Second-class citizens claim in heated debate
LOCALLY born children will be either first, second or third class citizens under divisive proposals in the new population law, the States was told yesterday.
Peter Roffey led calls for birth right provisions to be reviewed and then changed to create equality, but his amendment was rejected by 21 votes to 17.
In a topic that dominated the day's debate, at times the different sides both argued that the other should 'hang their heads in shame' as passions ran high.
Deputy Roffey argued that the legislation itself 'seeks to divide us into sheep and goats'.
Under the law, a baby born here with a Guernsey-born parent and grandparent would have an automatic right to live here at any time.
But a baby born to Guernsey parents whose own parents were not born in the island, would need to gain full residency rights through an eight-year qualification period.
Home Affairs minister Mary Lowe argued the States had had this debate twice and needed to move on.
It had decided on something that reflected what the population wanted, she said.
Amendment seconder Deputy Matt Fallaize described the birth right provision as distasteful and nasty.
'This is deliberately ensuring that some local children have second class residency rights,' he said.
