Friday 25 April 2014

Sabre man or deliverer?

A Yes supporter with expat-born kids who will need to register for citizenship by descent, has told me this on Facebook:

  • I don't 'trust' that the White Paper means what I think it means, what I'm saying is that I am confident that I can successfully argue that it means what I think it means. In court if necessary. It duplicates, and slightly extends, current arrangements with regard to British citizenship for Scottish-descended overseas residents. Specifically, it's not 'automatic' now either, they already have to apply. And some specific exclusion clauses have been left out, which is why my kids, who are not currently eligible, will be, post-indy.


He said this in defence of the interpretation that the registered-for citizenship will be an entitlement and if all the criteria are met for providing evidence the Scottish govt won't have a selective power to refuse the applications. Any ideas where we voters can get some info on how right he is about court, to show us it's not just bluster and he could stop in court a govt operating the White Paper citizenship policy from turning down his kids?

Monday 21 April 2014

the voters who matter behind the fermenting polls

There was nothing in yesterday's (Apr 20) Sunday Herald to the above. Scottish govt and Yes campaign both seen to make no response to the enquiry put to them, and copied to the Sunday Herald: asking them to clarify to that paper's readers, whether the letter printed last week claiming the White Paper's existing content as an answer to my concern about citizenship, was accurate. They knew they were going to be seen as misleading the voters unless they clarified that the letter does not do that. They chose not to clarify. So they have let the suggestion stand of misleading the voters. Now it stands as an indication that Yes rhetoric on this subject is misleading the voters as to their actual policy.

The Scotland on Sunday's headline was that voters born elsewhere, which includes Scots born in exile as well as foreign guests, are now decisive in which way the close polls will tip. This heightens the importance to the Yes folks and SNP OF GIVING A STRAIGHT ANSWER.

The Sunday Post's headline also welcome, its poll finding that there is a crisis of trust in the whole campaign, with BOTH SIDES largely mistrusted, and so trying its new initiative "Independence On Trial" to focus on what concerns from the people have been missed in the campaign. It obviously should include this one on citizenship. This will come under "Would Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the UK and the world be better or worse?" and "Would Scotland be a fairer place to live?"

May 4:The above was the background to which the Sunday Herald has now declared as supporting Yes.

Monday 14 April 2014

Will you write in and confirm to the readers?

Yesterday in the Sunday Herald, a letter from John Jamieson of South Queensferry claimed to refute the claim that the White Paper will not give automatic entitlements to citizenship by descent. To do this, he just quoted what the White Paper says about registering for citizenship. the Yes campaign itself has never said it means an entitlement, and at their public meeting in Gorgie Edinburgh on mar 12 Alex Neil said it does not.

So there is a question of campaign propriety, over whether they will mislead voters, over whether the Yes campaign will take ownership of this letter that has been written on their behalf and will confirm that what it implies is accurate.

I have mailed back to Yes, and copied it to the Sunday Herald, and to Lesley Riddoch's Nordic Horizons as she is an exile born Scot whose support for Yes is absurd unless this issue is fixed the right way:

" The above refers to a letter in today's Sunday Herald. It has pledged for you, publicly, a line on White Paper citizenship policy that you have never been willing to say to any voter's enquiry by me, and that Alex Neil told us the contrary to at your Tynecastle High School public meeting.

Is Mr Jamieson right? Did he write from you? Or will you recordedly let voters be misled in your name? Will you write in and confirm to the readers: will there be any power at all for the state to select to refuse any application for citizenship by descent, which meets precisely defined terms of supplying evidence of having a parent or grandparent who qualifies for Scottish citizenship? "