Scots councillor vows to apply for Irish passport to keep European links after Brexit
by Kaiya Marjoribanks, https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/authors/kaiya-marjoribanks/A Stirling SNP councillor has pledged to apply for an Irish passport so he can retain links with Europe after the Brexit split today (Friday).
Bannockburn ward Stirling Council member Alasdair Macpherson says he will keep the passport until Scotland gains independence from the rest of the UK.
And he took a sharp dig at Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Reiterating remarks he posted on a private Facebook page, Councillor Macpherson said: “On Friday, Scotland is being dragged out of Europe against our will despite the fact we voted overwhelmingly to remain in it.
“I do not want to be part of Boris Johnson’s racist little Englander project, where the voice of the Scottish people is contemptuously ignored.
“We are being ‘half nelsoned’ into a Union Jack-clad straight jacket for the foreseeable future and I am not prepared to accept that.”
The councillor believes his family history will ensure he will receive the Irish documents.
“I’m sure there are many, like me, who qualify for an Irish passport through parents and grandparents.
“My late grandmother was born in Kilkenny in the Irish republic, which entitles me to apply for an Irish passport. I fully intend to do this soon.
“Until Scotland becomes an independent nation, I will be proud to be an Scottish/Irish citizen. Given the protocols that have been agreed with the Irish and UK governments I do not see any potential problems.”
Councillor Macpherson highlighted Irish news reports which claim the number of Irish citizens in the UK has jumped by nearly 100,000 thanks to record numbers of applications for Irish passports from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
They suggest the spike in Irish passport holders in the UK has been a continuous trend since the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Last year the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said: “Whilst Northern Ireland will no longer be part of the EU, people born and raised here that choose to be Irish citizens will still be EU citizens.
“This means they can continue to move and reside freely within the EU. The UK has committed to upholding their rights.
“They cannot be discriminated against on the basis of nationality.”
Councillor Neil Benny responded: “People are tired of these clownish stunts from Councillor Macpherson.
“This is the same councillor who was suspended for six months for aggressive , disrespectful conduct, something that is unacceptable in Ireland as well as Scotland.