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First lived in France in 1969 and early 70s, then again since 1980, thus disenfranchised until 1989, and again since 2000.
When the five-year limit was being debated in 1985 I observed in a letter to the FT that (apart from peers of the realm, who at the time had their own house in parliament) only those in jail or detained at Her Majesty's pleasure are deprived of their voting rights. In Parliament's mind, that puts those who dare to risk living abroad permanently on the same footing as criminals and lunatics - possibly both. That surely tells you something about home-grown attitudes to Abroad.
Living in France
My husband and I have lived in France for 18 years but we still pay tax in the U.K. but have no right to vote in the U.K.. We are not allowed to vote for the government of France either although we pay taxes here too. Democracy for Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan et al but not for us!
Live and work in Spain since 2004.
I have been living in France since 1971 but still have family in the UK and I make frequent visits there. I cannot understand the reasons for preventing us to vote in our native country. Born and bred in the UK we remain very British at heart however long we have been living in another country. I hope to see a change in our voting rights in the near future.
Britain, a supposedly free and democratic country (in common with some other countries, such as France where I currently live) does not treat its own citizens (especially those who currently reside abroad) as well as it treats and panders to illegal (and other) immigrants (who are not British citizens), notwithstanding that the former have lived, worked and contributed both financially and socially to British - or wherever else - society whereas the latter have contributed nothing but are given everything they demand.
The situation is, quite simply barmy - and a disgrace.
Resident (retired) in Spain, all my working life and born in UK and find it disgraceful that I will be without a vote in both my home country, and my retired (EU) country in 5 years from now. Surely this should be challenged in the EU court of Human Rights. How can the UK government critisise other countries in the world for a lack of democracy when it denies its own citizens the vote!?
As a British resident in France for over ten years now, I wholly support the campaign and endorse the vast majority of the comments made above.
Living in Greece 29 years. Paying tax in Greece and UK .
I live in France and have been elected to the conseil municipal of my village since 2001. I can man the polling station and supervise the voting of my fellow citizens in French national elections, but cannot vote in them. Neither can I vote in UK national elections, having been out of the country too long. Yet I still pay UK tax on my principal source of income, an RAF pension, as well as paying the multitude of direct and indirect taxes in my country of residence. I believe that EU citizens resident in a member state other than that of their origin should be able to choose to vote in the national elections of one state or the other.
We live in Spain and like everybody else here we pay taxes . I am also a tax payer in the UK .
The nations who signed up to the Schengen Convention or Agreement seem to have more rights than the British .
Is there anybody prepared to stand up for us , the people of a once great country .
Live in Spain, and pay Spanish tax.
I am in a similar position to Craig Vincent(posted 6 days ago), however I hope to acquire joint nationality which should give me the right to vote in all elections here. But may lose my right in the UK in about 10 years.
I do understand that voting for European representation can only be done once but any national vote here will not affect any national vote in the UK.
Susan Etchecopar - 2 weeks ago mentioned that in registering to vote in EP and local elections in France that she had to state
"AND that I have not been deprived of my right of vote in my country of origin." and goes on to ask " Well, I consider that I have, as I can no longer vote in the UK, so my question is, how can I register to vote in these French elections without making a false declaration?".
The statement and procedure is standard throughout the EU - in my case in Belgium - and when I asked the same question I was told by an EU lawyer that the "deprived of my right to vote in my country of origin" meant INDIVIDUALLY deprived for example by a Court of Law, and that if it was just a question of a blanket provision after 15 years, it didn't count. So I declared it and wonder if one day it will come back to completely disenfranchise me again.
Brian Cave than mentioned he would mention it to Mark Harper MP - I shall be most interested to learn what his reply will be.
The Universal Direction of Human rights states that everyone has the right to take part in the government of his/her country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
I am resident in the Netherlands - not allowed to vote for the national parliament because I have a British passport.
Not allowed to vote in the UK, because I have been outside the UK for more than 15 years.
So, I am a European citizen and I have no way to take part in any government elections.
I raised this with the European Commission and their answer was - sorry can't help you.
So much for the European ideal....
I have also lived in Spain for 19 years, lost the right to vote 4 years ago, can´t vote in national Spanish elections (tomorrow), still pay tax in UK . When´s the ´tea party´?
Resident in Spain - Taxed in U.K.
Even in though I have lived in Spain for over 20 years, I pay taxes in both countries because of the nature of my job. It is ridiculous that I cannot vote right now in either country as foreign residents are not allowed to vote in national elections in Spain, and expats are not allowed to vote in UK. Where is my right to have a voice?
Like many expats I have paid my taxes to UK since leaving school and continue to do so. Votes seem to count very little to elected servants these days. Yet I suspect that one day sooner or later our votes will be NEEDED by THEM for their survival. That's when the boot will be on the other foot.
Resident in Spain for past 23 years, I can vote in Local Town Hall elections, and also European Parliament elections, but not any UK elections or Spanish Government elections: why?
Resident in Spain for the past ten years
The right vote in your country of origin and of which you are still a national should be sacrosanct. Like others we moved to France many yeara ago because my husband's terms of employment for a large multi-national stated that he should be prepared to move to any country they stipulated in order to continue to fulfil his brief. Fortunately when retirement loomed the roulette wheel stopped on France, which we knew and love. But we both receive various pensions from the UK and maintain close links with several generations of our respective families whose welfare and interests are of great concern to us. For these reasons and others, such as culture etc, the governance of Britain effects us on a daily basis. We paid our National Insurance contributions throughout our working lives thus proving our continuing links with our country of birth. Fortunately for the UK all our health care is paid for by the French state because we have both worked for French companies - nice to feel that we are appreciated by our country of residence when our own country wishes to cast us adrift.
Currently resident in Hilversum Netherlands.
We live in South Africa and support the right to receive both a vote and indexation of our Uk pensions
I live in Turkey and suffer the triple whammy of no representation, no health rights - anywhere - and no inflation linked state pension. Makes me wish I was one of the many cheats who lie about their residential status and still claim every allowance in sight.
The last comment by Susan Etchecopar seems to me to be of great significance.
It would seem to suggest that after 15 years non-residence in the UK but resident in France, one has no legal representation anywhere at all at any level.
I personally will draw it to the attention of Mark Harper MP (Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform) House of Commons SW1A 0AA. Others may like to do so as well!.
Susan E. Resident in France since 1979. Having at last decided to register to vote in the local Council and European elections, I was very surprised to see that at the bottom of the application forms CERFA 12670*01 and 12671*01 which I obtained from the mairie, I have to formally declare that I have not requested registration to vote in any other French "commune" AND that I have not been deprived of my right of vote in my country of origin. Well, I consider that I have, as I can no longer vote in the UK, so my question is, how can I register to vote in these French elections without making a false declaration?
I have paid UK tax since leaving school in 1959 and continue to pay UK tax on my Civil Service and State pension. I visit the UK at least once a year to see family and friends and maintain a UK bank and savings account there. I have obviously NOT cut my ties with the UK and would like to continue voting in UK national elections as I do at present.
I live in Britain but have voted in my home U.S. elections since moving here in 1972. I think it's ridiculous that Brits can't vote for wherever they live in the world.
Gerald Pieti
Another retired UK civil servant living in S W France.
I have chosen to reside in France but paid my taxes in the UK all my working life.
I forgot to say that I live in France, and lived in Greece before for 18 years; I have always kept ties with Britain and paid voluntary contributions to my state pension all my life, and I have never cost the state anything, unlike thousands who are a burden on the taxpayer.
I am retired and receive a civil service pension on which I pay tax in Britain, yet I do not have the right to vote in any national elections, because of the 15 year outside Britain ruling. It is a scandalous injustice that a European citizen has no rights to vote in any national elections.
We should start an e -petition to oblige the British government to re-consider this un democratic ruling.
Now living in Australia and have had the same problems when living in Germany and The Nertherlands where I was unable to vote locally OR in the UK
Living in Australia. Frozen pension! Representation for disadvantaged expatriates!
In Switzerland. No taxation without representation - the British Government should be prosecuted for not respecting a basic human right in a civilised society.
Lived in France over 20 years but visit family in England at least twice a year. I should be able to vote and have a say in the future for my grand-children.
Australian Permanent Residents. We want to keep our voting rights, these may help to elect a candidate who will support paying index linked pensions.
I live in Australia. I support the proposal to allow UK citizens to vote, regardless of country of residence. I also want our state pensions indexed. Scandalous - why are they indexed in some countries and not others? On what basis can this unfairness be justified?
As a disenfranchised UK passport holder living in France, I find the system scandalous. From the moment one holds a national or European passport, one is subject to the laws and rights guaranteed by that nation. As Ray Addison has pointed out (see just above), for those living abroad, their rights are automatically flouted if they are refused the right to vote. In France the system is compounded by having to have French nationality to vote. In other words, I am being asked to change my nationality to become French in order to vote in the country I now reside in, irrespective of whether I am or feel French. Part of the reason, I am sure, is to reduce the overheads of having to cater for ex-pats. We are a potential worry and drain on resources, hence the reduction in civil service posts abroad over the past couple of decades. I suppose that putting pressure on us to change nationality is one way of lightening the national burden. However, since I should have a pension in both Britain and France, surely there is a serious flaw in the reasoning.
My rights as a British citizen are affected by the laws passed by the British Government irrespective of how long I have lived abroad. Although living in a Commonwealth country (Australia) my pension is frozen by the British Government and my National Health rights are denied to me when visiting my home country. I should, therefore, have the right to vote for that government at all times.
After 41 years service in the British Army, I retired to live in France. In February 2010, I wrote a letter about this subject to my local expat monthly, Creuse News. It was published but elicited nil response. Yesterday, the editor of Creuse News used her weekly English language column in our local French daily newspaper, La Montagne, to highlight her personal disenfranchisement. I wonder if it too will be ignored. It seems to me that apathy is the real problem here.
I have no idea how long this site has been running, but it appears to be at least 4 months. I'm dismayed to see that, as of today, only 499 votes have been recorded from within the EU; pathetic apathy or lack of communication?
Our democracy is predicated on the right of everyone to vote, but it will eventually fail without votes.
I for one will be passing this site's address to as many expat Brits as possible.
resident in NSW Australia
This is done in other so called democratic countries, so why not the country that started moden democracy.
I am British now living in Canada
There are 3 British citizens in our household. We live in Australia. We support the proposal to allow UK citizens to vote, regardless of country of residence. We also want our state pensions indexed.
Lived in France for over 7 years now after 30 years in the Police. If my pension was taxed in France I would pay a lot less than the 20% deducted at source. I feel like a deprived citizen when my french girlfriend goes to vote, and I can only sit on the sidelines and watch.
Vive la difference, but not when it comes to voting and pensions.
Yes i am in total agreement with all the comments stated, ex pats should have the right to vote in a member or home state and "not just good" to pay taxes for services not received.
I would never consider going back to live in the UK but I would like to get what is due me regarding pension rights. Western Australia I love and will live here until I die.
I live in Australia and find it totally unacceptable that I am denied my right to vote being a British subject.
I find it further unacceptable that the pension I paid into for my entire working life up to retirement age is frozen whilst, other pensioners living in a few selected countries do not experience this discrimination.
Adelaide, Australia
NSW Australia
NSW, Australia
ALL OF THE ABOVE AND SOME
Queensland Austrlia
I support the movement for all British citizens, regardless of place of residence, to have the right to vote and to have their pensions indexed. Queensland, Australia.
FAIRNESS IS AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO - PM DAVID CAMERON MAY12th 2010
So please David, show some fairness by extending voting rights to indefinitely and at the same time un-freeze the frozen pensions
I currently reside in Australia. I would like to be able to vote in the UK and also to support the campaign to unfreeze ex-pat pensions in order to help the UK economy.
I came to australia to be near my children and grandchilden. Even though I still pay my taxes in the UK and have British Passport I cannot vote and have had my pension frozen. It is not right, we should be allowed to have our say.
Sydney Australia
Canberra, Australia
Australia
We demand our democratic right to an absentee vote in UK elections, as is the case in all progressive countries.
For any person who emigrated from England to Australia on the assisted package system not to be told that their English pension rights would be frozen when they reached retirement age is a crime of Professional negligence on behalf of the Australian government and English government. I vote to have this rectified.
Although I live in Australia my roots are still in Britain and consider the right to vote to be very important.
I have lived,worked and paid my taxes in France for the last 37 years.
It would be wonderful to be able to vote somewhere, some day !
Lives sunshine coast Australia
Justice means treating all pensioners alike, discrimination is unfair.
Brisbane, Australia
Having lived in Australia for 42 years, I would value indexaton of my pension and voting rights. I would write to my MP, but to whom do I write ,after all these years?
I arrived in Australia in 1979 to take up a job offer unavailable to me in the UK. I served 12 years in the RAF and hold both Australian and British (EU) passports. I take a great interest in UK affairs. Of course it would be nice to vote and should be every British passport holder's right
irrespective of time restrictions and country of residence.
As for the frozen pension fiasco, what a con! Look at National Insurance contributions as if they were premiums for an endowment insurance policy. All policy holders guaranteed the same rights. At the end of the term = retirement, imagine the outcry if some of the policy holders were given less/more benefits than others. There would be an outcry and no doubt legal proceedings.
I, and thousands of others are being denied what they paid for - an indexed pension. This was my insurance policy. Country of residence should not be a barrier to fairness.
We live in Australia having retired in 2006 to live near our daughters and grandchildren, all of whom are Australian citizens. I (Derek) worked for 48 years in the UK paying full NI and income tax and still pay UK income tax on my sole income which are UK-sourced pensions, including the State Pension which was frozen at the rate payable on the day I emigrated even though I paid my dues for 48 years. I deplore the fact that the British Government can disciminate against British citizens who choose to live in certain Commonwealth countries after retirement even though they will have spent their working life expecting to be treated fairly and exactly the same as all British retirees irrespective of where they live after retirement.
I live in Australia and deplore the fact that the British Governmentis discriminating against me and others like myself in not granting us in indexed pension. The rule should be the same for all past British taxpayers irrespective of where they now reside.
I live in Australia and deplore the fact that the British Governmentis discriminating against me and others like myself in not granting us in indexed pension. The rule should be the same for all past British taxpayers irrespective of where they now reside.
Tea Tree Gully, South Australia.
We've lived and worked in Australia for 42 years.
It is totally unacceptable that UK State pensions should not be indexed in Australia, Canada and South Africa which are part of the commonwealth.
Also unacceptable that some countries allow ex pats to vote but UK does not either.
Index some then index all.
Only fair and equitable way but don't look towards any socialist Labor party for equality they tend to pander to minorities over and above their own citizens and big business before battlers pensioners and blue collar workers whom they once represented.
I worked for 42 years in the UK and in addition served 2 years National Service in the Army during which time I paid my taxes. Our offspring have chosen to reside in Australia and for obvious reasons we decided to join them. Both my wife and I receive private pensions and UK State pensions but they are both regulated by the British Government and yet we have no voting rights in the UK parliament. I think it disgusting - but if they wait much longer we shall be two pensioners less to worry about!!!!
Have been living in Australia since 1985.
Shame on teh UK Government re frozen pensions.
We lived and worked in the UK for a number of years before coming to Australia. We do not understand why we cannot have our Pensions indexed as the other countries outside of the Commonwealth do. We feel the Commonwealth countries should come first. If we all returned to the UK to live, the UK would be a lot worse off financially as we would all be claimimg Social Security benefits etc. We feel very "let down" by our birth country. We live in Victoria Australia.
I agree with Alan Turner-Morris. I live in NSW Australia
Breathes there a man (or woman) with soul so dead
Who never to himself has said
This is my own, my native land
When home his footsteps he has turned
From wandering on a foreign strand.
My years of living in Australia has in no way dulled my interest and love of my native land, even though they have frozen my pension treat me as a second class citizen.
My attitude is quite simple. I paid the British government funds out of my wages in anticipation that I would receive an old age pension identical to that of resident pensioners. Where I live is a matter for me to decide and the British government has no moral right to withhold the pension increments because I live in Australia.
Alan Turner-Morris
We live in Australia and think it unjust that the UK pension is frozen. It makes no sense
I should not be discriminated against because I live in Austsralia.
I am totally in agreement with John Holmes
I currently live and reside in Western Australia.
The question of voting and Frozen pensions are discriminatory and bear no relation to the law of equality, how on earth it was decided to pay some and not others is beyond my comprehension. I'm sure the longer the UK delay any decision, the cheaper it will get for them, Lest We Forget.
I live in Australia. I came here in 2000 to be with my family after my husband died. My UK pension has been frozen since September 2000. I object strongly to this unfair discrimination.
As a British citizen I should be paid the full pension, irrespective of where we choose to live for our final years.
Arthur Mckerron Resident of Australia.
I live in Australia and support your aims.
I am now a citizen of Australia
Australia
I'm resident in Australia, Australian born, but I lived in UK, worked, voted, paid taxes, contributed to National Insurance and to British community welfare and education for 24 years (1966 - 1990). My late husband and I raised three fine children who are now adults with dual citizenship, resident in Australia, but unable to vote on UK issues that concern them. I am still UK taxed on two small pension plans purchased in UK in the 1980s, as well as paying tax on my 'Old Age' part- pension and Teaching Service part-pension. My British State Retirement Pension is minimal, not only because it has had no cost-of-living indexing since I returned to Australia in 1991 (therefore 20 years out of date) but also because the currency exchange value of the Oz Dollar against the Pound Sterling has shifted. If I were living in most countries of the world, including USA, I would be able to have an annual indexed cost-of-living increase to my UK pension, but like ex-pats in Canada, South Africa and some other former commonwealth countries, we who worked and paid into National Insurance are discriminated against by the British Government for where we reside. Why? Such withholding of pension violates our human rights, but if we are powerless to vote, the British public and their parliamentary representatives need to hear the truth about these blatant injustices.
I live in Australia. Shame on the British Government. Pity we gave you our tax dollars and
pity we believed in the British justice system.
As well as the voting issue, the situation of frozen pensions needs to be addressed for ex pats who lived and worked and paid into their British pensions only to find when they emigrated to the countries that do not have an agreement with the UK that their hard earned pensions were frozen. Unlike pensioners in the UK, who have an indexed pension, this unfair situation has caused untold hardships to many ex pat pensioners who cannot keep their heads above water. It's wrong that if you emigrated to the USA, for instance, that you are treated differently and receive an indexed pension while there are many countries where ex pats whose pensions are frozen do not. What happened to fairness and equality for all? To all the British standing MP's - do your job and vote to change this once and for all. We earned them we paid for them and now we want a fair go! By living in Australia we have saved the UK untold Pounds STG by not being a drain on social benefits, such as the NHS, of living there. We are discriminated against because of where we choose to live!
NSW, Australia.
I have lived in Australia since 1966 and hold my British passport and also Australian one and agree with all this that we should be able to vote and that a few members of the English government should Not to be able to hold us to ransom and we should be able to have our say as we have earned the right .
Australia
Australia
All three of my children moved to Australia during the past eight years,basically due to the cock ups made by the British Government led by Blair and Brown,who dismantled the hopes and dreams of a whole generation of young people.
My wife and myself would have preferred to stay in the U.K.,but with our children and grandchildren on the other side of the world,we had no choice but to move to Australia ourselves.We are now paying for medicines which were free in the U.K.,and and any medical treatment incurs significant costs.We are not allowed to work,so our own money that we worked for all our lives in the U.K.,is gradually draining away.Also because my wife is twelve years younger than myself.if I were to die,she would be obliged to return to the U.K.because she is not of pension age.
Add to this the fallen British Pound against the Australian Dollar,and the fact that my old age pension is frozen ,the whole system of British politics stinks as far as I am concerned.But somebody has to pay for all the freeloaders who have come to Britain from all over the world,so who better to hit than the pensioners who cannot fight back.My parents would be turning in their graves if they knew what the British Labour Party have done to Britain.
Your can be damn certain that I want Ex-patriot Brits to retain their voting rights,as they remember Britain when it was great,and before it was handed over to the tree huggers and limp wristed do gooders who have ruined the country.
Why should the pension payments depend on where you reside? we all had the same deduction made.
There should be no difference as to which English pensioners should or should not receive a unfrozen pension, if one country receives a full pension, then every pensioner in every country should get the same full pension.