Should immigrants vote in the EU referendum?

Since all immigrants will vote to stay, even before the campaign starts, the leave campaign would prefer they didn't while the stay campaign will claim it is their human rights but really just want the votes.

Personally I don't think they should as they have a biased interest on the matter, EU migrants that is

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 5

arcenciel21

11

what a weird question...

those with a british passport should be the ones who vote. whether they are an immigrant or were born here is irrelevant.

Reply 6

Bupdeeboowah

3

The immigrants you listed are actually citizens of ex-UK territories. Britain "granted" these territories independence through parliamentary consent and technically (according to UK law) can withdraw these grants of independence. So the UK has an obligation to allow citizens of these territories to be able to vote if they are in the UK, thus the anomalous distinction between Commonwealth citizens being able to vote and EU nationals not being able to.

Reply 7

Ace123

OP

2

Original post by arcenciel21

what a weird question...

those with a british passport should be the ones who vote. whether they are an immigrant or were born here is irrelevant.

that is the point currently the government are letting non British people vote, all people with British passports can vote but so can non British people e.g. Commonwealth citizens & foreign nationals from Malta/Cyprus/Republic of Ireland who are not British citizens

Reply 8

It's going to be interesting to say the least, what if Northern Ireland and England vote out and Wales and Scotland vote in (for example). Could split the UK and trigger another referendum. Should people not from here be allowed to vote, no. Irish/English/Scottish/Welsh votes only, and holding a passport does not make you any of these things. Should expats be allowed to vote on Spain's EU membership, of course not.

Reply 9

Howard

I don't think that anybody who is not a British citizen should have a vote.

Reply 10

Original post by Howard

I don't think that anybody who is not a British citizen should have a vote.

Technically half of ISIS are 'British' citizens, should they be allowed to vote. Better yet, should the Scottish or Irish be allowed to vote in your mind then. The UK is a conglomerate of a number of countries, Britain consists of England and Wales if I'm not mistaken, and the UK is England Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The vote is for the entire UK, not just Britain.

I don't think first or second generation immigrants that have been handed/inherited a passport should be allowed to vote.

Reply 11

Howard

Original post by RodgertheRabbit

Technically half of ISIS are 'British' citizens, should they be allowed to vote. Better yet, should the Scottish or Irish be allowed to vote in your mind then. The UK is a conglomerate of a number of countries, Britain consists of England and Wales if I'm not mistaken, and the UK is England Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The vote is for the entire UK, not just Britain.

I don't think first or second generation immigrants that have been handed/inherited a passport should be allowed to vote.

Let's not waste time on pedantry. I know the difference between the UK and Gt.Britain. You know perfectly well that when I say "British citizen" I mean anybody who is a citizen of the United Kingdom - ie England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Reply 12

Original post by Howard

Let's not waste time on pedantry. I know the difference between the UK and Gt.Britain. You know perfectly well that when I say "British citizen" I mean anybody who is a citizen of the United Kingdom - ie England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Again I would point out many ISIS members are 'British' citizens. And I didn't know perfectly well, I wouldn't consider typing four/five lines to be pedantry if it gives me a better understanding to what you meant. I would think it an efficient use of words.

Should anyone with a relevant passport be allowed to vote in your mind ? Is that the only criteria we should apply to voters ?

Reply 13

Howard

Original post by RodgertheRabbit

Again I would point out many ISIS members are 'British' citizens. And I didn't know perfectly well, I wouldn't consider typing four/five lines to be pedantry if it gives me a better understanding to what you meant. I would think it an efficient use of words.

Should anyone with a relevant passport be allowed to vote in your mind ? Is that the only criteria we should apply to voters ?

Anybody who meets the (British) citizenship and age requirements should be allowed to vote with the exception of those people who are prevented from voting by law (for example convicted criminals staying at one Her Majesty's hotels)

I'm not sure why you keep returning to your point about ISIS. You said earlier that "technically half of ISIS are 'British' citizens". I doubt that.

This article is a little out of date but it puts the number at "up to" 450 British ISIS fighters:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/iraq-crisis-up-to-450-british-fighters-have-joined-isis-militants-and-are-planning-uk-attack-spies-9547776.html

This article is also a bit out of date but it puts the total ISIS number at 200,000
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-with-isis-islamic-militants-have-army-of-200000-claims-kurdish-leader-9863418.html

I don't spend a lot of time in Iraq and Syria doing surveys on ISIS members but assuming these articles are correct then "technically" about 0.225% of ISIS fighters are British citizens. Not quite half is it?

Mind you, it's a bit of a moot point. I wouldn't expect these 450 ISIS fighters to stop what they are doing to return to the UK to vote on an in/out EU referendum would you? Doesn't seem very likely.

Reply 14

billydisco

3

Original post by RodgertheRabbit

It's going to be interesting to say the least, what if Northern Ireland and England vote out and Wales and Scotland vote in (for example). Could split the UK and trigger another referendum. Should people not from here be allowed to vote, no. Irish/English/Scottish/Welsh votes only, and holding a passport does not make you any of these things. Should expats be allowed to vote on Spain's EU membership, of course not.

Its interesting you say that. England has always had more in common with N Ireland than the socialist Wales and Scotland.

Reply 15

Studentus-anonymous

12

Original post by Ace123

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/109868

Currently EU immigrants are not allowed to vote in the EU referendum however Commonwealth immigrants as well as immigrants from Malta, Cyprus & the Republic of Ireland can vote. Is this a fix of the vote as immigrants particularly those from EU nations are very likely to vote to stay giving the In campaign hundreds of thousands of votes automatically.

For example Republic of Ireland in their same sex referendum only allow Irish citizens to vote & only in person so even Irish ex pats have to physically be in Ireland to vote

Should immigrants be allowed to vote in the EU referendum?

I think that's fair, seeing as (and correct me if I'm wrong) Commonwealth immigrants have full legal residency and voting rights with the UK itself, whereas EU migrants are simply here by didn't of EU treaty and don;t actually possess UK citizenship, residency or the voting rights that go with it.

Then again I could be full of ****, it's not a topic I've given much study.

Although by virtue of being here I suspect most EU migrants are firm NOs to exiting the bloc.

Reply 16

Original post by Howard

Anybody who meets the (British) citizenship and age requirements should be allowed to vote with the exception of those people who are prevented from voting by law (for example convicted criminals staying at one Her Majesty's hotels)

I'm not sure why you keep returning to your point about ISIS. You said earlier that "technically half of ISIS are 'British' citizens". I doubt that.

This article is a little out of date but it puts the number at "up to" 450 British ISIS fighters:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/iraq-crisis-up-to-450-british-fighters-have-joined-isis-militants-and-are-planning-uk-attack-spies-9547776.html

This article is also a bit out of date but it puts the total ISIS number at 200,000
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-with-isis-islamic-militants-have-army-of-200000-claims-kurdish-leader-9863418.html

I don't spend a lot of time in Iraq and Syria doing surveys on ISIS members but assuming these articles are correct then "technically" about 0.225% of ISIS fighters are British citizens. Not quite half is it?

Mind you, it's a bit of a moot point. I wouldn't expect these 450 ISIS fighters to stop what they are doing to return to the UK to vote on an in/out EU referendum would you? Doesn't seem very likely.

You think it appropriate that a person with no ancestry here, born and raised in Pakistan/India/Iraq/Africa etc. should be allowed to vote on the autonomy of the UK. I guess we differ on who should be allowed to vote, granted they have a vested interest in what happens but I would think in inappropriate they be allowed to vote, them or their children lest one of their parents be actually from the UK and not just in possession of a passport.

Not that I assume you care about my opinion, or that it would be overly popular.

I do believe that people serving time should be allowed to vote though, this is not like a general election. Whereby political parties could, as an extreme example, offer release/shorten the sentences for all drug dealers for their votes. I fail to understand the reasoning as to why you feel people serving at her majesty's pleasure shouldn't be allowed to vote on this issue.

ROI can vote?!?!?!!?

Original post by RodgertheRabbit

You think it appropriate that a person with no ancestry here, born and raised in Pakistan/India/Iraq/Africa etc. should be allowed to vote on the autonomy of the UK. I guess we differ on who should be allowed to vote, granted they have a vested interest in what happens but I would think in inappropriate they be allowed to vote, them or their children lest one of their parents be actually from the UK and not just in possession of a passport.

Not that I assume you care about my opinion, or that it would be overly popular.

I do believe that people serving time should be allowed to vote though, this is not like a general election. Whereby political parties could, as an extreme example, offer release/shorten the sentences for all drug dealers for their votes. I fail to understand the reasoning as to why you feel people serving at her majesty's pleasure shouldn't be allowed to vote on this issue.

I fail to understand why you feel that some British citizens should not be allowed to vote.

I've never been in favour of creating different classes of citizenship like you are suggesting - and certainly not on racial grounds. I'm multi-national myself; holding citizenship of the UK, US, and Canada. I take my right to vote very seriously. I would not be happy to be told that I am only a second class Canadian citizen (because I wasn't born in Canada) so shouldn't have the right to vote in this month's Federal elections. I'm a law abiding Canadian citizen (and I actually earned my citizenship rather than being born with it)

Just to set the record straight though, I didn't actually say that I felt that people serving time shouldn't be able to vote anyway. I don't have a strong personal opinion on that one way or another.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 19