I'm a bit stuck, in that as a member of the Bar of England and Wales about the only places I can be employed are... England or Wales. So although I could probably acquire an Irish passport (both paternal grandparents born in Ulster in the 1890s) and S would presumably be eligible for a Scottish passport if such a thing came to pass, I think we're staying put.
I am doubtful we will withdraw from the ECHR, because so long as Russia remains a signatory a British government of any stripe is unlikely to want to look less fond of human rights than Putin. In the unlikely event that we do, I expect a thought revision worthy of 1984 as 'Human Rights' are no longer depicted as a Bad Thing but instead are fine so long as they are 'British Rights' - which I predict will be all but indistinguishable from the ECHR provisions, except that they won't apply to anyone who isn't British enough. What this means is that human rights litigation will actually increase, because we'll still be arguing about the scope of such rights but now we'll be arguing
( ... )
What will you do if the British referendum on European Community membership votes for exit?
I am in Scotland. Scotland looks, on current polling, likely to break 77-80% to stay in the EU. If England votes to leave by a margin sufficient to drag Scotland along in its undertow, that will trigger another Scottish Independence referendum, with a promise of continued EU membership -- and Scotland will eject from the UK.
So my default option in event of a Brexit vote is to sit tight and wait for the entire country I'm in to go where I want it to go.
In event of civil war/UKIP army of occupation, my spouse merely has to complete some paperwork in order to obtain a Canadian passport, and then I've been married to a Canadian for > 15 years and score reasonably highly on their immigration points system: Toronto or Vancouver, here I come.
EDIT: of course, the question everyone up here is discussing is "what if Scotland votes to stay, England votes to leave, and Scotland is dragged out willy-nilly?"
...What if England votes, by a narrow majority, to leave the EU - but Scotland vehemently votes to stay, and carries the UK-wide vote with it?
With luck, you'll be seeing less of Nigel Farage.
We, however, will be hearing even more of him and the prospect has curdled the milk in my tea.
The likely outcome is a pro-Brexit post-Cameron regime, with an anti-Scottish propaganda campaign in the media, and a toxic policy cocktail of cuts, asset stripping, and deindustrialisation presented as 'devolved decision-making'.
Perhaps the word 'encouraging' was too well-chosen: try 'thrusting': it'll be the current London policy toward Scotland, cranked up to eleven, with no fig-leaf over the crank-handle.
Back in the days when I worked for Crédit Lyonnais in London, they would have paid me to move to Paris and no questions would've been asked about work permits - The Fench State is very accommodating towards the whims of large French companies.
With my current job, the move would either be to the Paris Office or to Hong Kong.
If Brexit doesn't go through before August 2019, I'll have permanent residency in Germany, so everything will be fine for me. [unfortunately only continuous time here counts, so most of the years I was in Berlin are irrelevant for the paperwork]
Otherwise, I'll have to stay here until 2022, and then get citizenship. That's almost certainly possible (worst case, it might involve doing a masters or taking a well-documented job I don't want in the intervening years). That would also mean losing UK citizenship.
There's also a possibility of Irish citizenship. But it will involve documentation of my father and grandfather, both of whom are dead -- and I wouldn't be surprised if they tightened the citizenship process if Brexit happened. Also, both pragmatically and idealistically, I'd prefer citizenship of a country I have some genuine connection to.
Finally, I'd had marriage in mind -- but that became substantially less likely a month ago :/
Boyfriend's Danish passport and head office in Amsterdam, hoping other countries are as enlightened about living in sin as the UK. (I am actually qualified enough for a skilled worker visa, or could do PhD study elsewhere, but those are less certain routes.)
Comments 21
I am doubtful we will withdraw from the ECHR, because so long as Russia remains a signatory a British government of any stripe is unlikely to want to look less fond of human rights than Putin. In the unlikely event that we do, I expect a thought revision worthy of 1984 as 'Human Rights' are no longer depicted as a Bad Thing but instead are fine so long as they are 'British Rights' - which I predict will be all but indistinguishable from the ECHR provisions, except that they won't apply to anyone who isn't British enough. What this means is that human rights litigation will actually increase, because we'll still be arguing about the scope of such rights but now we'll be arguing ( ... )
Reply
I am in Scotland. Scotland looks, on current polling, likely to break 77-80% to stay in the EU. If England votes to leave by a margin sufficient to drag Scotland along in its undertow, that will trigger another Scottish Independence referendum, with a promise of continued EU membership -- and Scotland will eject from the UK.
So my default option in event of a Brexit vote is to sit tight and wait for the entire country I'm in to go where I want it to go.
In event of civil war/UKIP army of occupation, my spouse merely has to complete some paperwork in order to obtain a Canadian passport, and then I've been married to a Canadian for > 15 years and score reasonably highly on their immigration points system: Toronto or Vancouver, here I come.
EDIT: of course, the question everyone up here is discussing is "what if Scotland votes to stay, England votes to leave, and Scotland is dragged out willy-nilly?"
But there's another question with long- ( ... )
Reply
...What if England votes, by a narrow majority, to leave the EU - but Scotland vehemently votes to stay, and carries the UK-wide vote with it?
With luck, you'll be seeing less of Nigel Farage.
We, however, will be hearing even more of him and the prospect has curdled the milk in my tea.
The likely outcome is a pro-Brexit post-Cameron regime, with an anti-Scottish propaganda campaign in the media, and a toxic policy cocktail of cuts, asset stripping, and deindustrialisation presented as 'devolved decision-making'.
Perhaps the word 'encouraging' was too well-chosen: try 'thrusting': it'll be the current London policy toward Scotland, cranked up to eleven, with no fig-leaf over the crank-handle.
Reply
For example: "a Farage of tax-evaders".
(Yes, I know the difference between evasion and avoidance. Unlike most of the press these days.)
Reply
Turning up anywhere and everywhere and saying anything to get the votes, no matter how unpleasant?
Packing out a TV show with controversialists in a gadarene scramble for ratings?
...Or some repellent act we can allude to without ever mentioning explicitly?
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
With my current job, the move would either be to the Paris Office or to Hong Kong.
Reply
Otherwise, I'll have to stay here until 2022, and then get citizenship. That's almost certainly possible (worst case, it might involve doing a masters or taking a well-documented job I don't want in the intervening years). That would also mean losing UK citizenship.
There's also a possibility of Irish citizenship. But it will involve documentation of my father and grandfather, both of whom are dead -- and I wouldn't be surprised if they tightened the citizenship process if Brexit happened. Also, both pragmatically and idealistically, I'd prefer citizenship of a country I have some genuine connection to.
Finally, I'd had marriage in mind -- but that became substantially less likely a month ago :/
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment