If you've been out of the UK for less than 15 years you are still eligible to vote.
Registration is simple and takes a couple of minutes. You will need your passport to hand (and your NI number if you know it) and all you need to do is follow the instructions here.
Don't forget to post this thread on your FB pages too and tell your friends!
Well said Brian
Hi Roger, we are sending our postal vote request forms back to Pembrokeshire in the morning so I can vote the Tory mp out as he could not care less about us in France loosing our winter fuel allowance even though we had temps of -25 and-19 in the last two years, don’t know who to vote for as all seem only interested in their own bank accounts, but at least we will hopefully be voting
It may only take a few minutes to register -which I did,but it took 3 weeks of chasing the local council where I lived to get confirmation of a postal vote. I rang after a week or so and although they had received and processed my vote application they hadn't processed the postal vote. It took another 2 weeks after that before I got a confirmation letter. Just be aware thst you may need to check and chase the council offices up.
A good link - thank you.
Well I'm sure all the good people of SFN will be on hand to help in any way we can - practical or emotional support. (You do surprise me re the bingo and Very Lynn btw.....)
Whereabouts are you headed for Doreen? x
Thank you all, I do like the diverse and well thought out replies, I wish you all the joys of living in your chosen country. Some of us can't escape, well not yet any way. The latest thinking at the moment by the political commentators is that it will be hung parliament, maybe your vote is more important than both you and the politicians realise, though goodness forbid that they use public money to campaign on your doorstep :)
Thank you so much Catharine.
I thought it would be complicated but it was so simple and I'm very pleased you put this up. For anyone about to attempt it, just click the START NOW button. Have your passport at hand for the number.
If you provide an email address you get the Postal vote application form in your inbox immediately.
It really only takes a few mins.
Excellent.
Is it really necessary to state again why the British Citizen abroad should have some form of representation to the UK Government?
The following list will vary in emphasis according to your age and status. It is not complete.
1. Financial :- Pensioners receive the State pension from the UK. Many have income from banks, investments, property in the UK. Quite a large number are taxed by the UK (under OECD rules) - all these are subject to UK fiscal rules. If the UK left the EU certain parts of this could be seriously affected. As it is the UK has shown a tendency to 'do down' the citizen abroad. Whatever one's personal view of the 'benefit' issue (WFP - Attendance Allowance - Disability Allowance ) the UK treasury has displayed a discrimination against the Citizen beyond Dover - Which is hardly consistent with the principle of 'freedom of movement'.
2. Treaties - We all reside freely in other States of the EU because of the treaties with the EU. In other parts of the world (e.g. Australia etc. Treaties seriously affect the lives of the British Citizens. We should have some input into these matters as and when the situation arises.
3. Cultural reasons. The relationships of the UK all around the world should surely be of interest to ALL British citizens wherever they live as much they interest those who reside in the UK
4. Social. When one votes one surely is also thinking of one's own family. Most of us have close relatives resident in the UK. One's grandchildren for example - even parents if you are young enough. You may be thinking that you may need to return to the UK. If so, it is desirable that the country to which you may return is the sort of country where you want to be. You vote may help to fashion it.
The existing system of voting for an ex-constituency is not good. Indeed it is ridiculous. But we are where we are. Change will not happen unless we show interest and use the vote! I and a good many more have no vote at all for any National Government - because we left the UK +15 years ago. Remember a Nation is the people, not concrete, nor countryside.
Some say 'But I want to vote for a representative to France - Spain - one's State of residence. This is a valid point of view. And my feeling is to support it. But that is not exclusive. I believe that democracy means having a say wherever a Government makes laws which affect you in one or more of the four ways above. Why should you be forced to vote for only one location of Government? Yes one vote per person for one Government, but not necessarily only a vote for one Government. Remember also that no-one is forced to vote but no-one should say 'I don't want to vote or don't need to vote - so you shouldn't have the need, or chance to vote!' To be a good Citizen of a Nation is to uphold the good qualities of that Nation. A good Government recognises the qualities of the Citizens of the Nation wherever they reside. That is why we have passports.
My belief is that there should be MPs representing the Citizen Abroad who understand the diverse nature of the group and their needs and thinking. A citizen abroad is for good or ill, in some manner an ambassador for the UK (or England, Wales, Scotland, N.I. if you will). A continuing dialogue between the National government and all the Citizens of that Nation must surely be good. The French and Italian Governments understand that.
Roderic, it all depends on your individual situation. If like my wife and I, your only income (our Pensions) comes from the UK, and you know there are Tory MPs who are in favour of freezing pensions as a way of providing IDS with his welfare cuts, then you worry about the political agenda going forward. There are something like 470,000 UK pensioners living in the EEA. Dave has just pledged the 'Triple Lock' will stay, which means we should all get 2.5% pension upratings in each of the next five years, if he gets back. IDS is known to be fiercely opposed to that, and pressure should be put on him to identify where £12 Billion of welfare cuts will come from. As a registered voter you have a legitimate reason for lobbying and badgering individual MPs to listen to our case. Those of us in France have already lost our Winter Fuel Payments - what's next?
But lots of people may not have left permanently / plan to go back etc. etc.
Catharine, Really glad you brought this up - 20 days to go - its really simple to do - but it is vital! At some point after there is a new Government in the UK, there will be a debate about overseas voting. One of the arguments against change at all is that so few 'bother' to register, and those who want to pull up the drawbridge to prevent us ever going back will quickly jump on the bandwagon against us. So, even if individual SFN readers are hesitant about actually voting, they should have no qualms whatsoever about registration. REGISTER TODAY!
The other aspect is Dave's pledge for a Referendum on the EU. There have been far too many Tory MPs who do not want expats to have a vote in a referendum, and so here again, there is a need to ensure your registration is in place, and, is renewed in each of the next two years at least. We know the Kippers are dead against expat voters, because they suspect they know which way we might vote in a Referendum. REGISTER TODAY DON'T DELAY!
And, remember, if you are registered as a voter in any constituency you are entitled to lobby and badger the MP who represents that constituency. I reckon we will need an awful lot of us to do an awful lot of lobbying and badgering over the next couple of years.
There has been a great deal of discussion about Scottish MPs voting on purely English matters, it does strike as being weird that ex pats are allowed influence the political agenda of a country they have left.
Thanks, done.
bizarre, but done!
done ;-)