Should people who voted for Brexit be allowed to apply for an Irish Passport?

[Berlinlover]

I have two cousins who were born and raised in England who have an Irish father and an English mother. Both my cousins voted for Brexit and are now applying for Irish passports. I’m Irish and living in Ireland and this makes me absolutely furious. They are both women in their 50s who never wanted an Irish passport until now. They have no interest whatsoever in Irish history and anything related to Ireland. They’re not even embarrassed that they voted for Brexit and see an Irish passport as a way of skipping queues at the airport. It seems so unfair on those who voted to remain but don’t have an Irish parent/grandparent so can’t apply for an Irish passport.

You can’t punish people based on their voting choices that is just a bit ridiculous

Correct. My entitlement to an Irish passport occurred on the day I was born via my father. Eight years before either Ireland and the UK joined the EU.

However, I never applied as a UK passport has never prevented me from travelling wherever I wish. Also, I worked in the Netherlands from 2020 to 2025 without hinderance.

British people can live and work in the Republic also of course under the Common Travel Area 1922. That's not why they want Irish passports though , which is to work , study or retire to countries in the EU , a right they voted to deny other UK citizens.

Unfortunately this applies to some members of my own extended family who haven't given Ireland much thought previously , or even visited.

@Abhannmor

UK passport holders can work in the EU. I did so in the Netherlands from 2020 to 2025.

My client obtained a work permit for me and I worked hybrid to remain within the 90/180 Schengen guidelines.

Several EU countries offer tax concessions for skilled migrants.

The point still stands you cannot punish people for what they have voted. It’s just not something that is possible to do . Maybe they voted for Brexit for other reasons .

Maybe they voted for Brexit for other reasons

The reasons why people voted leave or remain will never be known.

If an Irish heritage person wants to apply for an Irish passport they should be able to apply if the country allows it. There are lots of dual heritage folk in the UK who apply for different passports. Plus how would anyone know what they voted for in the Brexit referendum?

None, but its them, only them and actually only a very very very small percentage of them who ever went to Europe for more than 3 months...a privileged few moaning about something the majority could never experience

What makes you think that the EU immigrants who came to the UK before Brexit were mainly middle class? The ones I’ve met worked mainly in hospitality, manufacturing, agriculture, transport and domiciliary care. Some have since gone on to different careers, but they certainly didn’t walk into them when they first arrived.

If you had gone abroad to look for work as a young EU citizen, I suspect you would have got a shock. And maybe you wouldn’t have wanted to stay for more than three months, but I and many others did.

If they fit the criteria then yes.

It’s up to Ireland to decide who they give passports to

Cheeky fuckery of the highest order, I’d never let them forget what they voted for and would constantly be asking what ‘Brexit bonuses’ we’ve enjoyed as a result of their choice.

No it wasn't.

Loads of young WC people went to work in hospitality, as travel reps, studying, fruit picking etc. Loads of older WC people sold up here and moved for warmer weather.

Brexit hurt MC and WC people most. The MC and WC people who work for what they have and pay their taxes.

Another thread bumped back up after nearly a year since the last post..... Weird.

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This is true. I don't think the OP is being serious of course. It is a secret ballot anyway. For all we know Farage might have voted Remain.

Does anyone remember Sealand? An old fort off the coast of Essex which was later used as a pirate radio station. The former station owner declared it an independent state and issued postage stamps. Perhaps he could knock out passports as well. Establish relations with the EU. Anschluss with Clacton . Go for it lad.

There was a similar thread started a few days ago. Presumably this one came up on the Similar Threads list on every page. It's not that weird.

History lesson.

Had it not been for the introduction of the secret ballot following an Act of Parliament in 1872, this might not be a question. The rise of the Irish Nationalist party would not have occurred then, and perhaps the Irish Republic would not have occurred for a lot longer than the 49 years after that which the people of Ireland had to wait.

It is, absolutely, Irish people's business. I've lost track of the amount of ignorance and prejudice I experienced when living in England from self-professed Brexiteers who were ashamed of their Irish ancestry and regarded Ireland as a savage third-world country populated by feckless, superstitious, backward semi-apes, and then in the next breath expected me to congratulate them on getting an Irish passport so they weren't discommoded by the colossal act of idiocy they voted for.

Ireland, for obvious and very sad reasons, takes its diaspora seriously. Unfortunately that does also mean that a class of people entirely ignorant of Ireland but who nonetheless spout anti-Irish prejudice are eligible for Irish passports.

The only bright side is that the worst types never actually visit because they think they'll be attacked by the IRA in the Bog of Allen, being a bit vague on Irish history and geography.

Yes

Feel bad that I didn't vote at all in the referendum. I was so complacent that it would be a remain vote. I bet there were loads like me.

I feel the same way about people who hate trade unions yet happily accept the pay rises and workplace improvements the union secures.

Because they tell you! Usually sandwiched in between a Paddy Irishman joke and a reference to how clever they are to have a granny from Oughterard so they could both Stop Being Bossed By the EU and Close The Borders AND being able to move freely around Europe.

It’s bloody annoying for those of us who have no Irish connections, no chance of any European passports, actually valued Europe and voted remain, and have had our lives adversely impacted by Brexit.

Infuriating in fact. We are the people who should have been offered the opportunity to keep our European citizenship rights, not these incredibly stupid selfish morons.

I agree. Me and my kids have an EU passports. I'm sorry the wealthy, global elitists: Johnson, Farage, JRM and Cameron, deprived you and yours the same privilege.

Oh but it is

The law and legislation is in place for a reason, people cannot just demand changes because it offends them, they do not agree or more seriously (considering the dog whistle politics we now seem to accept) a political party decides to build its whole identity and agenda around specific issues.

I was always remain. I hate how certain politicians progressed their career through blaming the EU, immigration etc on years of austerity, resulting in the crazy decision that we leave the biggest free trade block in the world, the inevitable financial fall out and the huge division within the UK we all still live with. As the New York times insightfully posted during the Brexit negotianions- because there was no actual plan, it was like watching someone who had decided to commit suicide but had not yet decided which method to use.

Most of all, I am so angry that a few generations of half-wits, who could not even bother to do any basic research on what they were actually voting for, decided to fuck over our young people to show they were pissed off. Generations who have reaped the rewards of being part of the EU.