The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #164605   Message #3970466
Posted By: McGrath of Harlow
07-Jan-19 - 07:22 PM
Thread Name: Brexit #2
Subject: RE: Brexit #2
I was hoping to go for Polish citizenship but, even though my Dad and his Mum were Polish, I cannot get it because his Dad was Russian.

Have you checked that, Dave? One Polish parent or grandparent should be sufficient to entitle you to Polish citizenship from what I've read, the same as with Irish citizenship. Of course with borders changing all over the place, and records getting destroyed there might be complications proving stuff, but I can't see how a Russian grandfather would in itself debar you.

The whole business of citizenship seems to have got a lot trickier over the last few years (with the UK leading the way in making it harder and more expensive.) When I sorted out my Irish citizenship a few years ago it was pretty straightforward and cheap, just get the relevant certificates.

There was a little problem for me with that, since I needed to use my grandfather, since my father been born over in England, though he was taken back home at a few months old, and he'd been born early enough that the records were among those destroyed in the Four Courts when the Free State army shelled it at the start of the Civil War. But they came up with a short form version that did the job. It might have helped getting that done that my father acted up and told them he knew about that because he,d been one of those getting shelled inside - which wasn't actually true, except in spirit, since he'd been down in Tipperary at the time. But they were duly impressed.

For me the deal breaker on Brexit is defending the right to freedom of movement (together with the threat it poses to peace in Ireland.) I could live with a Norway style relationship, with that freedom retained.
.................
Harking back a few posts - I can't see anything wrong with "the wider world", in the same way we say "the bigger picture". And how about "the narrow world" - good enough for Shakespeare - "why man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus".