letter to the editor from Richard Corbett MEP |
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18th April 2008 |
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Tribune |
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Dear Editor, Harry Shindler (letters, 11th April) raises an extremely valid point about the plight of British ex-pats who are unable to vote in general elections in either the UK or the country in which they live. At present, nationals of one EU country working in another are able to vote and stand there in local and European elections (a provision that has existed since the Maastricht Treaty), but not in national elections. With more people choosing to live and work in different European countries, this is creating a growing population of disenfranchised people. This is a matter that should be addressed in Labour's manifesto at the next general election and in the manifesto of the Party of European Socialists for next year's European elections. The day has long gone that such expats were invariably Conservatives, so partisan advantage is no longer a reason to avoid action on an important matter of principle.
Richard Corbett Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
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