Justcol

Is it fair that those of us who have chosen a life elsewhere should vote in UK elections and referendums
we are voting on issues that realistically have no affect on us. Shouldn't such decisions be left to those who live there ??

It's like telling the people who bought your house what colour to paint their bathroom

escapedtonz

I don't think we should have the right to vote on UK stuff now that we live here.
As you say, it doesn't affect us here in the slightest and we seldom even check out the news nowadays because we were sick of reading about Brexit crap.

grant r

If you want the uk to leave the EU with a no deal then please vote for Boris 😂😂😂
Because as I'm still stuck in this country for a little while longer every little bit helps lol

Robbie2010

I never voted in UK elections when I was in NZ as I never intended going back. I think you can vote in UK elections for up to 15yrs after you left. Far too long in my opinion .. I think it should be 5yrs max, although there are plans to bring it in for life!

BEVS

The UK leaving or not leaving the EU will have an impact on NZ simply because of the trade deal quotas & tariffs. The NZ government has been working on contingency plans in readiness for whatever pans out. NZ is not independent at all of what is happening with this UK/EU exit so it needs to be paying attention. In any case NZ is a part of the Commonwealth so there is a commonality. It is not set far off and aloof from these matters even if it is in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.
When the UK entered the Common Market many decades ago , that sent NZ into tough times and a recession which many of the older generation bitterly remember . It has slowly fought its way back to where it is today. However it will be impacted again and this time hopefully will be able to cushion itself.

I am a British Citizen . I am also an NZ Citizen. Both countries are of interest to me. As a citizen I have a democratic right and also a responsibility to cast a vote if I am offered the luxury of making a choice about an important matter which could impact on my life and also on those around me both in my current country of residence and my country of birth and where my family still live. Although I do not live on UK soil at present my right to vote remains for 15 years if living abroad. Following that the right is removed . The aim of that is to allow expats to have their say. If NZ did not follow this particular level of democracy then it would not allow for dual citizenship. It does. In any case as a part of the commonwealth there is a commonality.

This time I may not vote. If I could I would. Two main reasons:-
1 - What happens with this UK EU exit will impact on NZ and that is where I live
2 - What happens with this EU UK exit will impact on the UK which I may once again return to live.

Never ignore a right to vote . It is your chance to have your say. Some people do not have that luxury.

Charismatic

I just enjoy sticking my beak in to cause trouble. Like a naught little Kea pulling the rubber parts of a tourists rental car for fun.

My other point would be that you don't have to reside in another country to be directly impacted by a government. If you've got property or investments in the UK or you are primary tax resident a change in government might have a direct impact on non-residents.

I'm uncertain why the UK needs an election or if it will return a decisive outcome on this issue, particularly given its flawed electoral system. It has always seemed probable to me that the way forward was bipartisan. On reflection Boris and Theresa where the best thing that could have happened for those of us that are pro-EU. Had someone competent and less self-aggrandising been appointed it's very likely they would have got the job done. In a way, if the future looks like the past, it's immaterial who wins.

scrubbedexpat094

I haven't voted in a UK election in the nigh on 13 years we have lived here, mainly because I've had other stuff on my mind. Given how hard women struggled to get the vote, I believe it is imperative on me to vote and I would if I was living in the UK. I have always exercised my right to vote in NZ.
Despite reading the news on the BBC, I don't know enough about what is happening in my former electorate (though I did try and organise myself to vote there a few years back, ill health got in the way) and therefore wouldn't know who to vote for, so I don't.
On a national basis, I'm sort of glad I'm not living there at present as I wouldn't know who to vote for in terms of the main parties. I'm not a fan of BoJo or Corbyn.

Given that I hope to return to the UK one day, I am interested in maintaining my right to vote.

Clappy

I have not voted in any other UK elections but I did vote in the Brexit referendum because I still have a British passport and the outcome of that vote effects it.

Anyway, I don't live there any more, I don't pay any taxes there any more, so I am not going to vote in this next General Election. They can do what they like - it is none of my business.

Justcol

I just see it as wanting to interfere because we can and wanting to live there again isn't really a reason unless that's going to happen relatively soon.
Brexit has been coming for 3 years, if NZ hasn't made contingency plans by now, it deserves to fall into a recession.
I can't find anything anyone has said reason enough to make me think we should be voting.