Over this Michael Ashcroft, Lord Paul thing and non doms.
There\’s much heat and light being expended upon whether someone who is a non dom (and thus not paying the same taxes on worldwide income as someone who is dom) can be a member of the legislature.
OK. And now the research we\’d like to see.
What is the citizenship and domicile status of everyone in the House of Commons?
For you don\’t have to be a UK citizen to be an MP (Eire, Commonwealth or EU is sufficient). I don\’t actually know whether you need to be a citizen to be domiciled here (I can imagine the rules could work either way).
But are there any MPs who are not UK citizens? I know of at least one MEP, but what about MPs?
And how would we find out?
Those are very interesting questions of Tim’s.
Last month, over on A Very British Dude, I suggest something both similar and different: http://brackenworld.blogspot.com/2010/03/non-domiciled-who-cares.html?showComment=1267525050367#c3719438111675919532
That all our parliamentary representatives (Commons and politically active Lords) should not only be British Citizens, but British Citizens by birth.
No matter of what disparate ethnicity and cultural upbringing they have, how else can we know there is a very good chance that they properly understand this country and its peoples?
Best regards
Can EU citizens stand? Wikipedia says just British, RoI and certain commonwealth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_Administration_Act_2006
Tim adds: I think you’re right actually. I’m getting confused between everything except national elections. You can stand for everything except MP as an EU citizen. Councillor, MEP etc etc…
Off the top of my head, Giselda Stuart is German by birth, Patsy Hewitt is Australian and Rudi Vis was born in the Netherlands.
Don’t know much about these days, but I was always fairly interested in this chap, the 19th Century had a lot going for it.