TNAG-0903-FCO40-1113-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1979 — Page 13

CODE 18-77

Mr Clift

CONFIDENTIAL

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DESK OFFICER INDEX

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PROPOSED CHANGES IN BRITISH NATIONALITY LAW

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I have discussed Mr Hilary's letter and enclosure below with Mr Grey in NTD. Mr Figg has already asked them to send a circu- lar telegram to Governors, seeking views on the Home Office's proposal that colonial citizens should be called "Citizens of the British Colonies" and on NTD's preferred alternative "British Colonial Citizens".

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2. I reminded Mr Grey that neither title fitted in with Hong Kong's expressed preferences (see Mr Murray's letter of 23 October at folio 129 below for a summary of Hong Kong's preferences), though I was well aware that the Hong Kong view had always been that the question of nomenclature was secondary the most important point being to ensure the creation of the third category.

3. I questioned the use of the words "Colonies" or "Colonial" in the title. These have become emotive terms which both we and the Hong Kong Government are at pains to avoid these days, preferring where possible to use more neutral terms such as "territory" or "Dependent Territory" There is also, it seems to me, a Chinese angle to this (though admittedly this point has never been made by either the Embassy in Peking or by anybody in Hong Kong): Chinese may find it very difficult to stomach any title which starkly identifies Hong Kong as a "British Colony". They could be expected to have less difficulty over the term "British Dependent Territory", since this could be held to be compatible with their view of Hong Kong as Chinese territory temporarily under British administration.

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4. Admittedly, the present term "Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies" includes one of the taboo words. But there is an important difference between a long-established term that everybody has become used to and new terms being introduced now for the first time.

5. Mr Grey suggested, in the light of these comments, that NTD's telegram to Governors should also ask whether they might be pre- pared to accept either "British Dependent Territories Citizen" or "Citizen of the British Dependent Territories".

6. I also told Mr Grey that we were not very happy with paragraphs 4 and 5 in the Home Office's draft, dealing with the special diffi- culties of Hong Kong. He said that we should not worry too much: NTD thought that the whole Home Office paper was pretty ropey, and would have to be thoroughly revised. They will be consulting other interested departments, including HKGD, and we would have a chance then to suggest modifications.

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CONFIDENTIAL

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