Opera boss gives up UK citizenship over Brexit

Opera boss gives up UK citizenship over Brexit

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norman lebrecht

September 04, 2016

The director of Netherlands Touring Opera Nicolas Mansfield today became a Dutch citizen, giving up his British passport.

Nicolas, like many Brits abroad, recoiled from the Brexit referendum. He has lived in Holland for 28 years.

‘I’m a man of principle,’ he says. ‘If my homeland takes a different path, I must cease to belong to it’.

mansfield

 

 

Comments

  • Mike Schachter says:

    The irony is that it is far from inconceivable the Netherlands may follow the same path. Where will he go then?

    • R. Gelderblom says:

      That’s never going to happen. Wilders may gather the biggest fraction in parliament, but never a majority for leaving the EU.

      • John Borstlap says:

        I would not be so sure…. it may be other parties who adapt the nexit idea, as they already took-over some of his ideas. And then, the NL is not really a European country, culturally speaking, just like the UK.

      • Theodore McGuiver says:

        Never say ‘never’. After all, Nigel Farage’s early campaign was based around not being able to have a smoke in his local while he downed his beer, and look what happened there.

  • Ellingtonia says:

    ‘If my homeland takes a different path, I must cease to belong to it’…..this from a man who has not lived in the UK for 28 years, I find that a bit rich. I know it will be difficult for those of us left in the UK to cope with this catastrophe, after all he has made such an impact on all our lives………….but being Brits we will keep that “stiff upper lip”

  • Androids says:

    Oh dear, how sad, never mind!

  • DESR says:

    Pompous, self-absorbed, virtue-signalling wally.

  • DESR says:

    And where has the ‘h’ in his Christian name disappeared to, and under what circumstances? Surely no Brit of his generation was named ‘Nicolas’.

    Has he in fact been passing himself off as a boulevardier for some time now?

  • DESR says:

    How principled is it to retain citizenship of a country you left nearly three decades before?

    No one out of the UK for just half of that time was allowed a vote in the referendum anyway.

  • Dave says:

    This guy is a pompous ass. ‘His principles?’ He hasn’t been home in 28 years.

    • Nicolas Mansfield says:

      Dave void of surname, I am very many things, but a ‘pompous ass’ I am not. I go ‘home’ at least 8 times a year to visit the country and people that I respect and love. You have NO idea. You proudly join the long list of people who turn their ‘mouths’ on before their brains.

      • Ellingtonia says:

        That’s very decent of you to condescend to visit “home” 8 times a year but as you can see we don’t give much thought to “carpetbaggers” who invoke their nationality when it suits them. You are just another of the “musical luvvies” who are bereft at the thought that the British people have exercised their democratic right. I aim sure the music scene in the UK will be devastated by your absence but your posturing pomposity.

        • Ellingtonia says:

          That last sentence should read “I am sure the music scene in the UK will be devastated by your absence, but not your posturing pomposity.”

          • John Borstlap says:

            It’s mysterious why some people want to throw filth on other people for no reason.

          • Elingtonia says:

            Mr B, You mean in the same way you throw “intellectual bullshit” our way on so many occasions?

          • John Borstlap says:

            There’s a difference between mere mud slinging and argumentation, but of course, that is a distinction that needs some time to perceive. Don’t give-up hope! It may be a long trajectory but in the end, most people get it.

    • Una says:

      In Britain, ‘ass’ has got an ‘r’ in it!!!

      • Theodore McGuiver says:

        Not if you’re referring to the four-legged, horsy-type version.

        • V.Lind says:

          Those are usually described as “silly.” The “pompous” ones are usually spelled as Una suggests!

          I was not aware either that you could not have dual British and Dutch citizenship. When I took my Canadian, I was assured by the British High Commission here that The British “do not let you go!”

  • Theodore McGuiver says:

    I didn’t realise you couldn’t have dual Dutch and British nationality.

  • Frederick West says:

    I trust that his ‘ principles’ extend to rescinding any pension rights from the UK as well.

  • DESR says:

    Can you not have Dutch and British citizenship? Will someone explain the true position?

    I do hope this is not a fit of pique, and an unnecessary step, complete with teenage door slamming on the way out…

  • Furzwängler says:

    What a wally. Lots of grieving Remainiacs still don’t seem to be able to accept the new situation.

    So let him wear clogs and shove a tulip up his posterior, who cares?

    • Nancy says:

      Reading all this vitriol, it might not be a bad idea giving up one’s British passport too. Too much riff-raff around.

      • DESR says:

        There is no point squealing when you get bit of the treatment in return: this man is essentially insulting his countrymen, and making great play of it to his Euro-chums to make himself – and them – feel better.

        Describing people who don’t enjoy being publicly insulted in this way, and who will call it out, ‘riff-raff’ just makes the point. If you do happen to be part of any discernible elite, this will only give it a bad name. (Not big, not clever, and definitely not ‘classy’.)

        And if you wish to follow him out of the door for these same reasons, please do so. But don’t just threaten us with your subjunctives, do it. And when you do, close the door quietly rather than with a slam. It is so much more dignified.

  • gina says:

    Twatt!!!!!!

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