This is the first part of 'I don't like politics'.
My objective: A very short read (capped at 2-3 minutes read so I don't bore you) but encourages you to vote (if you want your voice to be heard)
I consider this an educational blog, but also an opinion blog (otherwise you WILL get bored) so please understand that part of me.
What is my blog about? -
"I want to make a difference but I don't really understand it."
"It's all too complicated."
"I haven't got time."
"I want to make a difference but I don't really understand it."
"It's all too complicated."
"I haven't got time."
I've heard it all, from work colleagues to friends. That's why I created this short blog.
I don't profess to know it all about elections in the UK. But this is important to me. You can read more about why that is in here. But you don't have to.
By now I'm sure you already know we are heading for a general election on 12th December 2019. So first things first (and this will be the only thing I will share with you today).
Who can vote? Well, mostly:
- British Citizens aged 18 and above.
- British Citizens aged 18 and above.
- Common Wealth citizens resident in the UK.
See the government page here: https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk
Spotted it yet? EU citizens, even if resident in the UK, cannot vote in UK General Elections. UK citizens who have left the UK for over 15 years, cannot vote either.
For example, a French person who has worked and paid taxes in the UK all their life cannot vote. Unless they go through the complicated (and expensive!) process of naturalisation (that is acquiring British citizenship). But an Australian citizen can.
Fair?
People have given their lives fighting for this freedom so you can vote and have your voice heard in Parliament, where laws are made. Not all countries enjoy this freedom, so if you are lucky enough to be eligible to vote, register by clicking here now! Don't know who to vote for? Read my next post ;-)
*Disclosure: I use ads in all my blogs so I can maintain them.
Oh! and one last thing: Please comment (below ads) and share! The more I know, the better I can make the next one.
3 comments:
Here you can comment. I can't promise I will be back to you straight away but I will do my best!
To be fair, British expats cannot vote on general elections in the EU countries unless they get the citizenship. It may be argued that we all should vote in the country we reside and pay taxes at, regardless of our citizenships, but the EU lawmakers did not consider it wise (they did it consider it for the local elections, though), so I believe it would be unfair to demand from the UK government what our own governments do not grant either.
On the other hand, they do that with Canadians, and British citizens cannot vote in their federal elections.
I agree with you about reciprocal voting rights, however I believe Common Wealth countries do not reciprocate either. This is something each country can do individually as they see fit.
If anything, Parliament has the power to grant these rights to resident EU citizens (and overseas Britons), particularly in the current climate.
Imagine the result of the 2016 referendum if only EU residents had a vote!
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