh yeah, you are also advocating Two Tier Citizenship for British people.Hmm

Starcup · 12/12/2021 14:22

@TooBigForMyBoots

You're not ruining the scaremonger narrative *@Starcup*, just coming across as naive and too trusting of a seriously dodgy government of proven liars.🤷‍♀️

Oh yeah, you are also advocating Two Tier Citizenship for British people.Hmm

No, I’m advocating a safer Britain for all.
Choirgirl2021 · 12/12/2021 14:24

I think this will be used against the traveller community predominantly.

Starcup · 12/12/2021 14:26

[quote Meadowbreeze]@starcup look, I get your point in a way. I don't think people should be living in fear and overanalyzing something that may not happen. However, please, can you really not see how this could be used in a really bad way in the future? No one is saying this will be used tomorrow, but ask yourself why does the government need to have this put in place, at the same time as this policing bill.
You may not agree with my comparisons to holocaust and I really do appreciate your respect in the subject, but this is something very real in my family. There are thousands of other atrocities in human history and most often the laws used to excuse them, were put in place before the big bad thing happens. This is the main worry. Not tomorrow. Not a silly parking ticket. The fact that the way is now paved for this to be abused with no real reason to.[/quote]
Yes, I also understand your concerns from a historical perspective.

I understand there is a worry that it could be used in such a way, that isn’t favourable and not what the bill was intended for, but I think that could be said for many situations that we (the public) don’t know about.

I can’t let my mind go in to over drive about something that will likely not not come to fruition.

TooBigForMyBoots · 12/12/2021 14:26

I’m advocating a safer Britain for all.

Why do we need a Two Tier system for that?

ancientgran · 12/12/2021 14:34

[quote PAFMO]@ancientgran- an advanced search shows that your insult and comparison of choice on Mumsnet for at least the past decade is to casually throw comparisons to Nazis and the Holocaust into each and every argument.[/quote]
Yes I had a look, there's a few about breastfeeding nazis I've replied to, some replying to posts about Prince Philip and his nazi relatives (me pointing out he was serving in the royal navy) oh there was Prince Harry in his nazi dress up uniform. Me replying to someone on a thread about the British Empire where they said should the Germans always be apologising about the nazis.

Not particularly relevant to this discussion.

It was zero for the holocaust until this thread.

On the other hand if you go and have a look at my posts on threads where nazis and the holocaust aren't mentioned there are hundreds and hundreds.

You know what they say about statistics.

Starcup · 12/12/2021 14:36

@TooBigForMyBoots

I’m advocating a safer Britain for all.

Why do we need a Two Tier system for that?

To enable the government to get rid of those commuting the most atrocious crimes….
ancientgran · 12/12/2021 14:37

[quote Meadowbreeze]@ancientgran very well put. There doesn't seem to be a way to get this across to these posters. It seems to he a funny joke to them. I hope to god they're right and I have nothing to worry about.[/quote]
I think the problem for people like you and me is that we don't know we have nothing to worry about.

Meadowbreeze · 12/12/2021 14:38

@starcup I think in a roundabout way we agree with each other. The uproar with this bill is that as much as yes, the govt probably has lots of ways to get rid of us that we don't know about, this one is being done in front of our faces and we have the small chance of not letting it happen. For what it's worth, the policing bill worries me more than this as I agree that if they want to get rid of me, they will.

TooBigForMyBoots · 12/12/2021 14:54

To enable the government to get rid of those commuting the most atrocious crimes….

Your naivety and trust is bonkers sweet @Starcup, but your belief that we need Two Tier Citizenship to achieve safety is nonsense at best and xenophobic/racist/antisemitic at worst.

PlanktonsComputerWife · 12/12/2021 15:00

A lot of people agreed with Shamima Begum being made stateless, and thought it hysteria to suggest that it paved the way for further abuses...

RandomLondoner · 12/12/2021 15:39

To enable the government to get rid of those commuting the most atrocious crimes….

Why should people in one section of the population have certain actions taken against them when people in a different section who commit exactly the same crimes are not subject to that action?

(I'm ignoring for the time being that you don't have to commit any crime at all, let alone an atrocious one, for action to be possible.)

Starcup · 12/12/2021 15:43

[quote Meadowbreeze]@starcup I think in a roundabout way we agree with each other. The uproar with this bill is that as much as yes, the govt probably has lots of ways to get rid of us that we don't know about, this one is being done in front of our faces and we have the small chance of not letting it happen. For what it's worth, the policing bill worries me more than this as I agree that if they want to get rid of me, they will.[/quote]
Very true. Least we agree on something 🙂

Starcup · 12/12/2021 15:45

@TooBigForMyBoots

To enable the government to get rid of those commuting the most atrocious crimes….

Your naivety and trust is bonkers sweet @Starcup, but your belief that we need Two Tier Citizenship to achieve safety is nonsense at best and xenophobic/racist/antisemitic at worst.

Honestly, you’re in actually half laughing at your post, it’s so pathetic.l, particularly your last sentence. I actually don’t care what a random on the internet thinks…
Starcup · 12/12/2021 15:53

@RandomLondoner

To enable the government to get rid of those commuting the most atrocious crimes….

Why should people in one section of the population have certain actions taken against them when people in a different section who commit exactly the same crimes are not subject to that action?

(I'm ignoring for the time being that you don't have to commit any crime at all, let alone an atrocious one, for action to be possible.)

It’s always been like that so why worry now?
Original poster
flashbac · 12/12/2021 16:04

I hate it when people don't get the point, don't have any reading comprehension skills and derail threads with attacks and insults.

As I said in my OP, I know they can and do revoke citizenship but doing it without notice? That it callous, underhand and wrong.

OP posts:
Whammyyammy · 12/12/2021 16:06

I voted yabu, I have no problem with the bill, stripping people of British citizen for the crimes from the list below is a no brainer, don't commit these and you'll be fine;

national security including espionage and acts of terrorism
unacceptable behaviour such as the ‘glorification’ of terrorism
war crimes
and serious and organised crime

FanGirlX · 12/12/2021 16:08

As I said in my OP, I know they can and do revoke citizenship but doing it without notice? That it callous, underhand and wrong.

Do you think acts of terrorism and war crimes are also callous, underhand and wrong?

ldontWanna · 12/12/2021 16:08

@flashbac

I hate it when people don't get the point, don't have any reading comprehension skills and derail threads with attacks and insults.

As I said in my OP, I know they can and do revoke citizenship but doing it without notice? That it callous, underhand and wrong.

They don't want to get it. Wilful ignorance is a thing.