As Prime Minister David Cameron announces a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, the Bulletin calls on the prime minister to allow all expats to vote: not just those who have lived outside Britain for fewer than 15 years. It is our future at stake.
EU referendum
We want our say
Also in News
- What a carry on! European Union abandons full launch of new travel entry system for Britons in favour of "phased rollout"
- Uncertainty surrounds EU Entry/Exit System implementation
- Traveller registration system: If Mallorca's demands are not met, the Spanish Government will be taken to court
- Fresh move to scrap new tourist registration scheme in Spain
- Living in Palma Airport - Safe and warm
5 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
good comment Simon but as you can see people don't always like what other people have to say as it goes against the flow . anyway I hope you realise you are taking thumbs down of me and sara lol
Good article with a sound arguement behind it. Could one of the reasons that ex UK born foreign residents call themselves ex-pats instead of immigrants be that they never really feel that they will never return there again ?. Also, could it be that we are an island race, which automatically separates us from countries that do not have physical borders ?.
well said Sara . we will share the thumbs down between us lol
Why do so many British people who have lived outside the UK for so long insist on being called expats rather than immigrants? People who have moved to live in the UK from other countries are never referred to as expats yet we are no different from them. The word expat sounds so colonial and snobbish, as though we are somehow superior to others. In my humble opinion it should only refer to someone who is temporarily abroad for work. Here's an interesting article on the subject: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/09/british-abroad-expats-immigrants-indians (A British immigrant, and proud to be so!)
Since this will be such an important vote,I fully agree that all expats should be allowed to vote,and have said so on the comments page of this newspaper not that long ago,almost all expats still have family members living in the UK so one way or another,they have an interest in the outcome of any referendum and just because somebody now lives outside the UK,that does not mean that at some point they will not return to the UK for a whole host of reasons. Also,many of those living outside the UK have served in the UK armed forces,often in various campaigns or the Second World War and having served the UK well and given so much,they surely should have the right to vote on the future of the UK.?