The questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XII

[nonconformist]

You can be, but you can't use the term "Sir" unless you're a British citizen.

 

[really]

Not really.
We have the Gurkhas, which recruits Nepalis, and the SAS has a high degree of non-English, but since membership of the armed forces requires allegiance to the Queen (excepting the Marines), non-commonwealthers are usually forbidden.

Commonwealth + Irish

We are given an exception for some reason.

I wonder if an EUian could argue that the restriction is against the free movement of people?

 

[nonconformist]

Not really, as it's nothing to do with free movement, but rather to do with national security and loyalty, methinks.

 

[Yared]

You can be, but you can't use the term "Sir" unless you're a British citizen.

Does an honourary citizenship count?

 

[nonconformist]

No such thing?

 

[Yared]

Oh, you guys don't have that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenship#Honorary_citizenship

 

[Shekwan]

Commonwealth + Irish

We are given an exception for some reason.

I wonder if an EUian could argue that the restriction is against the free movement of people?

Interesting. Is this a recent development? If it is an allegiance thing as noncon suggests then surely recent history would bar Free Staters from joining the British Army?

 

[Tee Kay]

How siimilar are the Scandinavian languages? Are they mutually intelligible? Can I go to Sweden speaking Danish and would most people understand me, or am I better off speaking English?

 

[Frank Drebin]

i guess more swedes speak english than danish.

 

[really]

Interesting. Is this a recent development? If it is an allegiance thing as noncon suggests then surely recent history would bar Free Staters from joining the British Army?

Afaik it is a leftover from the Free state - when we became independent most of what is now the commonwealth was empire so there were no impediments to joining the military.

Many Irish still served in the British military so we were given an exception and it has never been changed.

wikipedia quotes

In 2008 Commonwealth origin volunteers comprised approximately 6.7% of the Army's total strength. In total 6,600 foreign soldiers from 42 countries were represented in the Army, not including Gurkhas. After the Gurkhas (who are from Nepal), the nation with most citizens in the British Army is Fiji, with 2,185, followed by Jamaica and Ghana with 600 each; many soldiers also come from more prosperous countries such as New Zealand, South Africa and the Republic of Ireland.

There has been a strong and continuing tradition of recruiting from Ireland including what is now the Republic of Ireland. Almost 150,000 Irish soldiers fought in the First World War; 49,000 died. More than 60,000 Irishmen, more than from Northern Ireland, also saw action in the Second World War; like their compatriots in the Great War, all were volunteers. There were more than 400 men serving from the Republic in 2003.[19]

 

[nonconformist]

I think it might also relate to Ireland's long tradition of mercenaries,

 

[Arakhor]

You know, as a kid, I always wanted to be knighted by the Queen of England Oh well.

You're 300 years too late. Queen Anne was the last Queen of England.

 

[madviking]

You're 300 years too late. Queen Anne was the last Queen of England.

TECHNICALITY BURN!

Owch...

 

[Ulyaoth]

Is German easy to learn? I've lately been realizing as I suddenly got impulse to try and teach myself Italian by listening closer to my grandma and dad speaking and watching videos and things in Italian and trying to read things in Italian, that I've forgotten a whole bunch of things. But unfortunately there's no available Italian classes in my school to take as a refresher(any language class won't count towards my degree so it'd just be for the hell of it) German is available and I figured since I want to try to learn a number of languages anyway it wouldn't be a bad thing to try.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Bob Geldof can't call himself a Sir since he is Irish though.

 

[nonconformist]

He can't, but Irishmen knighted before (I think something like 1986?) are allowed to.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Well Live Aid was in 1985 so he must be really annoyed

 

[nonconformist]

I was really annoyed.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

So was I! I used to love the Boomtown Rats. Went to see them in 1980. (maybe 1981)

EDIT: I love this song


Link to video.

EDIT: Fantastic live performance too


Link to video.

 

[GinandTonic]

Commonwealth + Irish

We are given an exception for some reason.

I wonder if an EUian could argue that the restriction is against the free movement of people?

There is this odd element of UK law that basically sees the Republic as kind of part of the UK. Not only the Commonwealth liberties of being able to vote if resident and join the forces, but no papers needed at the border and national insurance contributions repatriated to the Republic to compensate for the old age care of the Irish who worked in the UK and returned. It's a particularly British mix of being decent, but with an undertone of passive aggressive paternalism.