Lockdowns over

Interesting point. A genuine question, did your kid(s) and their partners vote for Brexit?

 

Not sure why he's so touchy about me having an opinion about ex pats voting in UK elections when he permanently resides abroad- I even said in my initial comment my frustration is more directed at the law that allows it . Surely that is going against the spirit of it? You are voting for something in a constituency that you don't live in. It would be highly selfish to do so in my opinion. I used to live in HD8, I wouldn't dream of trying to vote in that constituency now that I live in Wakefield!!!

Pretty sure he has said before that he voted for Brexit too, for whoever asked that.

 

Thinking of society, is looking after yourself and yours is it not?

 

One of those is an action of the government. One of them is an action of groups of civilians.

As the party of opposition, Labour's job is to scrutinise the government's behaviour. With regards these gatherings, the government should be reacting to it - Labour then agree or disagree.

 

What a pile of self-satisfied ****. I bow down to your superior knowledge, intellect and cool rationale. Is it difficult being so much smarter than everyone else?

 

Bless

D.C. went to a public school and then onto Oxbridge, his father owns an estate and his father in law owns an actual flipping castle. And despite this, he’s managed to convince people like you that he’s not part of the establishment.

FFS the civil service is as meritocratic as any other major part of British life. Far more so than banking, politics, media. His plans for the civil service is not to make it meritocratic, it’s to make it political. The entire point of the civil service is that it’s apolitical. He wants to turn it into a tool of government.

 

Spot on. Further to that, his wife is also Oxbridge and is a lead writer at that reknowed revolutionary organ, The Spectator. Her first piece was published in it when a certain B. Johnson was editor.

He's nearly Che Guevara.

 

No she isn’t, she wasn’t bright enough. She only went to a red brick despite going to boarding school and having an aristocratic background.

 

These lovely people won't even pay my rent & service charge. I've paid taxes for 27 years. **** them. Over my ******* dead body. It may come to that.

I love thinking about the times when football mattered,

Nothing matters to me any more. I don't live in a country that is in any way civilised. **** it.

 

Many people in this country are civilised. Please don't forget you have friends on this board.

 

Hey JP, hope you’re ok?

 

OK I apologise for being abusive. Not really an excuse but I put my back out (unbelievably by merely bending over and twisting slightly to put a plug in the bidet at which point it felt like I had been stabbed in my kidney), currently in a quite a lot of pain immobilised (typing this in bed) and am on a short fuse (as my wife will testify). Got my grumpy head on!

Nevertheless 2 points... there is a limit on how long people can vote living abroad 15 years (25 if living in Germany). Contrary to what you are saying , many people believe that limitation should be removed and Govt are actually considering it. I totally get your point that being forced to vote for an area you no longer live in is contrary to having some influence over your quality of Life particularly voting in local elections (which I don't.) However IMO GEs are less about local politics and about selecting whichever Party is going to be the next one to f*ck up the economy as the new National Govt . Also, I don't understand why you don't change your constituency to vote where you are domiciled - something you can do but I can't.

People who talk about mobility and FoM and yet argue that people living and working outside the borders of their own country should have no say in who is elected to run the country are, with respect, missing a fundamental point. Just because a person is living abroad does not mean he/she is immune from decisions and laws being passed. Many aspects... dual taxation treaties, pensions, allowances, Incomes tax rates, Health cover (all these bearing in mind can affect people who still have a financial tie to their country of origin) Inheritance tax, Death duties etc. can have an effect on the lives and also the lives of their families still resident in the UK. Removing the right to vote leaves anyone liiving abroad diesnfranchised.

I admit to finding it odd that expats can cast a vote, be it postal or proxy, only in the Constituency you were last registered in before leaving the country. I cannot see it working any other way really since you have to accommodate the increased mobility of the workforce many of who move regularly.
Perhaps (although it would probably be fraught with constitutional difficulties), a 'new' constituency could be created allowing expats to vote for an MP representing the interests of people working, living or retired abroad. That way they are represented and whoever is elected be he/she independent or a party member could focus solely on representing their interests in matters which affect them. Again, restrictions could be imposed restricting the said MPs voting rights in Parliament only to matters that impact expats but that would make more sense than the current system.

Again apologies for my outburst. Many things/jobs I need to do around house garden which I cannot at present which is very frustrating.

 

Unfortunately, far too many people have slipped through the cracks. Anyone with Indefinite Leave to Remain (I think thats the category) doesn't even qualify for UC, so are in even worse trouble. That doesn't help you, but if there is anything we can do to help please ask.

 

Have you got any family that can help you? There are professional organisations out there too that can help. I'm concerned about the nature of your recent posts and am worried that you're considering doing something unsavoury to yourself mate.

 

Thank you, I really appreciate your apology and hope you feel better soon. We all lose our rag every now and again, me included

I do vote for where I live and always have, even at uni I registered in my local area then. I respect your opinion about voting and I get that when you move to another country it doesn't mean you shouldn't care anymore.

 

Not for the first time, a Post has raised a question for me that I ‘d never thought of.
Re: voting outside your constituency, my representative is Stephanie Peacock who I think was “parachuted” in from the West Midlands. I
wonder what the protocol is for her vote.

 

There is a (strong) argument that candidates in a constituency should be resident in the area they want to represent (or within a few miles), and should have been a resident for a period of time before they are allowed to be a candidate.

The counter argument is that "strong" candidates who live in the "wrong" area would never get elected - think William Hague in Wentworth.

"Local" candidates would understand the local area and concerns of the population and might be more motivated to work for the benefit of the constituents. "Parachute" candidates might have a different perspective (which can be good or bad), and might have more knowledge or experience of how issues would affect the country as a while.

 

Have prisoners got a vote at General Elections yet?

 

So they'll take it away eventually? They won't give it to anyone though. No matter how long I'll live here, I'll never be allowed to vote for an MP. Local elections are as much as I'll be allowed to vote for.

 

Thanks for that, and for not mentioning that Ms. Peacock was the lady friend of then deputy leader Tom Watson. But still, where would she cast her vote, where she lives (and vote for someone else) or in Barnsley (where she wants others to vote for her) ?