Political parties set to dote on those who vote!
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One of the most frequent questions Expat Pensions' partners are asked as they
meet clients across Europe is what we think will happen to the income and
prospects of expats after the next General Election in the UK.
My first reaction is generally to say "Not a lot" and while this may seem rather flippant it is based on two rather pressing points.
Firstly, whichever party takes power in the UK between now and mid-2010, it will have far more on its plate to deal with than tinkering with the arrangements for expats. A rather large deficit, a continuing commitment to support our troops in Afghanistan, swine 'flu and other issues which may not yet have emerged will generally come higher up the list than the plight of the expat.
The other factor is that so few expats take up their right to vote in parliamentary and European elections in their former home country.
A report by the Electoral Commission in late 2008 found that UK citizens living abroad were significantly under-represented on the UK Electoral Register.
There are fewer than 13,500 British expatriates on the electoral register, a tiny fraction of the estimated six million Britons living abroad. Many British expats simply don't realise that they are still eligible to vote in UK elections once they have moved abroad.
But even if you are living abroad, as long as you have been registered to vote in the UK at some point within the past 15 years, you can still be on the register as an "overseas voter". Registered overseas voters are eligible to vote in elections to the UK Parliament and European Parliamentary elections.
In short, you can vote in the UK in person if you are there on the day of an election, by post or by proxy. More information is available from http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/british_citizens_living_abroad.aspx
So let's not hear any more comments about you being out of the loop and your opinions not counting for anything any more.
If a larger percentage of the estimated six million Brits living abroad started to register and take up their right to vote, how long do you think it would be before you saw Gordon "You Tube" Brown or "Call me Dave" strolling down the boulevards of France or pressing the flesh at expat gatherings?
Which brings me back to the frequently asked question on what we at Expat Pensions think might happen to the tax and financial situation of expats after the next General Election?
The answer, my friends, is find your voice and you would be surprised how quickly you will find your preferred party leader's ear!
Adrian Fox
said:
Margaret Botting
said:
Lorna
said:
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My first reaction is generally to say "Not a lot" and while this may seem rather flippant it is based on two rather pressing points.
Firstly, whichever party takes power in the UK between now and mid-2010, it will have far more on its plate to deal with than tinkering with the arrangements for expats. A rather large deficit, a continuing commitment to support our troops in Afghanistan, swine 'flu and other issues which may not yet have emerged will generally come higher up the list than the plight of the expat.
The other factor is that so few expats take up their right to vote in parliamentary and European elections in their former home country.
A report by the Electoral Commission in late 2008 found that UK citizens living abroad were significantly under-represented on the UK Electoral Register.
There are fewer than 13,500 British expatriates on the electoral register, a tiny fraction of the estimated six million Britons living abroad. Many British expats simply don't realise that they are still eligible to vote in UK elections once they have moved abroad.
But even if you are living abroad, as long as you have been registered to vote in the UK at some point within the past 15 years, you can still be on the register as an "overseas voter". Registered overseas voters are eligible to vote in elections to the UK Parliament and European Parliamentary elections.
In short, you can vote in the UK in person if you are there on the day of an election, by post or by proxy. More information is available from http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/british_citizens_living_abroad.aspx
So let's not hear any more comments about you being out of the loop and your opinions not counting for anything any more.
If a larger percentage of the estimated six million Brits living abroad started to register and take up their right to vote, how long do you think it would be before you saw Gordon "You Tube" Brown or "Call me Dave" strolling down the boulevards of France or pressing the flesh at expat gatherings?
Which brings me back to the frequently asked question on what we at Expat Pensions think might happen to the tax and financial situation of expats after the next General Election?
The answer, my friends, is find your voice and you would be surprised how quickly you will find your preferred party leader's ear!
Comments (3)
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Adrian Fox
said:
|
... I couldn't agree more with your article. There's no point ex-pats whingeing all the time, as they do, about not getting winter fuel allowances, having to pay tax in the UK on occupational pensions, not getting various other benefits to which we'd be entitled in the UK, if you don't vote. Six million of us could influence the outcome of EVERY election. If we got our act together we could be demanding equal treatment on things like pensions and benefits for which most of us paid during long careers in the UK. So get registered! Phone the electoral registration office in the place where you last lived in the UK and get the forms sent to you. It's easy. And if your postal vote takes too long to arrive, arrange for someone back in the UK to have a proxy vote for you. And contact your candidates in the election telling them what ex-pats want, and deserve; that you will only vote for those who back your demands. |
Margaret Botting
said:
|
... As an expat living in France I have already looked at postal voting for the next general election in the UK. However give that it is possible that ballot papers would not be posted until 4 days before the election (see aboutmyvote.co.uk) I find it hard to imagine how it would be possible to get the papers back to the UK in time for the count. The postal service in France is good, most letters from England arrive in 3 days, but unfortunately from experience I find it often takes 5 days for a letter to reach it's destination in the UK when posted in France. While proxy voting is an option for some people not everyone is able to take advantage of this. It is possible to get the registration form on line for both postal and proxy votes, but this only solves the problem of registering not voting. I shall be registering in the hope of ballot papers arriving at least a week before the election giving me enough time to return them to the UK. |
Lorna
said:
|
... I am currently having an email dialogue about this with my MP - the independent, Bob Spink. (1) Voting papers cannot be sent out any earlier than 10 days before election day because the 11th day is the cutoff for getting new voters onto the electoral roll. Even if they are sent out on T-10, if there are 2 weekends inbetween this makes it very unlikely your vote would get back in time to be counted. (2) To apply for an ex-pat vote you need to get your signature witnessed by a British citizen who is not related to you and who is not UK resident. We do not know anyone who qualifies. (3) I have asked our MP to clarify who is eligible to be your proxy, since I do not have any close relatives in the UK who I could ask. The wording on the application form on the aboutmyvote site is somewhat unclear. (4) If we apply for a proxy vote, we do not have any friends or relatives in our old constituency so our proxy would probably have to apply for a postal vote for us. It is unclear how long the proxy has to get the vote in. Is it the same as for "normal" postal votes, or is it a shorter time? |
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Political parties set to dote on those who vote!
One of the most frequent questions Expat Pensions' partners are asked as they meet clients across Europe is what we think will happen to the income and prospects of expats after the next...
One of the most frequent questions Expat Pensions' partners are asked as they meet clients across Europe is what we think will happen to the income and prospects of expats after the next...
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