Date   : Sat, 20 Nov 2010 22:40:07 +0000
From   : jgh@... (J.G.Harston)
Subject: [OT] Who'da thought...

Rick Murray wrote:
>> I'd force everybody to sit a citizenship exam in their late teens,
> Late teens? What about those, later in life, who decide that their
> country sucks so find somewhere "better"?

Here, have a one-way 'plane ticket, on me, conditional on destroying
your passport.

> It is an interesting point on citizenship rights. Would you deny said
> rights to a native of the country if they should fail the test?

Why should white kids born in this country automatically get rights
that brown people born overseas have to study and work hard for?

It's a grumpy old grumble I go into every now and then, usually after
encountering some hard-of-thinking idiot slagging off immigrants who
can spell better than he can, or when canvassing somebody who says
they're "saving their vote for next year" !
<Insert French Enterprise Captain Here>

> I never wrote about it on my b.log, but I took the British citizenship
> test and scored around 66%.

I think I got about 60%, but then, working in local government
I had an advantage...

It's like one of the Driving Test questions: how would you check
the oil? Truthful answer: I'd say to the garage attendant, I say
my good chap, check that the oil is all ok, won't you.

How many Parliamentary Constituencies are there? 464, 564, 646, 664.
I suppose it's cheating that as a political researcher I *know* none
of theose answers is correct. I've just skimmed through 24 sample
questions and most of my former constituents might be pushing it to get
4 or 5 correct.

> guys. That's Christmas wiped out. I think I ought to change my religion
> and pretend Christmas never existed. Mmmm, is there a religion with
> Monday as its holy day? I don't like Mondays, lobby to not work them... ;-)

You're doing penance for Saint Monday. And occasionally for Saint Tuesday ;)

> I *still* have no rights to vote in France. I can vote for local elections,

I'd at least like people to vote for their local councillor with the
intention of electing their local council, not vote thinking they're
selecting the Prime Minister. And I wish people would realise that 99.5%
of the population can't vote for Tony Blair/David Cameroon/Whoever. Only
the people who live in Wiston or Dunpherline or wherever can vote for him.
I've actually had people complain to me that Tony Blair's name wasn't on
the ballot paper when they went to vote. These are the people who you
want to line up against^W^W^W^W^W^Wgive democracy a bad name.

-- 
J.G.Harston - jgh@...