Caller Tells Shelagh That You Can't Be An EU Citizen And British
10 March 2017, 16:29 | Updated: 10 March 2017, 16:44
This caller told Shelagh Fogarty that if Brits apply for EU rights post-Brexit, they should renounce their British citizenship.
The European Parliament's chief negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, has said that British citizens should be able to choose to keep various benefits of EU membership on an individual basis post-Brexit.
LBC Presenter Shelagh Fogarty thinks it sounds like a good idea, but this caller, Jackie from Orpington, has a different idea.
The pair found themselves in a heated discussion.
Jackie said: "In Spain, or Greece, or Germany, wherever you are, and you're living in one of those countries, and you use their Health Service, they are straight away sending that bill straight through to the NHS. Is that fair?"
Shelagh said: "Well as long as we can do it, as long as we can do the same, it's fair."
She went on: "Claiming on the NHS, we can, we can claim that back."
Jackie responded: "We can claim it back but we never have."
Shelagh said: "Well that's that's not the same as not being able to, Jackie. That's not the same as not being able to."
Jackie wasn't happy. She said: "Well I know it's not, but what I am saying is, the amount of money that has been wasted with what's been going on with the NHS, where [we're] not claiming money from people outside the EU, as well as the people that are within the EU, OK?
"So as far as I'm concerned when it comes to citizenship, if you want to take citizenship in within Europe, by all means you take permanent citizenship, but you lose your right to vote in general election within this country, because you are not part of, you don't want to see yourself as part of the British culture, you want to see yourself as part of the European culture."
Shelagh said: "That's not true. You're telling me, you're telling me how I see myself. I think you'll find that I get to tell you how I see myself."
Jackie hit back: "You're part British, part English, part Irish, part this, part Tim, Tom, Dick and Harry. You know, you sound very confused to me."
Shelagh added: "I'm not confused at all, I'm not confused at all. Why am I confused? Maybe you, maybe you just have a less layered personal history, bloody history, I don't know."
Jackie said: "No, my parents are both Irish, proud of it, very proud of my Irish heritage."
Shelagh said: "Oh but you're not confused, but I am? Oh we'll leave it there, if we may. Somebody saying you can describe yourself as an Anglo Irish, and be British, you can, because they're all part of the British Isles. It's, yeah, it's history, but anyway."
