That's exactly the problem (for me). It kind of diminishes the importance of someone's death by pretending that they haven't *really* died. I dislike "passed" intensely.

🤣

***seemS FFD

..from regaining his German citizenship for a long time & he lived most of his life here as a stateless person. He did get back a German passport in the end, but this story illustrates that the country in question becoming "safe" may be only part of the story. + He had an English wife & kids by then

Yeah, I was just thinking of a friend of my parents who came here as refugee from Germany in the 1930s. He was never granted British citizenship and, IIRC, was stripped of his German citizenship for being a deserter [sic] before he would have lost this for being Jewish. This fact prevented him

Dunno. But I note that @davidallengreen.bsky.social seem to think this to have been the right move?

And has been pointed out, fundamentally, this is about scapegoating vulnerable people who made rational decisions to flee, and you or I would have done the same, but somehow they are "bad people" because they aren't currently British.

(Hell, some used to be British)

There is also an ongoing muddle shared by almost everyone who debates this on TV/wireless (see eg NN last night) twixt ppl living here undocumented, ppl who come in small boats and declare themselves, and ppl who come though entirely legal channels. All mixed in with "border control" nonsense.

Indeed. And it is the best way of dealing with crazy anomalies such as those produced by the child benefit system and problems like pensioners who don't need it getting the fuel allowance.

Good!

The (postulated) Wittgenstein connection is very interesting methinks.

Here you are!

But it won't arrive then either. And thereafter, they will just start ghosting you. And you'll have to get back to the sender to send a replacement. And then go round the loop again.

4) And whenever I visit the hospital, the department is empty, and one of the nurses advances towards you, syringe in hand, if you do much as glance in their direction as you go by. This seems like a terrible waste of resources to me!

3) When you arrive for your appointment, no matter how early you are, you are seen instantly. In fact the two nurses compete with each other for your custom. I sat in this department for over an hour yesterday (waiting for K not for a test) and only 3 patients turned up and were dealt with.

2) .. with an online booking system. This is always booked ahead until next Michaelmas - making life difficult if you need an urgent test or need to coordinate your test with a consultant appointment. But the worst feature is that the two nurses now spend most of their time waiting for patients.

But I suppose we have a huge advantage as Brits (cf Americans) abroad in that we understand that each country has its own unique (and often weird) logic and that you just have to inform yourself and get your head round this if you travel.

There are also all sorts of bat-shit crazy things in US airports.