Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Grimly Curmudgeon <quiet applause> There is nothing worse than someone living in another country who refers to the country of their birth as "home". Actually, on reflection, there is. Someone whose parents lived in another country who refers to that country as "home". Especially when they've never visited it. -- Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest" I have already made the greatest contribution to the fight against climate change that I can make: I have decided not to breed. Now quit bugging me and go and talk to the Catholics.
Really? It shouldn't have been, I'm sure. Mine was issued in Switzerland[1] and cost me exactly the same as it would have in the UK[2]. Mine took a couple of weeks. Has it? I know it says something to that effect on mine, but I didn't realise it would mark me out in any way. [1] Although apparently from 2009 all Swiss, Benelux and French residents now have to go via a Paris office[3] [2] http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/fees.asp [3] http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/passports/renewing-your-passport
Quite. For me, it signals the difference between an 'ex-pat' and an emigree, although it's only a question of definition. But I've always considered that an ex-pat is someone who lives 'abroad', and may at some point return 'home', and that therefore I don't fit that label. "The old country."
Depends on what you mean by `home': Ireland, though not the country of my birth, is `home' because it's where I grew up. Dublin is my home town. I live in England now, I pay my taxes here, I vote here, so I no longer have an interest in Ireland's future, but I am interested in it.
Changing nationality and passport is a long and time consuming, not to mention expensive, process, with no obvious advantages. If you've got a passport from one EU country (or CH, who seem to be treated the same as EU the world over) then there's really no point in changing it to another one.
But if someone asks when you're going home, do you take that to mean 'to the house' or 'back to Ireland'?
I think it was 120 plus a bit of postage malarky. I had a happy time trying to get into the UK at the end of last year. They couldn't read the passport *at all* so were forced to let me through without updating the Stazi database. Honestly, I could have been any raghead terrorist, it was a fucking joke. The Border Droid was a bit confused when it asked me "Who issued this?", I picked up the offending document, indicated where it said "Issued by: FCO", and said helpfully, "FCO". Then they wanted to know if I'd had any trouble with it before, I quite truthfully said "no", mainly on account it hadn't ever been used before, which they might have been able to guess by looking at the issue date which was about 10 days previous. We then went into the discussion it was a valid passport, issued by Her Majesties Gubbermint, and they therefore had to let me in, but tbh, it could have been photocopied onto the back of a fag packet for a they seemed to know or care.
Whining? Is it whining to object to being held over a barrel and raped for damn near twice the price of a passport? I think not. So **** off and get a clue.
On a smaller scale, when I'm asked "where are you from", I never know whether to say Kent or refer to wherever I'm living at the time. On the other hand, does it really matter? At all?
Agreed. My missus is from Sweden (born and bred) but she considers here as home and what *was* home as "Sweden". When we go to Sweden she says she'll be glad to get back home if we're away from more here than a couple of weeks. And the "Proud to be a Scouser" knobs who live anywhere *but* in Scouseland. -- Beav VN 750 Zed 1000 OMF# 19
Nowhere did I say I was renewing or had renewed my UK passport. As far as I'm concerned, if I never had to renew it again, I'd be over the fucking moon.
