Votes for the disenfranchised

I have an email from the Electoral Commission.

Thank you for your further email to the Electoral Commission.

'You will be able to register to vote as an overseas elector from January 2024.:

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Details, pleaseā€¦

Fingers crossed.
I felt sure that there woukd be something happen to stop this as so many of us will never vote Tory ever again and Labour are against it altogether.

If you like a good readā€¦
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN05923/SN05923.pdf

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I have a right to vote in Austrian elections, but Iā€™ve never had a right to vote in UK GEs at any time, despite being a UK taxpayer all my life.

Well at least you can do your bit to help keep out the neo-Nazis!

Honestly, I donā€™t live there and donā€™t feel I have a right to either seriously comment or have input into their selection of politicians. The idea that I should have a say that affects the lives of people in a country in which I neither live nor pay taxes seems repugnant to me.

Funnily enough i have literally just said the mirror image of what youā€™ve just said, over on the ā€œRosesā€ thread, before seeing your comment

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Fair enough. Iā€™m not judging your reply, but I do I disagree with your rationale because unfortunately the neo-Nazi movement is supranational and so I believe that where possible it should be opposed.

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From The House of Commons Library

ā€˜Votes for lifeā€™

The Elections Act 2022 received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022. It includes provisions to removing the 15-year rule.

Manifesto commitments have been included in each Conservative Party manifesto since 2015 to remove the 15-year limit on overseas voter registration. This is the so-called ā€˜votes for lifeā€™ policy. The Labour Party favoured maintaining the 15-year limit.

The Government proposals would also allow all British citizens who had previously been resident in the UK to register, not just those who were registered before they left. Other changes are designed to make the renewal process easier for overseas voters.

These changes will not take effect immediately.

Detailed secondary legislation is required to implement many aspects of the new provisions. It is expected this will be brought forward in 2023 with newly eligible overseas voters eligible to vote in 2024.

We are still waiting for the ā€œsecondary legislationā€

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Plainly the labour party donā€™t read SF. :wink:

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No matter what happens it wonā€™t make the slightest bit of difference until they appoint some MPs whose constituencies are solely for overseas voters- never going to happen.

Whatā€™s the argument for letting expats vote in UK elections when theyā€™ve lived elsewhere for more than 15 years? Other than Tory gerrymandering on a global scale, I mean?

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The right to vote should expire after the second GE following your departure or five years in the event of an early second GE. Youā€™ve made your bed by then. My last vote would be next year at the latest.
Big deal when the choice is, and the result
will be, either Tory or Labour simply because they are not Tory.

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I think thatā€™s fair. The Tories are going to promise to abolish inheritance tax in their manifesto. A lot of rich old expats around the world would vote for them on that basis, but wouldnā€™t of course have to lie on the floor for three hours waiting for an ambulance or potentially die because underfunded stroke units close nights and weekends. Votes should have consequences.

only three hours? .far worse stories about

ā€¦because some immigrants to France till have UK citizenship & UK state pensions.

I donā€™t believe itā€™s Tory gerrymandering either, as they have been less than keen to invoke the change back to a permanent right.

I disagree. See above.

I never thought Iā€™d care about losing my vote, but now that I have it irks me, even more so since, thanks to brexit, I no longer have any vote at all in France.

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If I do get a Vote backā€¦ be it UK or Franceā€¦ I will jolly well use it.

For me, I would feel I canā€™t complain about any future govt if, no matter what the outcome, I havenā€™t had the courage to actually Vote according to my own beliefs.

Everyone does things as they see fitā€¦ so not arguing/pointing any fingersā€¦ just saying :wink:

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I just stand by the argument that if you want to vote in a general election, you need to be living in the country to face the consequences of your choice. All too easy to vote for a Tory inheritance tax cut promise if you donā€™t have to put up with Tory public service cuts, no ambulances, crumbling schools etc etc etc.

European ex pats should have had a Brexit referendum vote, I totally agree, as they faced real consequences. And it seems to be the Tories pushing to abolish the 15 year rule. I wonder why.

Have you not read any of the above comments.
Our financial wellbeing depends on th e actions of the UK government.
We have family living in UK.
Do you really think that doesnā€™t matter and we shoukd be disenfranchised?
We paid lots of taxes when we had our company in UK.