Home Secretary THERESA MAY WRONG With Passport Claim The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is generally agreed to be the foundation of international human-rights law and covers the issue of nationality that would arise if Theresa May was to follow through on her warning. The article states: THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction 1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. The UK has been a signatory to this treaty since 10 December 1948. In fact it was Charles Dukes (one-time Labour MP), along with Eleanor (wife of Franklin D.) Roosevelt, who helped draft the resolution, and tied signatory nations into following it to the letter by inserting Article 30: Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. As such, the simple legal position is that Theresa May has no choice but to accept that any Scottish person living in Scotland who wishes to retain their UK passport is indeed a UK citizen who merely happens to be living in a different state, as millions do now. Should she attempt to interfere with that choice the UK would be in breach of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, which would be more than a touch problematic for international relations.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:20:42 +0000