Nigel Farage has called for Commonwealth citizens to be banned from voting in British elections.
The Reform UK leader said that only naturalised British citizens should be allowed to vote, while residents from Pakistan, India, and other nations should lose the privilege.
The current rules allow Commonwealth citizens to register and vote if they meet residency or leave-to-remain conditions.
Ditto citizens of the Irish Republic.
100%.
Dual citizens too…
That’s an interesting one. There’s even a respectable case for abolishing dual citizenship though I’m not persuaded.
I’ve twice vaguely looked into dualling. I thought one of my grandfather’s having been an ANZAC might qualify me for Aussie. Not a bit of it – turns out that their sentimental gushing about ANZACS is, indeed, just sentimental gush. I also looked into Oirish but found that my Oirish grandad had been so negligent as to be born in England, so no go there either.
Many countries don’t allow dual nationality. Germany, for one – my mate who became a citizen (he’s a prof over there and married to a Krautess) had to renounce being a subject of HMK.
Chris Miller, Germany now allows joint citizenship.
This was a Sholz-era relaxation of nationality law, designed to allow immigrants to retain their original nationality whilst also acquiring German citizenship.
I suppose the poor things might have got upset, otherwise.
Subject to many exceptions, yours truly included.
Yes, I agree with that – certainly for central government elections. I might be less firm about local government, particularly with (say) parish councils, but for county councils of the unitary authority type, and mayoral elections then again I agree.
Pre-Brexit, that is how it worked here. I could vote for the local council that emptied the bins, etc. but not Central Government.
Post Brexit I get no vote in return for my taxes.
A sensible decision, which makes you wonder why it’s left to Farage to make it!
Because he’s one of the few politicians who doesn’t care about being invited to north London dinner parties or being criticised by The Guardian.
Because Farage is the only politician who tries to move the Overton Window to the right…
I can already hear the cacophony of cries of protest and the word that will be the star of the show. How is Pakistan going to get their bridges ‘n airports and stuff like that if they don’t have enough MPs in Parliament? And Gaza. And The Gambia…
Indeed, and the loudest bleating will come from the mindless, virtue-signalling left; desperate to show solidarity with third worlders, while despising their neighbours.
These are countries which accept no reciprocity in terms even of residence, never mind franchise. Use that as a condition and it will be an issue of ‘fairness’ and thus defensible. Otherwise expect cries of racism etc.
It’ll be interesting watching the Left defend the current system, which is clearly racist, since it only gives the votes to Commonwealth and Irish nationals.
Restricting it to UK citizens would actually make it less racist. Farage the egalitarian.
This shouldn’t be because of “sectarian cheating” but because it’s simply wrong. If you want independence, you get independence. No call up to fight Britain’s wars, but also, no deciding anything in Britain. It should have been done the day after they became independent.
This should also be spelt out to the SNP. We can, if we wish, build a wall along the border with machine gun posts if you try and come in. We can leave you to be slaughtered by Norwegians if we so wish. Ex-wives don’t get to call on ex-husbands to deal with spiders.
Also ban them from holding public office.
Revive the Test Act.
This does seem a reasonable condition for we Aussies. We don’t have a vote in your elections, you don’t have a vote in ours.
If we wish to change this, we must obtain UK citizenship. As you’d have to gain Aussie citizenship to vote here.
Don’t you also have to be Oz-born with no dual citizenship to be eligible to hold elected office?
This falls under blindingly obvious common sense.
Adult Citizen Franchise. Stop pretending they’re still imperial possessions and they’re really British, just with their little toy-town Parliaments and their own governments and stuff. It’s actually insulting really.
I am a firm believer in “No taxation without representation.”
So people who contribute should be allowed to vote – at what level is the question. Non citizens should be allowed to vote in local elections.
I can’t remember now about my Austrian missus. She was allowed to vote in the Euros, but I don’t recall seeing a locals polling card for her.
She knew who the local MP was though.
I’m sort of with you – much as I’d like to discriminate against clan societies having voting rights in the UK, the principle that should apply is that taxation gets you some representation.
BBC licence payers should get to vote for the Board of Trustees
And tax paying foreigners (including non-Commonwealths, in practice mainly Europeans without Ireland and USA) should get to vote.
And no vote for ex-pats if your main residence is outside the UK now.
@ Ottokring
So under-18s should pay no tax on their earnings and buy goods and srervices at ex-VAT prices? Businesses should be exempt from council tax? Abolish corporation tax?
Good sound-bite but …
No no no 🙂
What has priority ?
Charlotte Church was paying 40% tax at 14. She didn’t have the vote then and probably shouldn’t have it now. My late missus paid tax but being forrin had no mandate.
The first hurdle is the voting age, then citizenship, then other qualifications of which direct taxable status ( including Council Tax ? Perhaps ) is one. The issue really is at what level should the person be allowed to vote.
I am a British Citizen living in New Zealand. I have been able to vote here since the day I arrived.I still retained my UK vote until I was certain that we were staying permanently ( and to vote leave in the Brexit referendum ) .Once we knew we were staying I gave up my UK vote .I vote here because I now have permanent residency although still British.I pay taxes so should have a say in where and when they are spent.
Now I’m duel citizen with UK and NZ nationality (and had to get a new UK passport to get over here for a family funeral) but you needed residency to vote, rather than being in NZ on a work visa? There are also requirements around time in NZ for eligibility? https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00001062
The people who should be entitled to vote are those who will be governed by those elected. Realistically, that means long term residency (rather than intended residency) – not citizenship.
I note that the rest of the article makes a valid point about postal voting and undue influence in the voting booth (the reason we have a secret ballot is that historically there were problems with coercing or buying votes), but can’t resist putting in stuff to pander to the racists and xenophobes.