Looks Like This Is It, After 3 Years+

[Khandro]

'The Bill cleared its final Parliamentary hurdle at 6.17pm when the House of Lords bowed to the will of the Commons, which had overturned every amendment by peers this week. After three years of high drama, which cost Theresa May her premiership and changed the political land- scape of Britain, the Brexit Bill was passed in a moment of silence as peers were asked if they were “content” or “not content”. With no one saying “not content”, the Bill was nodded through.'
No question, just a sigh of relief.

[diddlydo]

Many of the EU nationals to whom I'm referring have lived in the UK since long before we joined the Common Market which became the EU so why on earth should they be forced to jump through these bureaucratic hoops in order to remain here after the Day of Doom?

[dannyk13]

No idea what the Day of Doom is, so can't comment on it.

[Old_Geezer]

The day of doom was back in the 70's.

[diddlydo]

Very funny Danny - not. You leavers will eventually come to realise what a gigantic mistake you've made - don't say you haven't been warned.

[ToraToraTora]

accept it diddly, this guy has: https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/18/steve-bray-shouted-stop-brexit-bbc-news-finally-admits-defeat-11924503/

[ichkeria]

"
Diddly, we will not be a member of the EU state. "

But the EU is not a state: I think this is what NJ for one is always banging on about :-)

[diddlydo]

Exactly - the EU is not a state. It is a collection of independent states, most of whom wish to co-operate and live in harmony with other member states with the right to free movement and right of abode within them. It's only the leavers in the UK aka little Englanders who want to set themselves apart from the rest of the EU nations. Sad, very sad.

[shaneystar2]

I agree with you diddlydo but there's no other choice .My husband has been here since 1975 and he's 75 next week.He has to register.
It's not a very nice feeling though when he's paid his way all these years to be told he's "a citizen of nowhere " and as for paying out mega money to become a British citizen,well,I won't repeat what he said :)
What worries me though is that there is no paper proof of identity only a digital record and we know how good the government are with records .Just look at what happened to the Windrush people.
I can't be worrying about it any more. I don't need the stress and by the time the whole sorry debacle is finished and done with we'll both have shuffled off this mortal coil anyway.

[ToraToraTora]

"Exactly - the EU is not a state. It is a collection of independent states" - err, no! It's a collection of states but not independent.

[ichkeria]

Of course they are independent.
No country in the world lives in splendid isolation from all others.
At least, no country you’d want to live in

[diddlydo]

Exactly Shaneystar - a French national friend of mine is nearly 80 and has lived and worked here since she was in her early 20s but has had to apply for settled status.Why oh why?

[New Judge]

//I don't suppose that any of you know EU nationals who have lived here for over 60 years who have had to apply for "settled status"?//

No I don’t. The principle reason for this is that anybody arriving here in 1960 or earlier was not an EU national. I know an Italian family who arrived in the UK in 1958. I imagine they went through some sort of process to be allowed to settle here. They may have to go through it again but I doubt it.

//… they just want to continue to live here in peace as members of an EU state.//

Well they can’t because after next Friday the UK is no longer an EU nation. Their status as French/Spanish or whatever will allow them to remain here but under different conditions. Anybody who arrived here under the EEC/EC/EU freedom of movement facility will have to formalise their affairs. Life’s a bit tough sometimes. Those who arrived before that was available (like my Italian friends) will have probably made some other arrangements anyway. Unfortunately EU citizens have fallen for the Euromaniacs’ propaganda that the EU is a single nation and that all the rights and benefits provided by it are immutable. They’re not.

//It's only the leavers in the UK aka little Englanders who want to set themselves apart//

And quite a few Little Scotlanders, Little Welshies and Little Northern Irelanders, (about 2.2m in total) let’s not forget. They don’t want to set themselves apart from the rest of the EU nations. That’s physically impossible. They just don’t want to be politically bound to it. But I fancy we’ve done these arguments once or twice before.

[ToraToraTora]

I suggest you look up the dictionary definition of "independent" - it says: "free from outside control; not subject to another's authority."

[ToraToraTora]

diddly: "a French national friend of mine is nearly 80 and has lived and worked here since she was in her early 20s but has had to apply for settled status.Why oh why? " - 60 years is not long enough to apply for citizenship?

[New Judge]

//a French national friend of mine is nearly 80 and has lived and worked here since she was in her early 20s but has had to apply for settled status.Why oh why?//

What arrangements did she make when she arrived here? In 1960 the UK was not a member of the (then) EEC. Did she just "wing it" and hope all would be well. If she did, that's the answer to your "Why oh why" plea.

[diddlydo]

I can't believe that some of you leavers are so dim and short-sighted, not to mention twisters of the truth. All the EU nationals that I know don't want British citizenship - they just want to be able to continue to live here with the nationality they already have as most of them are married to British nationals.

[ichkeria]

The UK was free to leave, and will leave.
It had to beg to be allowed to stay a little longer in fact!
Twice

[ToraToraTora]

I have a kiwi mate who arrived here in 1962, he applied for citizenship as soon as allowed, similarly I know a couple of South Africans who much more recently have been accepted as citizens. Sounds like the people referred to above just hoped for the best rather than sorting out their own admin.

[ToraToraTora]

ich: "it had to beg to be allowed to stay a little longer in fact!
Twice " - yes, the VBQC did subject us to that. Now the PM has a majority, we are getting past the traitors.

[ToraToraTora]

diddly "All the EU nationals that I know don't want British citizenship - they just want to be able to continue to live here " - did you read that back to yourself? PMSL !