BRITISH CITIZENSHIP

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 103, 3 May 1932, Page 7

BRITISH CITIZENSHIP

IRISHMEN IN ENGLAND.

IF DE VALERA SUCCEEDS

IRISH IN IRELAND ALIENS

United Press Association—By Electric- Tel** graph—Copyrisht. _ (Received 3rd May, 10 a.m.)! ■ LONDON, 2nd May. The assumption that a declaration of independence would result in an Irish resident in England losing his ( British citizenship rests on a misunderstanding, declares Professor Berriedale Keith, in an article in the "Manchester Guardian." ,

"The-.separation of a part of the Empire by revolutionary action is not unprecedented, and decisions of British Courts show clearly that a declaration of independence does not affect British subjects, including Irishmen, unless such independence is recognised by the Crown. If.it were recognised, the Courts would probably hold that.British Subjects resident in the Free State have lost British nationality, but could not maintain that Irish citizens resident in England and the Dominions had forfeited nationality conferred by British legislation which the Free State cannot alter. Parliament alone can deprive persons resident in Britain of British nationality, but it cannot seriously be supposed that Parliament would do so, even if Mr. de Valera broke the treaty. "Irish citizens remaining in the Free Stafe'would become aliens pura and simple, subject to all the disabilities of alien status." * Dr. A. Berriedale. Keith, D.CJO., D.I/itt., Barrister-at-Law, Begins •■ Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology at . Edinburgh University since 1914,. ana Lecturer on the Constitution of the British Empire since 1927, is., a. distinguished "jurist. After a. brilliant scholastic career and some university lectureship work, he entered the Civil Service in 1901 and was appointed to the Colonial Office. He received, special thanks; for his work itt connection with the Alaska Boundary Arbitration of 1903, and for two years after that was Secretary to Crown Agents.for the Colonies.* He was appointed to represent Britain, at the Colonial Navigation Conference of 1907, and was Joint Secretary of the Imperial Copyright Conference of 1910 and Clerk to the Imperial Conference of 1907. He was also associated with the 1911.;- Imperial Conference; became secretary to. Sir John Anderson, the Permanent Tinder-Secretary of State, and later was member of the Committee on Homo Administration of Indian Affairs. -Subsequently he was Examiner in the British Constitution, Public Administration, and Finance to the University of London! He has published many works on foreign affairs, Indian history and literature, colonial policy, and constitutional law. s