Dear Paul, dear all,
I apologize for making a discussion point on a mailing list and for the
myriad demands for unsubscription that may follow this mail (to those
who feel spammed and want to unsubscribe, please, do not spam fellow
list receivers but manage your subscription yourself at
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=EUROPEAN-SOCIAL-POLICY&A=1).
I write this comment because I am honestly baffled by the proposed
petition. Why should I sign, as a European citizen, a petition that may
(or legally fail to) allow British nationals to get a European
citizenship. In fact, a simple majority of those British nationals who
voted (with the acquiescence of those British nationals who did not
vote) just expressed their wish to exit the EU. Why should a citizenship
of whatever nature be granted to people who, under majority rules,
democratically decided for exit not least because of the duties
membership involves. By granting the citizenship rights but not the
membership responsibilities, I would actually destabilize the very Union
which already fails in finding a fair compromise between public
responsibilities and individual rights. More problematic, however, a
successful petition on these lines would oust the democratic procedure
that resulted in the exit vote and if anything strengthen the exit camp
by overruling a national vote with an international one.
I actually do not blame the majority who voted for an exit but those who
wanted to stay and sadly and unfortunately failed to reach those groups
of exit voters who may not reap the same benefits or actually understand
the benefits a EU membership yields to them. If the more privileged
groups now fail to accept the majority decision, how can the system at
large be thought credible or legitimate or in any sense democratic.
However, I would sign such a petition if it were primarily aimed at the
thousands of refugees (including British nationals) who come to Europe
for political, social and economic safety and try - against all odds -
to make a life here for themselves. In the end, they bet their lives on
entering the EU and are not permitted but even shamefully used as an
argument (in all European countries) for exiting the Union. I apologize
again for my long response and for my inability to come up with a more
positive perspective on the suggested petition.
All the best,
Florian
Am 07.07.2016 um 11:32 schrieb Moore, Robert:
> Perhaps a constitutional lawyer can advise on this but it seems to me theonly _citizenship_ I have is my EU citizenship. Within the UK I am a _subject_ of the Crown and have no rights that the Crown can not take away.
> Am I correct?
>
>
> Robert
>
>
>
> Professor Robert Moore
> School of Sociology and Social Policy
> Eleanor Rathbone Building
> The University of Liverpool
> L69 7ZA
>
> Telephone and fax: 44 (0) 1352 714456
> ________________________________________
> From: Deals with social policy and social welfare issues in Europe [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Paul Spicker [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 06 July 2016 20:27
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: A petition on European Citizenship
>
> I have started a petition on change.org<https://t.co/zWRt5jWRzJ>, with the intention of submitting it to the European Parliament when it gains sufficient support (the EP online portal for petitions allows people to registersupport, but the first login takes a day, so it is not suitable for collecting signatures). Here is the text.
> Our European citizenship is a fundamental right. Please defend it.<https://t.co/zWRt5jWRzJ>
>
> We are citizens of the European Union. In the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU<http://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf>, the Union committed itself to the principle that each and every citizen has basicrights. However, the treaties did not directly create distinct legal protections of the status of a citizen, which were considered to be sufficientlyprotected by the actions of Member States, and Protocol 30 specifically reserves judicial processes relating to such rights to the United Kingdom. Ifthe United Kingdom ceases to be a Member State, British nationals may no longer additionally become European citizens. It does not follow that the fundamental rights currently held by British nationals should be treated as if they never existed.
>
> The EU needs now to consider how to deal both with the rights acquired byUK citizens and those acquired in the UK by citizens of other countries. Citizenship has been described as ‘the right to have rights’. If the rights of citizenship are truly fundamental, no person who currently enjoys the status of a European citizen should have their citizenship removed. No process which denies European citizens the right to have rights can be considered consistent with the Charter.
>
> The consent of the European Parliament is required before any agreement with the departing member state can be concluded. We therefore petition the European Parliament, as the guarantor of EU citizenship, to safeguard the fundamental rights flowing from EU citizenship both for us and for those elsewhere in the EU. We ask the Parliament and the institutions of the EU to ensure that British citizens who are currently citizens of the European Community, and who wish to preserve that status, should on application be able to retain European citizenship after the UK ceases to be a Member State.
>
> If you agree, please sign the petition by following this link<https://t.co/zWRt5jWRzJ> at https://t.co/zWRt5jWRzJ .
>
> It's been suggested to me that this might also be an appropriate subject for the European Citizens Initiative, which is a direct legislative proposal to the Commission: more at http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/welcome . This calls however for representatives from 7 countries, and competence in legislative drafting; does anyone know anyone capable of taking that forward?
>
>
> --
> Paul Spicker
> Emeritus Professor of Public Policy
> Robert Gordon University
>
> tel: +44 1334850164
>
> website: http://www.spicker.uk/
> blog: http://blog.spicker.uk/
--
Dr. Florian Hertel
Max Weber Fellow
Social and Political Science (SPS)
European University Institute, Florence
Office no. BF 231
Via dei Roccettini, 9
50014 San Domenico di Fiesole
Tel.: (+39)-055-4685-964 (2964)
Email: [log in to unmask]
The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, forwarding, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited without the express permission of the sender. If you received this communication in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.
|