I'm curious why he didn't apply for German citizenship two years ago when this process started. It's not like he isn't eligible. He's has been in Germany since the 1970s. It's disingenuous to say he is being pushed out by Brexit.

It's probably the same reasons a lot of long-time green card holders in the US don't apply for US citizenship. Applying for another country's citizenship can be daunting (even if it is "simple" it still involves many steps), expensive, time-consuming, and possibly have an uncertain outcome (what if it doesn't work)? For a lot of people, citizenship is either something they don't worry about at all--because what they have works for them--or something they worry about very much because what they have doesn't work and they can't get the one that does.

This gentleman likely fell into the former category and had more important, to him, things on his mind than "what does this piece of paper in my file cabinet say about where I'm allowed to live." Besides, he may have firmly believed all of the things said by the British government about how "Brexit won't change the status of settled EU citizens" and thought that applied to him and so on.

It's easy to dismiss his concerns without having lived his life and I don't think we should do that.

That's not the same thing at all. Brexit is different.

Prior to Brexit, country of origin really didn't matter. Who cared if you lived in Germany but had a UK passport. It didn't matter.

Now, like it or not, we have a situation where the circumstances have change. That privilege has been taken away. We have had at least two years notice of this change. This is why there is such a surge for Irish passport applications.

Wanting to be in Germany on a UK passport post Brexit is a meaningful as wanting to be in the USA on a UK passport.

He could do that, but dual citizenship is hard to acquire in Germany so that might be a reason to not do it I guess.

It‘s extremely simple. Several friends of mine have gone through the process and just had to do the language and society tests. Should not be an issue for someone who lived here for fifty years.

It's not. Plenty of people have done it.

What I’ve been hearing (which is admittedly not always reliable) is that Germany doesn’t like dual nationality, but seems to turn a blind eye in certain circumstances, one of which is the other country also being in the EU. That specific condition is causing a bit of angst in the few UK friends I have here in Berlin.

> Germany doesn’t like dual nationality, but seems to turn a blind eye in certain circumstances

Dual citizenship isn't a matter of "liking" but of treaties between the two countries. Some countries have it, some don't.

> special rules for EU citizens: They are not required to give up their previous citizenship in order to become naturalized German citizens, if their country of origin does not require Germans to give up their citizenship to become naturalized citizens of that country. [0]

[0] https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/EN/themen/migration/...

He'd have to renounce his British citizenship though in order to get German citizenship.

No, not for EU citizens.

which he won't be in a very short space of time, barring what seems likely to amount to a literal revolution in the UK.

If he had gotten the citizen by now without having had to renounce his British citizenship, would he be forced to renounce it if/when Brexit finally happens?

Dual citizenship is discouraged but I don't think officials would care enough to actually "force" anybody... https://www.dw.com/cda/en/dual-citizenship-granted-to-most-n...

From what I've heard it seems like no, the double status is likely to be allowed to continue.

You're focusing on the wrong thing here. It's not about whether he could have navigated a fucked up system to solve his specific problem, it's about the fact that the system is so fucked up that it violates expectations to this insane degree (man who lived somewhere for over 40 years peaceably and even contributorily is now having to leave).

He doesn‘t have to leave. He just can‘t stand as a mayor anymore. No Brit has to leave, that has been clarified by all EU host countries.

He is not required to leave. As stated in the text he is probably loosing his job as mayor as soon as the Brexit happens.

He doesn't have to leave. He just can't be a mayor unless he's willing to apply to German citizenship (which he'd get in a heatbeat) because you're required to be an EU citizen for that. Have you read TFA at all?

Leave office, is what I mean.

Also, from the guidelines:

> Please don't insinuate that someone hasn't read an article. "Did you even read the article? It mentions that" can be shortened to "The article mentions that."

Lots of things change in life, regardless of how much we don't want it or how fair it is. I don't want Brexit either, but that's not going to change it.

That's not the conversation this article is trying to have. Of course things change, the conversation here is how terrible those changes are. Maybe that's not interesting to you or redundant, but to others it is interesting and those people want to keep talking about it/making points about how stupid it is.

Yawn. I can see where this is going. If people don't show an outward display of fevered anti-Brexit sentiment they are immediately shot down as somehow pro-Brexit. It's not that binary. I'm very anti-Brexit, but I'm sick of these disingenuous woe is me articles.

Sorry human suffering bores you. Feel free to let us talk about this issue on our own at any point!

> The Scots mayor in north Germany being pushed out due to Brexit

Never heard "Scots" used as an acceptable, non-plural, abreviation of Scottish.

As an actual Scot it's definitely standard for some things: Scots law, Scots pine. Wikipedia says:

"The use of "Scots" and "Scottish" is not altogether consistent; but in most words and phrases referring to Scotland's people one or the other is normally used: there is a certain tendency for "Scottish" to be used in more formal contexts."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_(adjective)

Edit: There is probably absolutely no sensible reason why it is Scots Law but the Scottish Government.

Scots law still seems plural to me i.e. The law of the Scots. Neither example you gave refers to an individual law or pine.

"Scots mayor" in this cases refers to an individual and just seems a little off. Happy to be corrected :) also not a big deal either way as the writer is German.

It's both an adjective (equivalent to Scottish or even Scotch sometimes) or a plural noun.

A Scots pine.

It wouldn't be 'a scot pine'

Understable if you're North American, where 'Scottish' is all I really hear. But it is common in the UK, for example 'Scots law' for the legal system in Scotland.

I'm from the UK. Scots as plural is normal. This seems to be singular i.e. The Scottish mayor -> The Scots mayor.

Isn't it singular in e.g. 'Scots law'?

I believe it is still a plural use of Scots i.e. The law of the Scots. "Scots mayor" is in this case is not referring a mayor of Scotland but an individual who is Scottish and happens to be a major. Just seems off. But the writer is German so no worries.

And I'm not trying to be a Scots Inquisition, just interested in language usage :-)

Or a Scotch Inquisition - which is what happens to you if you put Coca Cola in a malt.

Yeah, that's plural.

I am sure he has been long enough there to claim German citizenship.

Damn brits, stealing our mayors!