landahoy

How do you feel about poms who become aussies through the citizenship process and then turn their back completely on where they originally came from?

Should we suddenly stop supporting England in football <make that soccer> and cricket and start backing the Aussies?

I have been involved in several heated debates regarding this. We have pommie friends who have decked their outside area with green and gold and the husband has started wearing Australian cricket shirts/rugby shirts to matches in pubs etc. I cringed when we were out the other day in a bar and got chatting to some Aussie guys and when asked where we came from my pal said in the broadest yorkshire accent that she was Australian! I tend to say I am English by birth and Australian by choice. The wife was quite scornful when i returned from a recent trip to the UK with english football strips for my English born and Eenglish supporting boys, saying to me that she thought we were Australian now!

Don't get me wrong I love living in Australia and support the Aussies at all times [I]except[I] when they are playing against the English. I can't change where I came from and who I am by birth and I can't pretend to be Australian just because I happen to be fortunate enough to qualify to be a citizen here!

Is it just me feeling like this???

The_Wookie

I'm British. That's not going to change.

I will probably go through the citizenship ceremony etc, but I will still be British. It was where I was born, and the country I identify with.

I cannot believe that someone would start wearing Aussie sports colours and claim they're Australian. That's ridiculous.

My wife who is Australian also obtained British citizenship and she would never say she's British over Australian.

steve`o

and the shit stirrer of the week award goes to landahoy for his / her first post, whats up nowt better to do ???

Petals

As time goes by and you are here for a long time its only natural that allegiances change. When you have children born here and you take everything from the country why support another one. Its a choice to become a migrant and an Australian, therefore do not criticise people who choose to support their new home. Over the centuries people have moved countries and changed allegiances its the way of the world.

We support Australia now why would we not we have lived here for over thirty years and we will die here, bit silly supporting the UK.

Rainydaze

Surely honouring/supporting both countries is not mutually exclusive? You can demonstrate loyalty to your adopted country whilst respecting your original heritage, surely?

pumpkin blossom

If I were an ozzie citizen out of Australia I would tell people I was Australian.

If I were in Oz I would also reply that I was ozzie, but origionally from UK (as obviously my accent isnot ozzie).

But for sports (which I hate) I would support UK, just to wind up the ozzies lol.

I moved to Manchester from down south, and when abroad and asked where I was from I would reply manchester, as that was where I lived, even though I have a very southern accent and spent most of my life down south.

Hubbie however when we lived in Cambridge for 4 years would still tell people he was from Manchester when abroad. It used to drive me MAD. People would ask him questions about Manchester which he couldn't answer as he hadn't lived there for 4 years!

renth

I guess it's the difference between a genuine immigrant compared to someone who is here as a "lifestyle choice".

medwaymark

I was born in Sydney, then moved to the UK when I was 4. Always been a proud Aussie..... now I'm here (36 years later) I'm a pommy bastard

emelems

Each to their own I say... if people want to support and become part of their new country then there is nothing wrong with that and if they take that to the extreme, then so be it... neither is there anything wrong with OP (or any other british person) celebrating their roots and their culture and embracing their Britishness whilst living here either ...

Can't say I agree with OP's insistance that other expats have to adhere by his way of living his life tho..

Em x

emelems

oooh... took me a minute to figure that one out! lmao!

Em x

landahoy

LOL thank you for your nomination for stirrer of the week steve which i reluctantly accept! Despite my first post I really am a live and let live type of person and really don't care who supports what when who or why HOWEVER I had my cage rattled by people who strongly criticised me for what I chose to do and they just will not accept that i am still entitled to support england now that i have dual citizenship, it got very heated recently and i just wondered with us both sitting so completely on opposite sides of the fence what other peoples views were. In response to the person who has been here for 30 odd yrs - absolutely you should be supporting the Aussies and I'm pretty sure when i've been here that long i'll be doing the same but I'm talking about people who have been here for 3 yrs and citizens for less than one.....

medwaymark

Cryptic....my middle name

landahoy

ps to emelems - i have never insisted anyone adheres to my way of living my life.... jeepers

emelems

When you put it like that, it does seem a bit ... ah ffs.. can't remember the saying?? is it "Turn Coat"?? (my mum used to use the phrase!)

You carry on supporting our England boys in all the sports and if people don't like it, then they will just have to get over it!

Thats how I like to live my life! stuff the lot of 'em!

Em x

emelems

It just came across a bit like that when I read it thats all, sorry !

Em x