Christmas message from Harry --- who?

A Christmas Message from Harry Shindler*

The right to vote is an important and a basic element in a democratic society.

Men and Women have died to win for us the right to vote. Wars have been fought to win back the right to vote when voting was cancelled by a dictator. There is of course the right to vote in the U.K. – but sadly not for all British Citizens.

Those who decide to reside outside the U.K. and within the European Union, are denied the vote after 15 years.

The campaign by the British Ex-pats, in France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Cyprus, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and Italy for the right to vote, with the removal of the 15 year limit, has won the recognition and support of the European Commission.
This note is to all British Ex-pats who have not reached the 15 years limit and hence still have the right to vote.
We, who cannot vote, are appealing to you to use your vote, to register to vote via the Town Hall at your last residence in the U.K.

One of the reasons given for refusing us the vote, is the low percentage of voting by those who can still vote.

VOTING IS IMPORTANT  --- IT IS ONLY WHEN WE LOSE THE VOTE
THAT WE REALISE JUST HOW IMPORTANT!

With every best wish for the New Year !

*Harry Shindler, Italy, December 2013   harryshindler@libero.it  Tel:- 00 39  (0)735658446  -93 years old - Fought to free Italy in the Anzio Beach-head 1944.  Worked tirelessly to commemorate the fallen. Proudly British - Yet... and yet.. and yet agian..  the British Government refuses to recognise his achievements.  All he asks for is to be allowed to vote! We must not let him down.

We would like to join with Harry in this message -
Brian Cave (lefourquet@orange.fr)

  & Graham Richards(graham.richards@orange.fr)

www.votes-for-expat-brits.com

To register to vote---

 link to:- http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote.aspx

or write to ‘The Electoral Registration Officer’  - at your last known Council Offices –
"“I want to register to vote. Please send me the necessary forms”"
and also sign this petition http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085
Circulate to Accumulate.

Ten Points for ACTION

To go to the Index click here

From the Publicity officer VOTES FOR EXPAT BRITS campaign

Members of the Votes for Expat Brits Campaign Team continue to get asked what can be done to keep promoting the campaign. Here are ten points for consideration:-

• Continue with writing to our last member of member of the House of Commons; http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

• Write to our last MEP; http://www.europarl.org.uk/en/your_MEPs.html

• Step up writing to both the four quality UK publications plus the many various English language expat publications who already give us both good coverage and support; http://www.world-newspapers.com/

• Continue to promote the various e: Government petitions; 
  Winter Fuel Payment      http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52121
  BUT FAR MORE IMPORTANT
  REPRESENTATION   http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55085

• To attend the Viviane Reding, and her fellow Commissioners ,"Citizen Dialogue" meeting road shows across the EU; http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1080_en.htm?locale=en

• We need to encourage the younger professional/career minded expats and to do that we need to make much more use, "as a matter of priority," of Twitter and Facebook as this is how they normally prefer and like to communicate with each other and not necessarily by the more traditional form of e:mail.

• Make more use of pro active forums like SFN - France. If anybody knows of any others I would very much appreciate receiving details.

• Encourage more people to to set up their own campaign blog sites; http://www.clivewalley.com/292654985 & http://pensionersdebout.blogspot.com/

• We still need to keep networking ourselves and it is essential that we forward all mails to friends/family/friends

• The Electoral Commission is running an online registration and system testing campaign targeting British citizens living overseas in the countries with the highest number of British citizens; Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, UAE & USA. The online campaign will begin in mid February 2014 and it is essential that we boost the registration of the number of overseas voters and get ourselves involved.