BS: Indians in England

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: Jim McLean
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 10:40 AM

Tell that to Tony Blair!

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 11:15 AM

Well, he's a Scot, though he pretends he's English. (And I think most Scots like it better that way.)

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: Green Man
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 11:39 AM

Re Guernsey and Jersy etc. The Islands are 'British Protectorates'
They are outside of the EEC and residency rights require you to have been born there. Here's the kicker. If you have enough money you can live there. Guernsey requires you to be native or to purchase housing over a certain rateable value (LOTS). Jersey lets you live there but you can't own property in your own right unless you have lived there for ten or more years.

I am a Guernseyman who has lost the right to return to my place of birth to live because I have lived away from the Islands for a long time. This makes me a displaced person (doesn't it?) I live in Britain and have a British Passport. So unless I can conjure up a couple of hundred thousand for a house I am stuck with Britain. (OH JOY!)

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 12:20 PM

Or just about anywhere else in Europe, apart from wheree you come from...

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: Jim McLean
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 02:04 PM

McGrath, wasn't Tony Blair's mum Irish? Or his granny?

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 03:14 PM

Haven't heard that. But I suspect Cherie Blair's likely was. After all she's from Liverpool. (Her father, his father-in-law is actor, wild man, and unreconstructed Old Labour, Tony Booth - which is a fairly hilarious thought.)

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: Jim McLean
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 04:22 PM

My father in law was Tony Blair's father (Leo)'s doctor, when they lived in Durham, but I seem to remember Tony Blair saying his mother was from Ireland. Should be easy to check out.

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 05:37 PM

No luck so far - but what I hadn't know was that Leo Blair was at one time Wecretary of the Young Communist League in Scotland, and later became a Conservative. So there's a family tradition of politcal mobility here.

And they emigrated to Australia when Tony was a child, and styed there over three years. So by rights he should have been on Ozzie.

As for his mother, she was called Hazel - which is not a common Irish name. But that doesn't mean too much. But I think if he'd had an Irish mother he'd have made use of that fact at some time.

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: Jim McLean
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 06:34 PM

His mother Hazel was born in Ballyshannon according to a google search. Another search says she came from a strongly protestant family in County Donegal. (is Ballyshannon in County Donegal?)

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 06:39 PM

It is - they have a Folk Festival there.

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: Gareth
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 06:53 PM

Kevin, I am aware that your mind is wide ranging, but whats this got to do with the thread theme ?

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 07:13 PM

That's drift for you... (It started drifting this way when we got on to the way Government in Westminster can chop and change passport holders' rights, in a way that couldn't happen with Irish passport holders, who can be anyone with an Irish born grandparent.)

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 04:27 AM

Also, McGrath, Tony Blair's father was adopted by two Glaswegians so he might not have been born in Scotland. Maybe the unwanted son of a refugee! The mind does indeed boggle!

Subject: RE: BS: Indians in England
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 09:09 PM

When he's chucked out here, he could go over and stand for the Dáil, as an Irish citizen. I wouldn't fancy his chances too much, but who knows. It'd be a novelty anyway.