View Full Version : what determines your nationality??
well i have had an ongoing debate with my friends about what determines your nationality?
so if you were born in england and lived there for 5 years, but your parents are scottish are you english or scottish??:confused:
percy toboggan
07-Dec-06, 20:23
well i have had an ongoing debate with my friends about what determines your nationality?
so if you were born in england and lived there for 5 years, but your parents are scottish are you english or scottish??:confused:
State of mind probably? Good to have choice.From my own perspective I'd say you were British. Then Scottish, and undeniably English if you wanted to be.When one thinks of the infinitessimally small geographical differences - ie.perhaps a rivers breadth or some notional line on adjoining map then the question , on one level anyway is rather pointless. To some it isn't of course and the difference is huge....though to my mind we are all one people. Better & stronger united than divided.
well i have had an ongoing debate with my friends about what determines your nationality?
so if you were born in england and lived there for 5 years, but your parents are scottish are you english or scottish??:confused:
You are British, but you can choose to be Scottish or English if you wish.
well im american. .but i would say my kids are scottish as they were born here and being raised here..
State of mind probably? Good to have choice.From my own perspective I'd say you were British. Then Scottish, and undeniably English if you wanted to be.When one thinks of the infinitessimally small geographical differences - ie. a rivers breadth then the question , on one level anyway is rather pointless. To some it isn't of course and the difference is huge....though to my mind we are all one people. Better & stronger united than divided.
I agree with you there P.T. I`m pretty sure its all in the mind some once Outsider can become some very good Local and apart from that I think we should be trying to get PEOPLE to believe they come from this World. it might even save a few dollars/Pounds/Euros , People , And Energy.
I agree with you there P.T. I`m pretty sure its all in the mind some once Outsider can become some very good Local and apart from that I think we should be trying to get PEOPLE to believe they come from this World. it might even save a few dollars/Pounds/Euros , People , And Energy.
Yeah, my thoughts too. We are all citizens of the world and that is all that matters. The original poster's question asked about nationality though.
mums angels
07-Dec-06, 21:24
My brother was born in Thurso but our parents are English and he counts his self as English mostly. I was born in Edinburgh but was adopted and bilogical parents were Scottish, so therefore I'm Scottish even though when i was at school it didn't seem to matter where i was born , the kids would have a go because they counted me as English
well i have had an ongoing debate with my friends about what determines your nationality?
so if you were born in england and lived there for 5 years, but your parents are scottish are you english or scottish??:confused:
Lets turn the question into something similiar.
if you were born in Scotland and lived there for 5 years, but your parents are Pakistani are you Scottish or Pakistani??:confused:
And would you be concerned if I and many more chose the latter?
jinglejangle
08-Dec-06, 00:29
mmmmm that is an interesting one - i would have automatically said you are the nationality of where you are born but then i thought about my dad who was born in england, lived there for 6 months and then family moved to scotland and i consider him to be scottish..................
mmmm to taxing on my brain for this time of night :)
Cedric Farthsbottom III
08-Dec-06, 00:40
well i have had an ongoing debate with my friends about what determines your nationality?
so if you were born in england and lived there for 5 years, but your parents are scottish are you english or scottish??:confused:
Ye are what ye honestly think ye are.I'm Scottish,always will be.I was born in Scotland,lived in Scotland,worked in Scotland.Never lived anywhere else but in oor home.So when folk say yer British,I cannae adjust to this,cos my mind is in Scotland.But I think wi a wee bit o' common sense it disnae matter,ye are what ye are.:D
I have a niece who was born in Germany, one of her brothers was born in Malaya and her sister and other brother were born in England.
I think I'll pass on the Nationality question, it's too complicated for me. :lol:
I suppose that officially it is the Country which can legally issue your passport and accepts you as one of it's Citizens.
On an individual level I would suggest it is the Country you feel you belong to.
In that respect I don't suppose it matters what Nationality others wish to hang on you, it's how you feel which decides.
Metalattakk
08-Dec-06, 05:03
If a coo is born in a stable, it disna make it a horse.
Nationality is determined by a person's passport, but that can feel very different from how a person views their family history. My grandmother was born in San Francisco, but considered herself 100% Scottish, and taught all of us what that meant to her. She treasured every bit of the culture her parents brought with them over the pond, and carried it into her own life.
Not sure if I agree with you on this one Htwood, many people have dual passports, so therefore which one decides what your nationality is.
Many sportsmen and women from countries outside the UK claim Scottish and English nationality if they had or have a maternal or paternal grandparent from Scotland or England so they can play at international level. I assume this works for many other nations threw out the sporting world.
I consider myself lucky I was born in Scotland of Scottish parents, so I consider myself Scottish first, then British, then a Member of the United Kingdom and finally as it says on my passport a Member of the European Union.
Naefearjustbeer
08-Dec-06, 11:39
I am Caithness born and bred. Never lived anywhere else than Caithness I think I have left Scotland 4 times in my 30 odd years and always want to come home after a few days. I class myself as Scottish not British and I hate the fact that there is no Scottish option to fill in on a forms. I think being Scottish is more than your bloodline or place of birth I think it is an attitude and a way of life. Many folk who have never even set foot in Scotland class themselves as Scottish. I take this as a great complement to our people and our country that folk who have never been here desperately want to be Scottish. I found when I was in Canada I met many people who claimed to be Scottish but yet we were the first real Scottish folk that they had ever met. They maybe had a Scottish Grand Parent and that was enough for them to class themselves as Scottish. The other nationalities in there make up were not mentioned and swept aside so that they could claim Scottishness. We as a nation have a lot going for us in the worldwide community and it is something we should strive to keep a hold of and never lose our Scottishness and become British or even worse European.
BMcGillivray
08-Dec-06, 14:27
well i have had an ongoing debate with my friends about what determines your nationality?
so if you were born in england and lived there for 5 years, but your parents are scottish are you english or scottish??:confused:
Whichever country you were influenced by for the majority of your life would determine your nationality in my opinion...
For example... if you were born in England, living there for 5 years... then moving to Scotland, and living the rest of your years in Scotland, i would consider you Scottish.
Where you were born doesn't matter, where your parents were from doesn't matter... what matters is where you've considered home, and the influences and cultures that have had the most influence in your life.
Its not quite so black and white as most would like... it depends what you hold onto... you could be born in England to English parents, but move to Scotland at an early age... yet cling to your Englishness for all its worth... and go on to remain English... so theres the factor of which culture you embrace...
Likewise someone could even spend a large portion of their years in England say... then move to and live out the rest of their lives in Scotland... embrace the culture, accent slowly changing... etc. and become truely Scottish.
scotty_mags
08-Dec-06, 14:51
Well......I was born & brought up in Wick but have lived in England for past 18 years, my kids were 6 1/2 & 5 when we moved and my grandson was born down here.
To me I will alway be Scottish & proud of it......and so will my kids....:)
BMcGillivray
08-Dec-06, 15:09
Well......I was born & brought up in Wick but have lived in England for past 18 years, my kids were 6 1/2 & 5 when we moved and my grandson was born down here.
To me I will alway be Scottish & proud of it......and so will my kids....:)
What do your kids consider themselves to be, giving that they've spent the majority of their young lives in England?
my daughter was born in germany was informed by the census that she is german/scottish dual nationality
I will have a helicopter on standby ready to take Mrs Rheg down to Carlisle General when the time comes.;)
My own feeling is that if you are either born in a particular country or have a parent from a particular country and you choose that nationality, then that is it. If you've lived in a particular country for a "long time" and choose that country as your own, then that is it.
By the way, you can decide yourself what a long time is.
newlabeluk
08-Dec-06, 19:16
i'm a Scot, born in Scotland to Scottish Parents, my kids are mongrels and will choose for themselves when they want to or need a 'Green' card,lol
My husband has a Welsh father, a Greek Cypriot mother and was born in Nicosia, he says he's British and i'm not arguing.
Sorry Kirstin I was born In England But was brought up in Scotland from the Age 6 to 16 which may be the reason why I consider my self Scottish although I have lived since then through the Armedforces mostly Outside the UK and now live in Germany I still consider myself scottish whiy? I think it is because My way of looking at things I Believe is a Scottish way of thinking Openminded; Friendly,Helpful Respecting freedom of Others Thats what i think makes Scotland so different Not Just the History.
well this seems to have got you's all thinking and thanks for the replies. personally i agree with you that we are all british and should be proud! i hate racism and do not like the fact that their is bullying etc over your nationality!! i was born in england and regard myself as english. but i love scotland and all the amazing people i have befriended while i have lived here and regard scotland as my home which is all that matters!! :):D
I think it is because My way of looking at things I Believe is a Scottish way of thinking Openminded; Friendly,Helpful Respecting freedom of Others Thats what i think makes Scotland so different Not Just the History.
The history and the thinking are hand in glove. The best example I can think of just now is the fact that there has never been a King of Scotland, because to the Gaelic mind, nobody can ever own land; we just live out our lives in the place that we are. That is why we had the High King of Scots. He was the King of the people, not owner of the land.
Whitewater
09-Dec-06, 23:10
I'm Scottish through and through, and proud of it. I have Scottish parents and grand parents going back many generations. I always feel I'm a Scot, in my young days I had dual nationality, but I came back here for a holiday, and I'm still here, it is the longest holiday I have ever had. I love this country, its customs and way of life. I think that when I die I want to be buried in my kilt and all the regalia.
What determines your nationality is more than just where you get your passport from, its in your heart and in your blood.
Rhegers is that helicopter on stand by for Carlisle so that 'little Rhegers' will be born in the right place? If so "good on you" always be proud of your roots and nationality.
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