From the BBC:
A British man is being deported to the UK from Australia, where he has lived for more than 40 years, because of his criminal record.
Clifford Tucker, 47, has been expelled after the Australian government cancelled his visa over a series of crimes, including attempted murder. Officials said the father-of-three posed an "unacceptable risk of harm". His family emigrated when he was six but he never became a citizen...
In 2008, Australia deported a serial paedophile back to the UK at the end of his 12-year jail term. Raymond Horne had reportedly moved from the UK to Queensland in 1952 aged five and started offending in the 60s.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Australia on top form
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8 comments:
where he has lived for more than 40 years, because of his criminal record
He lived there because of his criminal record?
Aussie convict?
Well, once upon a time, it was a prerequisite! :)
JH, the comma makes all the difference.
JM, yup, they are now getting their own back. Fair play to them.
All: the comma fail is golden in the context.
RANT:
Since I've been over here I've met a few Brits who have permanent residency and have been here for more than half their lives, but who don't have Aussie passports.
I JUST DON'T FUCKING GET IT.
Australia, like the UK, allows you to carry multiple citizenships. And anyone who's a) a permanent resident (which means indefinite leave to remain, in UK terms) b) has lived here under any kind of legal visa for four years, is eligible for citizenship.
Oh, and Aus doesn't have any kind of crazy US-style non-resident tax laws.
So what kind of CLUELESS FUCKING MORON would not, the second they were eligible for a passport, acquire one? It's going to be my first action on the day I'm eligible.
People from godforsaken illiberal hell-holes like China, Indonesia and Germany actually have to make a choice, because they need to renounce their former nationality. I can't imagine ever renouncing being British, so I really don't envy their choice.
But "not getting a document that costs a hundred quid and means that you have all the rights of a citizen, instead of being tolerated on sufferance like a gastarbeiter". FUCKING HELL YOU TIT.
Sorry, this shit makes me angry. I'm glad that Tucker's being sent home, he's far too stupid to be allowed here.
John B, that's most interesting.
I had lived in Germany long enough to be eligible for citizenship (the advantage being I'd be able to vote, big deal, and the disadvantage being it would be more difficult for my sons to wriggle out of national service*) but I never seriously considered it. Dual citizenship would have been cool though.
* As it turns out, they wriggled out somehow by fair means or foul.
Banning multiple nationality is really weird. I never even realised it was a thing when I was a kid, because I'd always known people with British & French and British & Canadian passports.
Central European nations are against multiple citizenships because they're still working on 1000-1945 assumptions of conflict, and are not keen to have dudes with Czech passports waving them at the Czech army whenever the Czechs next invade.
The UK has never had a problem with multiple citizenships, for related reasons. "I'm the King of France and England. Oh fuck, I've lost France. I'm the King of England", etc. I'm assuming France takes the same view for the same reason. The former UK dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) are fine with dual citizenship, because it's nice when your kid grows up.
The former UK colonies (ie brown/black people and Americans) banned multiple citizenships because your abused kid is angry and hates you when it runs away in its teens and hangs out with pimps and lawyers.
The Yanks unbanned dual nationality about 30 years ago, in a rare outbreak of sanity. Most other former colonies still have it, although I suppose it's going to be another 200 years before they reach the political maturity of the USA [which isn't saying much, badoom-ching, I'll be at the pier all summer].
JB, it's also quite good fun with UK and Ireland; an Irish citizen is treated almost identically to a UK citizen by the UK government (on the basis that they are British, really) but i doubt the Irish government is as generous to UK passport holders. Conversely, the Irish appear to treat NI citizens equal with their own (presumably on the basis that Ireland is all one country).
As to UK/Germany, that happened to my Mum thirty years ago, she had had dual nationality for ages, but when she came to renew her German one, she foolishly 'fessed up to her British passport and that was the end of that. The British side was never bothered that she had a German passport as well.
Oh, I'd forgotten the most comedy bit in British citizenship law: anyone from anywhere in the Commonwealth is treated exactly the same as a British citizen, except in terms of acquiring permanent residency. So if you're an Indian on a work visa, you can vote in UK elections and stand to be an MP, but they'll still deport you if you get laid off or voted out (yes, of course this is stupid: as with the Hong Kong thing, it's applying "simplest way to appease bigots" to existing law).
Re the ROI - UK citizens can vote in Ireland, except in constitutional referenda (i.e. we can vote for Parliament, if we have an Irish address). Anyone born on the island of Ireland (whichever side of the border) is eligible for Irish citizenship; otherwise, you're eligible for Irish citizenship (without giving up UK citizenship) if you've lived there legally for five years.
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