1815 replies to this topic

[LY_Scott]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36341839

 

And quite right.

 

I would argue though that all foreign nationals living here should have the right to vote. I think the decision should be taken by those who will be affected and have to deal with whatever happens. I'd be much more inclinded to hand a vote to Pole who lived and worked here for 5 years than a UK National who had been living in Spain for 14 years!! Nuts!

 

Eligible to vote:

 

[*]British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are resident in the UK
[*]UK nationals living abroad who have been on the UK electoral register in the past 15 years
[*]Members of the House of Lords and Commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar, unlike in a general election
[/list]

 

 

 

 

[Madmitch]

Just a thought Scotty, many/most Brits living abroad in the EU spent their working lives in the UK paying the taxes that supported all those who have come after and are now eligible to vote.  Many/most of us still pay tax in the UK and all of us hold British passports.  The UK is the only country in the EU to remove the franchise from it's citizens for no reason.  That apart I agree with the rest of your comments!

[LY_Scott]

The choice is about the future not the past. The people who live here will be affected and have strive to make it work. I don't think anyone who hasn't been here for 15 years should have any say whatsoever in it.

[Madmitch]

It is indeed about the future and, since we will still be paying UK tax into the future, and we are British citizens, I think we should still have the vote.  Another point is that many who have lived in other EU states return home when their little adventure abroad is over.  We haven't abandoned the UK, just used our retirement for another experience while we are still able.

[the outsider]

The latest thing to do the rounds on social media, sounds a bit daft really, but the polling stations are being given pencils for your x to go in which ever box you choose, how people vote is obviously important to that person making the time and effort to vote, so take a black pen with you just to be sure that your vote goes the way you want it to go, Tbh I dont think it makes any difference to the final outcome, we have let so many people in that things can only get worse now, overstretched services, no money for those services, its taken years to get out of the last recession and were still not truly out of it, the economy has been based on house market, dont think it really matters how we vote, were in the crap anyway

Edited by the outsider, 20 May 2016 - 09:15 PM.

[Tony H]

You are completely tonto.

[slindborg]

It is indeed about the future and, since we will still be paying UK tax into the future, and we are British citizens, I think we should still have the vote.  Another point is that many who have lived in other EU states return home when their little adventure abroad is over.  We haven't abandoned the UK, just used our retirement for another experience while we are still able.

So when you get sick in your old age you'll come back to the uk for some "free" terminal care?

[Madmitch]

 

It is indeed about the future and, since we will still be paying UK tax into the future, and we are British citizens, I think we should still have the vote.  Another point is that many who have lived in other EU states return home when their little adventure abroad is over.  We haven't abandoned the UK, just used our retirement for another experience while we are still able.

So when you get sick in your old age you'll come back to the uk for some "free" terminal care?

 

 

For which I have never stopped paying in terms of UK tax, just like you.  On the other hand I may not return, who knows! 

[Madmitch]

Patrick Stewart sketch 'What has the ECHR ever done for us?' is hilarious!

 

https://youtu.be/ptfmAY6M6aA 

 

Edit: Not sure if the link works, apologies! 

Edited by Madmitch, 29 May 2016 - 08:00 AM.

[KurtVerbose]

Patrick Stewart sketch 'What has the ECHR ever done for us?' is hilarious!

 

https://youtu.be/ptfmAY6M6aA 

 

Edit: Not sure if the link works, apologies! 

 

Here you go.

 

[Madmitch]

 

Patrick Stewart sketch 'What has the ECHR ever done for us?' is hilarious!

 

https://youtu.be/ptfmAY6M6aA 

 

Edit: Not sure if the link works, apologies! 

 

Here you go.

 

 

 

Thanks, very kind of you!

[Ian59]

A political commentator made the comment yesterday, that if the UK was not a member of the EU and was looking to join as a new member, would the British people vote to join it in its present state (with all of its fraud/corruption/Federalist agendas, and inability to deal with the migrant crisis). If the answer is No, then you have to vote to leave.

I thought it was a fair comment. 

[smiley]

Here's the ballot.

 

[Ormes]

That is actually a very interesting perspective!

 

The latest thing that is annoying me is the argument is largely still around "better the devil you know" and the unknowns around leaving... however nobody has a crystal ball so see what the EU will be like in 10 years time do they?... who have they allowed to join and how much of a drain on "western wealth" are they?... what wacky new laws are there?... etc., etc.

[techieboy]

We should probably vote to stay in.

 

But we should use our veto on every bit of legislation that the EU tries to propose or ratify, no matter whether the individual issue is good for the UK or not and we should carry on until real reforms on just how the EU is run, it's inherent waste and where the limits of power over nation states should lie are on the table. Every country seems to agree it needs reforming and limiting but as it currently stands, the EU institutions are unreformable - the system just won't allow it. It has an unstoppable momentum all of it's own, that still seems hell-bent on heading towards a homogeneous federalised one-size-fits-all United States of Europe, despite the warning signs of the Euro/Greece fiasco and near stagnant growth in the Eurozone.

 

Maybe a public hanging in Brussels or Strasbourg (whichever one it is this week) for Juncker, just for being an supercilious, intransigent cnut, if nothing else. 

 

And lest we forget, a dawn execution of Gordon Brown at the Tower of London for treason in signing the Lisbon treaty might be worthwhile. Oh and Blair for agreeing to it and then baling out to the lucrative lecture circuit before having to sign it. 

 

 

P.S. Fcuk the French and their working week (I'm sure the French government will cave in to demands shortly). Soon they'll be on strike if they have to get out of bed or leave the pavement cafe every morning.

 

Still 100% undecided.

[Ian59]

That is actually a very interesting perspective!

 

The latest thing that is annoying me is the argument is largely still around "better the devil you know" and the unknowns around leaving... however nobody has a crystal ball so see what the EU will be like in 10 years time do they?... who have they allowed to join and how much of a drain on "western wealth" are they?... what wacky new laws are there?... etc., etc.

 

I have read that the EU are holding back new laws/regulations until the day after the vote. One of them (in simple terms) is taking more judicial/parliament laws and decision making away from us. Also, after the vote, the EU will advance plans for a European army.

I have observed that when Obama visited the UK he stated we would be better off staying in and we would be back of the queue for any trade deals it was posted all over the media. Trump (whether you like him or not) has since stated, he thinks the UK would be better out of the EU and we wouldn't be back of the queue (if he became President), and would have trade deals with us. This wasn't widely reported. Wonder why ! 

Bias press ?      

Edited by Ian59, 30 May 2016 - 04:19 PM.

[techieboy]

I'd take the stories about stored up laws (especially the EU army) for ratification the day after R-day with a very large pinch of salt. We all know where they originate from. In any case, I believe any further ceding of national laws can/will trigger a further referendum if the government follows it's own policy.

 

It has been reported. The fact he has no control over it now (or probably in the future) and was also saying it to the equally abominable Piers Morgan doesn't lend it much in the way of weight. The week before he was threatening to withdraw all of his investments in the UK (well Sweatyland anyway).

 

Obama is right, we'd rightly be at the back of queue - why should we be able to queue jump? However, as things currently stand, there'd only be one trade deal ahead of us and that's this piece of crap deal with the EU which will never get ratified.

 

Frankly, free trade deals are just a red herring. It doesn't stop us investing, or buying and selling things to the US, China, et al now. A lack of one wont stop anything in the future and given some of the proposed TTIP terms, it might be a bullet dodged. However, given our lopsided economy, any post-Brexit moves to block us selling/providing "services" into the rest of the EU should be by far our biggest trade worry.

[Zoobeef]

Filled in my postal vote today. Will stick it in the postbox on my way back to work.

[Harry Hornet]

Filled in my postal vote today. Will stick it in the postbox on my way back to work.

 

and.....where did your cross go to....Mark.....

 

..were you convinced..have you been convinced..or.....do you still believe there is no God..

Edited by Harry Hornet, 31 May 2016 - 04:02 PM.

[WrightStuff]

 

Filled in my postal vote today. Will stick it in the postbox on my way back to work.

 

and.....where did your cross go to....Mark.....

 

..were you convinced..have you been convinced..or.....do you still believe there is no God..

 

 

The EU want to ban trackdays* on environmental grounds so Mark has definitely voted to leave 

 

 

 

 

* I may have just made that  up