Suffering For Suffrage

I am opposed to lowering the voting age, but I accept that the "British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen" requirement to vote and stand in parliamentary elections is out of date. 

I am fairly sure that the ERG or the Daily Mail does not really want to extend the franchise to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, as is already the case, but not to Americans or Israelis, who do not currently have it. 

So, while requiring parliamentary candidates to be British citizens in Great Britain, or British or Irish citizens in Northern Ireland, I would have no nationality qualification, simply as such, for voting. But such a change should only be introduced with a mandate from the previous General Election.

In any case, changing the Electoral Register to comply with such changes to the law would take at least six months, and Stella Creasy, a hardcore Blairite, is motivated by the desire, not to enfranchise Sixth Formers and EU nationals for their own sake, but to delay yet further the General Election for which the victims of austerity are crying out.

Creasy has of course been reselected as a Labour candidate. Another hung Parliament is coming, however, and we need our people to hold the balance of power in it. A new party is now in the process of registration.

After nearly 30 years of suggestion, speculation, and even a sort of preparation, I will stand for Parliament here at North West Durham. The crowdfunding page is here, and buy the book here. Please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.