CONFIDENTIAL
FM HAMILTON 17163ZZ
CONFIDENTHAL
HKK 3NOL!
ALIVED IN REGISTRY NO. ST 2 0 AUG 1979
DESK OFFICER INDEX
мо
TO PRIORITY FCO TELEGRAM NUMBER 114 OF 17
UGUST
YOUR TELNOS 51-53 TO ANGUILLA.
51-33
NATIONALITY LAW,
68
sex 69
THERE WAS LITTLE LOCAL REACTION WHEN THE 1977 GREEN
PAPER, DISCUSSING POSSIBLE CHANGES IN BRITISH NATIONALITY LAW, WAS
PUBLISHED, MOST DERMUDIANS EVIDENTLY RECOGNISED THAT THE CHANGES
CONTEMPLATED WOULD NOT IN PRACTICE MAKE MUCH DIFFERRACE TO THEIR
PRESENT POSITION. THEY SHOULD STILL RECOGNISE THIS. NEVERTHELESS,
WHEN CITIZENSHIP ARRANGEMENTS ARE ACTUALLY CHANGED, WE MUST EXPECT
THAT SOME OF THEM WILL EXPRESS EMOTIVE VIEWS. MINISTERS HERE WILL
BE ODLIGED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THESE, ALTHOUGH THEMSELVES QUITE
RELAXED ABOUT THE MATTER AND DISPOSED TO TRY AND BE HELPFUL,
(32)
2. THE MAIN DANGER IS OF ILL-FEELING OVER TERMINOLOGY
( YOUR TELNO 52 ). AS YOU SAY NEITHER QUOTE BRITISH CITIZEN
J
OF DEPENDENT OVERSEAS TERRITORIES UNQUOTE MOR QUOTE BRITISH
COLONIAL CITIZEN UNQUOTE SEEMS REALLY SATISFACTORY. INDEED, BOTH
THESE TITLES MIGHT BE CRITICIZED, BY LOCAL OPPONENTS OF THE
CHANGES, AS ANACHROVISTIC AND UNDESIRABLE., AND OPPOSITION TO
EITHER COULD SOON MOUNT TO A POINT AT WHICH ITS IMPOSITION
WOULD CAUSE SERIOUS RESENTMENT,
3. WHILST QUOTE BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZEN UNQUOTE MIGHT HAVE PROVED
LESS CONTROVERSIAL
1 CAN UNDERSTAND WHY IT SHOULD BE RESERVED
*
FOX PEOPLE WHO BELONG NOWHERE.
CONFIDENTIAL
/ 4. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES,
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