Lenox

(From the 'Round Town News'): 'RTN watched the debate in the Houses of Parliament on Monday afternoon which called for the amendment of voting rights for British subjects abroad and was interested to learn that of the 4.3 million people British citizens living abroad, only 23,388 of them are actually registered to vote; a fact that shocked most of the MPs in the House.
“The French have created a European constituency,” said the MP (Geoffrey Clifton-Brown), “to facilitate its national subjects that live abroad and they are able to vote for one of a number of parliamentary deputies allocated to expatriates, so why can’t Britain?”

Personally - I don't care about voting in the UK - but voting here beyond the local elections and, meaningfully, in Europe might be nice.

Domino

the right to vote should be transferrable as the individual moves from country to country. Subject to registering as resident in a particular country then they should be allowed to become involved in local politics in the country where they live.

The UK stop you from using your postal vote after 15 years anyway, and you rarely have any interest in home politics.

JLFS

Personally, I think if you dont live in a country then you should have no vote, because you will not have to live under their rules anyway.

what if the party put his interests ahead of the interests of the population who have not left the UK for pastures new?

It is wrong.

agoreira

Quite agree, once emigrated, that should be it, no vote. By emigrating they have made it clear they want nothing to do with that country, so why indeed should they have any say in what goes on there.

Fred James

True - I have no wish to vote in the UK but I would like the option to vote in Spain in the national elections.

Domino

So whilst seeing you are in agreement with me about that part, what about the other part - the transferrable vote ??
If a person is to become integrated or just take an interest in their new residencia then they should be able to transfer that vote to that country and be able to use it - subject to registering as resident.
this would mean that those who are living unregistered (illegally?) in a country would not have a vote, but never mind they would still have the one at home.

do not wish to bring in the TDS on this but as i have said there, anyone who is imprisoned should lose their vote

megmet

Like you I have no interest in voting in the UK but would like the option of a vote in the nationals.
What goes on here has much more effect on our lives, but at the moment we have no say in matters that affect us!

Lynn R

I feel the same way. However, I think that before foreign nationals are given the right to vote in any country (providing they are legally resident there of course) they should have to pass a test proving that they have at least a basic understanding of the political system in that country which would also IMO need to involve a knowledge of the language in order to be able to understand the manifestos of the respective political parties. Otherwise you might just as well stick a pin in the list of candidates. I didn't vote in the first local elections after I moved to Spain as I didn't feel I knew enough about the issues and the various parties (it was less than a year after we moved here) but did vote in the next ones.

jackytoo

Good point Lynn

Have to admit I would be pushed to decide who to vote for in both countries right now. I would probably vote for UKIP in the UK and Izquierda unida in Spain

cricketman

My God, Izquierda Unida?

Actually so would I, but I never had you down as a communist!

jackytoo

I'm not...just a floating voter Different solutions for different countries.

Lenox

Cecil Rhodes suggested a system whereby only educated people could vote... depending on who decides who is educated I suppose (anyone voting for that lot must be a nitwit!).

cricketman

That is the very principle of Greek democracy

bob_bob

Leave a country to live aboard and you loose the vote in my opinion. Why should some expat in Spain have the right to influence UK politics? Want to exercise your 'right' to vote? Stay in the UK.

Fred James

Interesting that voting in Greece in compulsory (but not necessarily enforced).