OVERSEAS VOTING (Electors) BILL
At long (very
long) last Harry Shindler's quest approaches its goal. Harry at 96 has
for so long been fighting for British Citizens abroad to be recognised by the
Westminster Government. That is to have their Right to a VOTE. Some
years ago he brought a plea before the European Human Rights Court (nothing to
do with the EU Court of Justice) and was refused. We should also
recall that James Preston, a businessman who was living in Madrid in 2012 took
a similar case to the Supreme Court in London and there it was also refused.
NOW- On Friday
23rd February The Overseas Electors Bill passed the 2nd reading in
the House of Commons. you can read the text from Hansard as under.
Some members almost
filibustered the motion out. One of these was Sandy Martin MP (Labour)
for Ipswich. He spoke at length about the Frozen Pension situation, where
Citizens who have retired to Australia and South Africa and elsewhere (but not
the USA or Jamaica) have their State pension frozen. That wrong should most
certainly be righted but Mr Martin's speech wandered considerably from the
point of the debate which concerns the VOTE, and that alone.
However Mr. Martin
spoke at length why Britons abroad should NOT have the vote. He was vehemently
opposed to the idea.
Layla Moran (Liberal
Democrat) spoke well for the Bill. She observed that all British Citizens
abroad are ambassadors (for good or bad) for Britain
Mike Gapes (Labour)
spoke volubly in support of the Bill. He is the representative of Labour International
in Parliament and represents all those Labour voters abroad who are proudly
British.
Sir Roger Gale
(Conservative) spoke with passion about Harry Shindler in support of the Bill.
The end of the
debate was remarkable. The Shadow Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in
the Commons (Cat Smith), spoke from the Labour front bench. Though she made a
veiled support for the principles of the Bill, she then embarked on what
a fellow Labour member (Paul Flynn) called a ‘filibuster’ which would
have talked the Bill out of time. Cat Smith was speaking as for the
Labour Party. But she must have known that by going on so long, the Bill
was likely to fail. If it had failed it would have been the Labour Party which
kicked it out of touch.
Geoffrey
Clifton Brown (Cons) intervened. He requested a motion
of closure - But no division took place because the ‘nays’ did not put
forward any tellers (those who tally the votes).
The ‘Ayes’ had it,
as they say , hands down - more truthfully 'hands up', with shouts of Aye
ringing to the rafters.
We await the debate
in the forthcoming ‘Committee Stage’ in a month or two. Be prepared to
support it, and to lobby the MPs.
Harry Shindler was
delighted! He tells me that if the Bill eventually fails because of the tactics
of the Labour Party he will resign his life time membership. He is
the oldest member of the Labour Party. Various members praised Harry for his
steadfast campaigning on this matter.
The details of the
Bill in its current form can be read here
