Clacton

[swanarcadian]

I have long favoured MPs representing Brits abroad in the British Parliament, rather like the French do with their expats and overseas territories.

[john07]

Jul 23, 2024 22:30:26 GMT swanarcadian said:

I have long favoured MPs representing Brits abroad in the British Parliament, rather like the French do with their expats and overseas territories.

But the overseas territories are constitutionally part of France and elect their own deputies.

The approach taken to allow expats to vote in the Constituency they last resided is a rather unsatisfactory fudge. It is presumably intended to harvest the votes from reactionary expats living in the Med?

[timrollpickering]

Jul 23, 2024 22:51:12 GMT john07 said:

Jul 23, 2024 22:30:26 GMT swanarcadian said:

I have long favoured MPs representing Brits abroad in the British Parliament, rather like the French do with their expats and overseas territories.

But the overseas territories are constitutionally part of France and elect their own deputies.

However more and more parliaments also include representatives for citizens living outside the state. Does anyone want to calculate just how many constituencies we now live in?

[john07]

Jul 23, 2024 23:14:37 GMT timrollpickering said:

Jul 23, 2024 22:51:12 GMT john07 said:

But the overseas territories are constitutionally part of France and elect their own deputies.

However more and more parliaments also include representatives for citizens living outside the state. Does anyone want to calculate just how many constituencies we now live in?

I think a better solution would be to create an additional constituency (or constituencies) rather than allocate them to the last constituency they resided in.

[J.G.Harston]

Jul 23, 2024 20:28:23 GMT uthacalthing said:

UK retirees who live in Spain (like my Remoaner brother-in-law) really ought to STFU about Brexit. It's none of their business. And Irish people? Them as well.

Two of the many issues which a well-crafted Voter Suppression Act ought to cover along with postal votes and the removal of people from the register if they miss three consecutive elections with a £10 fee for re-registering

Not a Voter Suppression Act, but a proper Franchise Act:

Franchise Reform Bill

Abstract
To Establish An Adult Citizen Franchise

1: A person shall have the right to vote if both of the following apply:
a) The person is an adult
b) The person is a citizen of the United Kingdom

2: No amendments to these conditions shall be made by amending this Act, but
by legislation relating to Adulthood and Citizenship.

3: The right to vote shall immediately cease if any of of the following occurs:
a) The person ceases to be an adult
b) The person ceases to be a citizen of the United Kingdom
c) Upon conviction of an appropriate offense.

4: No amendments to these cases shall be made by amending the Act, but by
legislation relating to Adulthood, Citizenshop, and Sentencing.

5: All persons who have the right to vote by the Act shall also have the right
to stand for election, and engage in all parts of the electoral processes.

6: All previous Acts, or parts of Acts, relating to franchise rights are hereby
repealed.

[J.G.Harston]

Jul 23, 2024 21:54:13 GMT Jack said:

You shouldn't have to give up citizenship, but if you move abroad and are not planning on returning and pay no UK taxes, you shouldn't still get a vote.

The franchise should not be based on if you are rich enough to pay taxes.

[Deleted]

Or only to people who are rich enough to go through the citizenship process. The process should be far less costly

[john07]

Jul 24, 2024 0:19:21 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Jul 23, 2024 21:54:13 GMT Jack said:

You shouldn't have to give up citizenship, but if you move abroad and are not planning on returning and pay no UK taxes, you shouldn't still get a vote.

The franchise should not be based on if you are rich enough to pay taxes.

It's nothing to do with being rich enought to pay taxes. I am not totally convinced that tax-dodgers living in the Cayman Islands need to be given specific rights to vote.

[J.G.Harston]

Jul 24, 2024 0:40:42 GMT john07 said:

Jul 24, 2024 0:19:21 GMT J.G.Harston said:

The franchise should not be based on if you are rich enough to pay taxes.

It's nothing to do with being rich enought to pay taxes. I am not totally convinced that tax-dodgers living in the Cayman Islands need to be given specific rights to vote.

They are not given specific rights to vote. They do not have their voting rights removed from them. If you want to make tax dodging an electoral offense resulting in termination of electoral rights through due sentencing, that's fine, make it a specific sentence for that crime.

[edgbaston]

Jul 24, 2024 0:08:55 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Jul 23, 2024 20:28:23 GMT uthacalthing said:

UK retirees who live in Spain (like my Remoaner brother-in-law) really ought to STFU about Brexit. It's none of their business. And Irish people? Them as well.

Two of the many issues which a well-crafted Voter Suppression Act ought to cover along with postal votes and the removal of people from the register if they miss three consecutive elections with a £10 fee for re-registering

Not a Voter Suppression Act, but a proper Franchise Act:

Franchise Reform Bill

Abstract
To Establish An Adult Citizen Franchise

1: A person shall have the right to vote if both of the following apply:
a) The person is an adult
b) The person is a citizen of the United Kingdom

2: No amendments to these conditions shall be made by amending this Act, but
by legislation relating to Adulthood and Citizenship.

3: The right to vote shall immediately cease if any of of the following occurs:
a) The person ceases to be an adult
b) The person ceases to be a citizen of the United Kingdom
c) Upon conviction of an appropriate offense.

4: No amendments to these cases shall be made by amending the Act, but by
legislation relating to Adulthood, Citizenshop, and Sentencing.

5: All persons who have the right to vote by the Act shall also have the right
to stand for election, and engage in all parts of the electoral processes.

6: All previous Acts, or parts of Acts, relating to franchise rights are hereby
repealed.

Ridiculous, if you’re permanently settled in the UK you should get a vote, this isn’t Rome with citizens and serfs. You’re also cooking up all sorts of problems in Northern Ireland.

[edgbaston]

Jul 24, 2024 0:40:42 GMT john07 said:

Jul 24, 2024 0:19:21 GMT J.G.Harston said:

The franchise should not be based on if you are rich enough to pay taxes.

It's nothing to do with being rich enought to pay taxes. I am not totally convinced that tax-dodgers living in the Cayman Islands need to be given specific rights to vote.

They have 85k people, I would give them an MP, however this would also come along with the British government being able to democratically intervene somewhat more in their affairs to the disadvantage of the said tax dodgers.

Bermuda can have an MP as well
Anguilla, Turks/Caicos, the Virgin Islands and Montserrat can be grouped for 1
Gibraltar is a bit small but we can add on the troops in Cyprus to make up the numbers a bit for a Med MP
The other 6 southern territories can be grouped for 1, in practice a Falkland Island MP

The 3 crown dependencies should have an MP each too

So 8 extra MPs with only 2 severely undersized

[doktorb🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️]

There could be some collars getting sweaty in Jersey and Guernsey if they find themselves as MPs subject to financial regulations. 

I'd support the CDs and OTs being given 'observer status' of some kind. Maybe when Starmer finally gets around to turning the House of Lords into a democratically accountable second chamber, the remaining bits of Empire could be given seats as part of the new system.

[Devil Wincarnate]

Jul 24, 2024 0:19:21 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Jul 23, 2024 21:54:13 GMT Jack said:

You shouldn't have to give up citizenship, but if you move abroad and are not planning on returning and pay no UK taxes, you shouldn't still get a vote.

The franchise should not be based on if you are rich enough to pay taxes.

German permanent residence (and any voting rights thereafter) requires evidence of continuous payment into social security/healthcare. It works.

[islington]

Jul 24, 2024 0:08:55 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Jul 23, 2024 20:28:23 GMT uthacalthing said:

UK retirees who live in Spain (like my Remoaner brother-in-law) really ought to STFU about Brexit. It's none of their business. And Irish people? Them as well.

Two of the many issues which a well-crafted Voter Suppression Act ought to cover along with postal votes and the removal of people from the register if they miss three consecutive elections with a £10 fee for re-registering

Not a Voter Suppression Act, but a proper Franchise Act:

Franchise Reform Bill

Abstract
To Establish An Adult Citizen Franchise

1: A person shall have the right to vote if both of the following apply:
a) The person is an adult
b) The person is a citizen of the United Kingdom

2: No amendments to these conditions shall be made by amending this Act, but
by legislation relating to Adulthood and Citizenship.

3: The right to vote shall immediately cease if any of of the following occurs:
a) The person ceases to be an adult
b) The person ceases to be a citizen of the United Kingdom
c) Upon conviction of an appropriate offense.

4: No amendments to these cases shall be made by amending the Act, but by
legislation relating to Adulthood, Citizenshop, and Sentencing.

5: All persons who have the right to vote by the Act shall also have the right
to stand for election, and engage in all parts of the electoral processes.

6: All previous Acts, or parts of Acts, relating to franchise rights are hereby
repealed.

Lunatics? Members of the House of Lords? (Potentially overlapping categories admittedly.)

[Devil Wincarnate]

Jul 23, 2024 22:51:12 GMT john07 said:

Jul 23, 2024 22:30:26 GMT swanarcadian said:

I have long favoured MPs representing Brits abroad in the British Parliament, rather like the French do with their expats and overseas territories.

But the overseas territories are constitutionally part of France and elect their own deputies.

The approach taken to allow expats to vote in the Constituency they last resided is a rather unsatisfactory fudge. It is presumably intended to harvest the votes from reactionary expats living in the Med?

The campaign to reduce the threshold on voting rights was a cross-party affair, with heavy Labour involvement.

Plus, the Med expat vote probably has as many people who vote Labour every time despite holding eyewateringly right-wing views as it does Reform voters!

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Jul 24, 2024 6:43:13 GMT Devil Wincarnate said:

Jul 23, 2024 22:51:12 GMT john07 said:

But the overseas territories are constitutionally part of France and elect their own deputies.

The approach taken to allow expats to vote in the Constituency they last resided is a rather unsatisfactory fudge. It is presumably intended to harvest the votes from reactionary expats living in the Med?

The campaign to reduce the threshold on voting rights was a cross-party affair, with heavy Labour involvement.

Plus, the Med expat vote probably has as many people who vote Labour every time despite holding eyewateringly right-wing views as it does Reform voters!

The main leader of the campaign, Harry Shindler, was a Labour supporter - but that doesn't mean it had Labour involvement in the campaign.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Jul 23, 2024 21:18:29 GMT observer said:

Jul 23, 2024 21:11:20 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

You are a UK citizen, who chooses to live in a place which is under EU rules. So you would be substantially less affected by changes to the EU-UK relationship than most other UK citizens.

I make my voting decisions on the basis of what I believe would be best for Britain.
Americans abroad get a vote in US elections. And the French, Spanish, Brazilians...and on and on and on
Those decisions are based on the understanding that people may live and work abroad but are still citizens of their countries. Are you saying that people should give up their citizenship when they go abroad?

Observant readers may have noticed that I did not at any time suggest you should not have the right to vote. My comments were solely concerned with which policy decisions do and do not impact you.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Jul 24, 2024 1:22:50 GMT edgbaston said:

Jul 24, 2024 0:08:55 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Not a Voter Suppression Act, but a proper Franchise Act:

Franchise Reform Bill

Abstract
To Establish An Adult Citizen Franchise

1: A person shall have the right to vote if both of the following apply:
a) The person is an adult
b) The person is a citizen of the United Kingdom

2: No amendments to these conditions shall be made by amending this Act, but
by legislation relating to Adulthood and Citizenship.

3: The right to vote shall immediately cease if any of of the following occurs:
a) The person ceases to be an adult
b) The person ceases to be a citizen of the United Kingdom
c) Upon conviction of an appropriate offense.

4: No amendments to these cases shall be made by amending the Act, but by
legislation relating to Adulthood, Citizenshop, and Sentencing.

5: All persons who have the right to vote by the Act shall also have the right
to stand for election, and engage in all parts of the electoral processes.

6: All previous Acts, or parts of Acts, relating to franchise rights are hereby
repealed.

Ridiculous, if you’re permanently settled in the UK you should get a vote, this isn’t Rome with citizens and serfs. You’re also cooking up all sorts of problems in Northern Ireland.

I think the Government of Ireland Act would probably deal with the issues in Northern Ireland, but at the cost of creating a much bigger problem with the Republic.

[Devil Wincarnate]

Jul 24, 2024 8:26:14 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

Jul 24, 2024 6:43:13 GMT Devil Wincarnate said:

The campaign to reduce the threshold on voting rights was a cross-party affair, with heavy Labour involvement.

Plus, the Med expat vote probably has as many people who vote Labour every time despite holding eyewateringly right-wing views as it does Reform voters!

The main leader of the campaign, Harry Shindler, was a Labour supporter - but that doesn't mean it had Labour involvement in the campaign.

Happy to be corrected. I had seen a communication from Labour International that read as if they had been directly involved. But it sounds like it was a personal initiative.

[observer]

Jul 23, 2024 22:04:32 GMT r34t said:

Jul 23, 2024 20:45:24 GMT observer said:

It is our business. We're UK citizens.

You have every right to make comments. I have every right to ignore your hypocrisy. 

It's you that's the hypocrite