How do think Scottish nationality should be defined?

[workwoes123]

How do you think Scottish nationality should be defined? What conditions should people have to meet in order to have Scottish nationality? And what rights should that bring with it? How easy / hard should it be?

My questions are kind of inspired by Italian born Toni Guigliano (SNP candidate) being harassed by the far right and them questioning what rights he should have, whether he’s “Scottish enough”. (I’m assuming that he does have British nationality?)

It’s also related to my own situation. DH and I are «Scottish» through and through. We left Scotland 18 years ago, lived in NZ for 5 years (one child born there), then to France (second child born there). We don’t have any current intention to move back to Scotland but you never know. Our children are totally bilingual / bicultural. Both have British nationality, the older has NZ nationality as well. Although we haven’t lived there for years, we still have property, savings, and all our family ties are to Scotland. Yet we can’t currently vote there (due to the U.K. wide 15 yr limit), and we didn’t get a vote in the last independence referendum.

Here in France, we can’t vote here, we can’t stand for election, we can’t even work in the public administration (except on a contract) unless we are French nationals. It’s a long, tedious and very strict process.
Residence gives us a lot of rights, but not those of a French citizen.

My impression is that Scotland is falling over itself to be welcoming and inclusive and very open to immigration and diversity. Is that going to translate into its immigration policies, should it ever be in a position to set them?

Surely given the SNP government’s determination to support self ID then if someone says or even thinks they are Scottish - then Scots they are! I have recently been gifted and enjoyed a listen to Outlander on an audiobook so count me in flag 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Fascinating read, appreciate all the points of view, from a slightly more outsider perspective. DH and I grew up in Canada, lived a few years in England as young adults, then moved to Scotland. We naturalized soon after, so we're dual Canadian-British citizens.

We were teens during the Quebec independence referendum which ended on a knife edge. It was horribly divisive and families are still split over 25 years later. I still have hopes that a second Scottish referendum will wait until there is a decisive majority polling in favour. Otherwise it feels like a recipe for further division and upset.

I wonder if the UK govt will follow the example of the Canadian one, which passed the Clarity Act, requiring any such referenda to have an approved question - I know that is essentially already covered in the UK by the Elections Commission (I think?) having a say, but what I'm getting at is imposing conditions on the vote, ie it can be held, but the UK govt won't enter into negotiations without seeing say X% in favour of independence. Like the devolution referendum many years back, that failed because not enough people voted.

Anyway back to citizenship, I do have a stake in this, having lived here for over 10 years, and both my kids were born here, we see our lives here for the medium term at least. I probably lean slightly unionist, but I wouldn't mind having a third citizenship, it sounds like we'd qualify. I think the generous terms quoted above from Wikipedia are probably sensible for a newly independent country that may face an exodus of some of its biggest taxpayers. Not that I'm predicting that, but some people do say they will leave and it wouldn't be hard to go south for many.

It's interesting to hear your experience @TheMShip and you raise some good points.

After the Brexit shambles, I would like any future referenda, on any subject within the UK, to require a minimum turnout and minimum margin for the winning side before they be considered 'valid', for want of a better term.

@forfucksakenett

A full member yet you refer to us as northern Britain? *@Babdoc*

There are half a million English people in Scotland but to say half a million like you is not accurate. Some of those English folk would welcome independence.

Like Babdoc I have no issue with describing Scotland as the northern part of Britain. It's a fact.

Unlike some posters on here all misty eyed talking about their Scottish roots and how much they love Scotland (but not enough to live there) I do live in the northern part of Britain, known as Scotland.