At British parliamentary elections, the franchise currently extends to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, but not to Americans or Israelis.
Is that what the opponents of extending it to EU nationals prefer? Not that EU nationality, as such, should have anything to do with it.
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.
At present, any Commonwealth citizen may vote and stand, including a citizen of Mozambique, which was never part of the British Empire in any way at all.
Is that what the opponents of extending it to EU nationals prefer? Not that EU nationality, as such, should have anything to do with it.
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.
At present, any Commonwealth citizen may vote and stand, including a citizen of Mozambique, which was never part of the British Empire in any way at all.
When countries leave the Commonwealth, then a stroke of the Ministerial pen guarantees that their citizens remain voters and potential candidates in Britain. It happens more than you might think.
Irish citizens may and do vote and stand throughout the United Kingdom. Sinn Féin will be in government across all 32 Counties this time next week, and forever thereafter.
In a comment on a previous post, I was aghast to see that someone was still peddling the Andrew Neather nonsense. Everyone has given up on that one. It never gained any traction even at the time. For all the tabloid coverage, did you ever hear anyone mention it down the pub?
In fact, one of the most interesting features of Britain since the referendum is that no one ever mentions immigration at all anymore.
Not even now that this, a Conservative Government with an enormous majority courtesy of the working class, is about to make it vastly easier.
Not even now that this, a Conservative Government with an enormous majority courtesy of the working class, is about to make it vastly easier.
But then, there was no racial aspect to the Brexit vote. Most European immigrants are white. Most Commonwealth immigrants are not.
Almost everywhere in the United Kingdom is predominately white, and most places are overwhelmingly so, including most of those which voted Remain, such as Northern Ireland, every local authority area in Scotland, and great tracts of the South of England.
Almost everywhere in the United Kingdom is predominately white, and most places are overwhelmingly so, including most of those which voted Remain, such as Northern Ireland, every local authority area in Scotland, and great tracts of the South of England.
I would have to check this, but outside London, then the Leave-voting areas of England and Wales were probably more ethnically diverse than the Remain-voting areas.
White British is the single largest ethnic group in every local authority area and every parliamentary constituency apart from the Nationalist-majority parts of Northern Ireland. There is no "white working class", as such.
I will be standing for Parliament again here at North West Durham next time, so please give generously. In any event, please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.
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