British/Aussie/Irish/American????

[ali]

It's a strange one isnt' it, when sports associations will take the grandparent link to allow someone to play for that country (thinking of Ireland and the football ... how many Englishmen played for Ireland because of that link?)

 

I will say I'm English because that's where I was born and spend the majority of my life, although my Aussie passport gives my nationality as Australian. My children will at some point in the not too distant future have spent more of their lives in Aus than in Britain, for my youngest he'll remember less and less of his time in the UK and will probably think of himself as Australian.

[Parley]

Born and lived in the UK. Came to Australia as a 14 year old, so yes a migrant though as a child so a little different.

I think you are more at risk of not settling in Australia if you maintain that mindset though. If you keep thinking of England as home, you will be at more risk of being one of the unhappy ones who go home after a few years.

Still don't really understand why you would leave in the first place. For adventure for a few years maybe, but to emigrate permanently when you supposedly love England is odd.

[Guest famousfive]

Yes,my youngest was born in oz but has only spent a quarter of her life here.She chooses her nationality on a daily basis,depending what mood she is in.The girls are always refered to as the Irish girls which gets on her wick at times,she is then quick to point out she was born here.All our kids have dual citizenship so can be irish one day and australian the next.To me they are both because of having one aussie and one irish parent,and they should be glad for and proud of both.

[ali]

Born and lived in the UK. Came to Australia as a 14 year old, so yes a migrant though as a child so a little different.

I think you are more at risk of not settling in Australia if you maintain that mindset though. If you keep thinking of England as home, you will be at more risk of being one of the unhappy ones who go home after a few years.

Still don't really understand why you would leave in the first place. For adventure for a few years maybe, but to emigrate permanently when you supposedly love England is odd.

 

For me, I don't think it's about loving England, but loving the childhood, up bringing and memories I had, these are what have influenced or defined me as a person. For myself, I agree that we don't call the UK home, we say 'back in England', 'in the UK etc., this is our home because we live here now.

[Guest famousfive]

I am leaving oz this year,more for my aussie OHs benefit than mine though.I am a wanderer at heart so don't mind where I end up.

[Parley]

I would say base it on your passports, if you dual citizenship then you are 50% UK, 50% Australian.

Then where you live probably changes the percentage another 25% so in my case I'm 75% Australian 25% English. :biggrin:

[chalkyhill]

I am from Scotland with both Scottish parents and I define myself as British.

 

I think you can only really define yourself by the place you spent your youth.

[stevie ellis]

Born an bred in Aberdenshire so am SCOTS and will always be SCOTS far ever my familly and me stay, we dont like being cad british :mad:

[Wildrover]

I was born in England and bought up in England my Dad in English, Mum Irish. However all the family I ever knew was on the Irish side so traditions music food etc all came from the Irish side

 

I have dual nationality both British and Irish and proud of them both

 

But my personal identity is and will remain Irish

 

As a further thought being a Scientist I delved further into my genetic past; my Fathers (even though hes fourth generation cockney) genetics is Celtic. My mothers is originally northern Scandiavian ie Swedish/Finish Viking but that is going back 18,000 years

 

From recent research 70% of the UK population is Celtic: Welsh English Scots Irish all being very closely related genetically.

[Petals]

Please don't see this as me being argumentative or to have a go, just out of interest - if you moved to China - would you call yourselves Chinese?

 

Yep, I would as if I had taken out citizenship my children were born there and I was living my life there I would be chinese.

 

My heritage would be English and my oh Scottish but that is as far as it goes. If I want to be English I would be living in England.

 

When people ask us we tell them we are Australian.

[Guest Mallam]

My question was a serious one though.

If someone says they proud to be English, which is another way of saying they love England, the obvious question is why are they trying to emigrate to another country.

It is like the actions are not matching the words.

It might have been serious but to me it is a very starnge one, of course you can be pround to be English, Scottish, Irish, italian , Australian...but that does not stop you wanting to explore the world does it.

Hope that helps.

 

p.s hhmmmm why am I proud to be English

Well of the freedoms people have regardless of their background. I can say anything I want and not get punished for it because of freedom of Speech. I can do something about my government by signing a petition to change/or get rid of a law this unfair. Short, but great history. Has about every language/nationality in the world depending where you go in this country, the History the beauty the beer, that's why i'm proud to be English.

[2tigers]

SO we are able to have more than one citizenship, but what about nationality? Is this not where you are born? So if you were born in France, your nationality is French and always will be - regardless of where you live? But citizenship is different isn't it? You can have dual citizenship? But at the end of the day you cant change where you were born.

 

Its good to hear others thoughts on this don't you think? I find it interesting!

[Guest siamsusie]

Not sure about that, I was born overseas, but after 7 days my Mum took me back to Holland, I have always classed myself as Dutch. One of my sons was born in Hong Kong, he is not Chinese, his nationality is British.

[2tigers]

Not sure about that, I was born overseas, but after 7 days my Mum took me back to Holland, I have always classed myself as Dutch. One of my sons was born in Hong Kong, he is not Chinese, his nationality is British.

 

So do you still class yourself as Dutch then? Or Australian?

 

Wonder if there is someone who can clarify the correct way? Seems you can call yourself anything you want to. Some are eager to class themselves as being from somewhere other than where they were born and brought up, and others wouldn't dream of it!

[2tigers]

So do you still class yourself as Dutch then? Or Australian?

 

Wonder if there is someone who can clarify the correct way? Seems you can call yourself anything you want to. Some are eager to class themselves as being from somewhere other than where they were born and brought up, and others wouldn't dream of it!

 

Siamsusie - the 2nd bit to this was not aimed at you by the way, just me theoretically speaking!

[Guest guest36762]

I am Irish and will be Irish to my dying day.As said in an earlier post.........it's that whole Irish thing,or maybe that whole world thing.........apart from English.I have met many nationalities,both here and in other countries,and the majority define themselves by their heritage.The many eatern europeans living in my hometown would never assume to call themselves Irish.My husband has lived there 15yrs and will always be an aussie.My former nextdoor neighbour is an American,been there 40+yrs,still a yank.Their children on the other hand,those born in the country,are Irish with a mixed heritage.

In my limited experience I have never met an English person who is a long term resident of Ireland call themselves IrishOr those living in France call themselves Freanch[cough,cough].Why would they?

This seems to be isolated to those who come to Australia for some reason.And even more baffling is the fact it seems to be isolated to the English people who arrive here.It is like they land on Australian soil and ditch their heritage.Why?

Many around the world admire England and it's people,why not the English themselves?

 

Being Irish,where national pride is an ingrained thing,a part of our genetic makeup nearly,it seems at odds with what the country as a whole portrays through the media etc..

In Ireland we do not go for the flag waving,tatoo brandishing type of pride.More a deep pride and connection through our history,our music and our way of life.It is what has made us who we are.Why would we ditch that when we land at another countries door?We are born Irish,we live as Irish,we travel as Irish and we migrate as Irish.Our kids who are born abroad are also instilled with this pride.

 

Great post ff

Agree with a lot of what you said, in particular the fact that some english people seem desperate to ditch their heritage and become australian. Could never see English people doing that in France. There's clearly a sense of connection culturally between uk and Australia, coupled with some people's squeamishness about their englishness. I agree some seem desperate on arriving here to abandon that, it's a conscious act.

 

On the other hand, I know quite a few elderly European immigrants who've been here for 40 or 50 years, and who very much regard themselves as Aussie. They have the flag in the garden, support afl fanatically and yet still sound like they just got off the boat and retain their cultural heritage through Italian, croation, istrian clubs etc

 

As to the op, I was born in England to an Irish mum, and a dad who is a mix of italian and polish, and I regard myself as very English (ironically my aussie wife has much purer Anglo Saxon blood than me). Migrating to Australia has if anything made me more proud to be English than I ever was before. I will always be English, having Aussie citizenship won't change that a bit...that's nothing against Australia, it's just pride in your roots and your heritage.

[Guest chris955]

It's a funny thing, I was 18 months old when I came here and will never class myself as anything but English. Our kids who were born here and have only lived in Brisbane both consider themselves English which my wife loves.

I'm very proud to be British, there is a huge amount to be proud of.

[Petals]

Calling ourselves Australian does not mean we ditch the heritage hate the old country, it means we are taking on being Australian as its a fairly new country where apart from the original inhabitants everyone is a migrant or descended from one. So we take citizenship and are proud to do so. We elect to become a citizen we do not elect our heritage that just comes with our birth.

 

When we took out citizenship there was no requirement for us to do so like there seems to be now, we had all the rights of citizenship anyway, however as this was before we had children we decided that they would be Australian so we had better become Australian too.

 

My children do not consider themselves half Scots half English which they are and they have dual citizenship, they consider themselves Australian with heritage from our homeland. For me that is the way it should be.

 

If I were to return to UK to live for ever I would no longer consider myself Australian.

[Parley]

It's a funny thing, I was 18 months old when I came here and will never class myself as anything but English. Our kids who were born here and have only lived in Brisbane both consider themselves English which my wife loves.

I'm very proud to be British, there is a huge amount to be proud of.

 

Chris, Not trying to be rude, but I think you are an unusual case, maybe even unique.

To have lived in Australia nearly your whole life and for your kids to be born here and have lived their whole life here and not consider yourselves Australian is very unusual.

 

It is very odd if you have brought your kids up to think their English when they were born in Aus and lived their whole life here.

[pablo]

Family originate from Ireland and Italy in recent yrs,but i was born in Liverpool so im scouse,its that simple to me tbh

[stevie ellis]

 

Family originate from Ireland and Italy in recent yrs,but i was born in Liverpool so im scouse,its that simple to me tbh

A sensed a spud picker aboot you pabs:wink:

[Guest siamsusie]

So do you still class yourself as Dutch then? Or Australian?

 

Wonder if there is someone who can clarify the correct way? Seems you can call yourself anything you want to. Some are eager to class themselves as being from somewhere other than where they were born and brought up, and others wouldn't dream of it!

 

:laugh:No Tiger, I am Dutch.. I will always be Dutch with eventual Australian citizenship.

 

Many friends of mine have had their babies in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia etc. Their births are registered with The Dutch or British Embassy as being born there but they remain of European nationality.

[pablo]

:laugh:No Tiger, I am Dutch.. I will always be Dutch with eventual Australian citizenship.

 

Many friends of mine have had their babies in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia etc. Their births are registered with The Dutch or British Embassy as being born there but they remain of European nationality.[/QUOT

 

 

 

 

In a big portakabin in germany one day talking in english to a lad stirring a massive pot of stew,he told me he was dutch,i said "how come you all speak 2 or 3 languages??",he looked at me dead blase and said "because nobody can speak the ....ing dutch,we have to learn":laugh:,superb! deadpan he was when he said it as well:notworthy:

[Guest siamsusie]

:laugh:No Tiger, I am Dutch.. I will always be Dutch with eventual Australian citizenship.

 

Many friends of mine have had their babies in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia etc. Their births are registered with The Dutch or British Embassy as being born there but they remain of European nationality.[/QUOT

 

 

 

 

In a big portakabin in germany one day talking in english to a lad stirring a massive pot of stew,he told me he was dutch,i said "how come you all speak 2 or 3 languages??",he looked at me dead blase and said "because nobody can speak the ....ing dutch,we have to learn":laugh:,superb! deadpan he was when he said it as well:notworthy:

 

Small country Pabs, and actually a small language, we had to learn French, German, English and Spanish at school..... it is amazing though there are a fair few foreigners that can speak the ....ing Dutch:laugh:. My lst husband was a cockney and was fluent in Dutch despite being English.

 

French remains my favourite language:jiggy:the romantic overtones are always there even if they are chastising you:biglaugh:

 

Susie x

[Guest chris955]

I didn't say we have bought them up to be English because we haven't.

 

 

It is very odd if you have brought your kids up to think their English when they were born in Aus and lived their whole life here.