How can I refer to a person from UK?

[Stilo]

Some argue that the UK is an amalgam of separate units: Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland; and it is better to speak of the Welch, the English, the Scots (a Scot, adj. Scottish, but never scotch, a type of whiskey), and the Irish. However, that idea leaves us without a non-specific term for citizens of the UK.


I think I would like to lighten this thread up a bit, appears to be getting a bit heavy.
I would agree with Angelika's original post ...British but the writer of the above has now upset everybody other than the English, or should I say true Brits!!! Ha Ha
the Welsh, by spelling them Welch,albeit may be a typo,
the Scots as their whiskey is spelt Whisky,
the Irish Whiskey has the e in it, spelt Whiskey

Carry on with the arguement??????
Regards Stilo
I'm British through and through!!!!

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Tdol

Not all countries extend statutory citizenship to anyone born there, do they?

In the United States and (I am fairly sure) Canada you are a citizen if you are born there. That is not true everywhere. It is not true in Kuwait (for example) and I am not sure it is true in China (though it may be).

[JJM Ballantyne]

"Good Friday Agreement

(vi) recognise the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland."

A person born in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (with some exceptions under the Nationality Act) is a British citizen. All the Good Friday Agreement does is affirm their right to consider themselves Irish and to also hold Irish citizenship.

Yes, Batfink, this really does mean that a person born in NI is British whether they consider themselves to be or not.

Only one group of people in the world ever gets the right to choose their own citizenship: immigrants. Even they may not be able to shed their former citizenship. That's because sovereign states reserve the right to determine citizenship laws, not individuals.

[Tdol]

Originally Posted by JJM Ballantyne

All the Good Friday Agreement does is affirm their right to consider themselves Irish and to also hold Irish citizenship.

By recognising their right to consider themselves Irish, then does that not mean that the state recuses itself from considering them British?

[Tdol]

Please try to keep the discussion from getting personal. Thanks

[JJM Ballantyne]

"By recognising their right to consider themselves Irish, then does that not mean that the state recuses itself from considering them British?"

Not at all. It simply means that the state (the UK) isn't concerned if they're dual citizens.*

This part of the agreement is not as significant as it sounds* and has far less to do with the UK than with the Republic of Ireland. For the UK, it's a no-brainer: if you're from NI you're automatically a British citizen anyway.

However, it's certainly not impossible that, if NI were to be incorporated into the ROI at some future date, it might ultimately lead to a loss of British citizenship.

* There are no qualifications on British citizenship that "preclude" citizenship in another country. So giving people in NI the right to consider themselves Irish actually changes nothing.