Jennifer O’Connell: If ever there was an argument against voting rights for the Irish abroad, it’s #McGregor4President [Opinion]
by badger-biscuits
Jennifer O’Connell: If ever there was an argument against voting rights for the Irish abroad, it’s #McGregor4President [Opinion]
by badger-biscuits
26 comments
Was there ever a good argument why they should be able to vote ?
I’m addressing only the title because paywall, but if you have gone to NUI and TCD you do have voting rights abroad through Senaid elections.
So the implication I read from this argument is “you don’t want uneducated people to vote from abroad”..
You should have to live here to be able vote here. Have always believed that.
Even if they were voting in a wonderful candidate I still don’t want those living abroad to vote. If you don’t pay taxes here and don’t have to live with the consequences of your vote, you shouldn’t get a say.
Yes it’s ‘only’ the president and it doesn’t have that much impact, but the few roles the president has matter and the impact on reputation matters. The president has soft power; how many has that Michael D speech about ‘wankers whipping up fear’ or videos of his dogs gone viral? It impacts Ireland’s reputation abroad
I’ve always said it, it’s madness to allow voting rights to anyone who doesn’t live in the state, and won’t have to live with the consequences.
It was a ridiculous suggestion regardless of McGregor
It’s not really the Irish abroad, it’s the diaspora (especially those in America).
We really ought to have a way for those who left within the last, say, 10 years to vote. Most other countries have this
I think the argument for voting rights for emigrants was valid when thousands of Irish had to leave for economic reasons and it was viewed by those in power as a necessary release valve. Basically the people who had been most drastically effected by government policy were unable to voice an opinion on it.
I get why people of our country should have the right to vote,
however why should people who don’t currently live in thr country get to dictate who leads our country.
I don’t see what McGregor has to do with it. You should have to live here and pay taxes here to vote imo
If it was Una Mullally running for president, her pal Jenny would want all those 20 somethings living abroad to be able to vote for her !
I’m Irish. I live abroad, and I firmly believe I should have the right to vote in Presidential elections and referendums.
I have had many discussions with politicians over the years, some agree with me and some don’t.
But from my last discussions with them was that people abroad who have a PPS number should be allowed to vote. This would allow the recent(ish) emigrants to vote, but would prevent the “diaspora” who never set foot in the country from doing so. The only complication to this would be the Irish in Northern Ireland: how to identify them and issue them with voting cards
I don’t mind for 2 terms of government. Many people are forced to leave through actions of the government of the day and would have aspirations to come home.
Beyond that you’ve made your decision and should be getting residency/citizenship in your new home
As someone who had to emigrate after the Bertie bubble I wanted a vote for at least one election cycle. Any longer than that and you’re starting to make a life elsewhere.
Plenty of people who live here don’t have the right to vote. Why would you extend the vote to people who don’t even live here before you extend it to the thousand of people who do live here and can’t vote
100% agree. On the other hand there is a huge population of EU nationals living here permanently and paying taxes, including my wife, who can’t vote without going through an expensive naturalisation process.
Meanwhile Tommy Robinson or Nigel Farage could vote in our elections or run for the Dail if they moved here tomorrow.
They can vote in their own countries though, and places like Poland they can swing elections.
Lots of *economic emigrants* here talking about being forced to leave: You weren’t forced to do anything, it’s not like you’re refugees or asylum seekers. Cop on.
If you want to have a say in how the country is run at any level, stay, contribute to the economy, pay taxes, vote. You can’t have your cake and eat it while people who stay are back here dealing with the state of the country.
The majority of us had to leave because of fuck ups by the pricks in the seats before and while we were still there. I have no interest in selecting the next prick thank you very much.
A citizen is a citizen.
Yes 🙌
Having lived abroad for a good many years but being back now, I’d be in favour of a 10 year expiration date on voting rights for emigrants, say from the last time you voted. Going from both my own experience and others I’ve talked to, around the seven year mark you basically have to make a choice as to whether your sojourn is permanent or not, so that plus three more years would give people plenty of wriggle room.
I flatly reject the argument though about taxes, if only because there was a long hard fought battle over the 19th and 20th centuries around removing the link between wealth and enfranchisement. In any case, it opens up a Pandora’s box of questions: e.g., if voting is based on taxes, then should do people who don’t pay taxes be excluded? Should it be linked to the amount of tax you pay? Should you have to own property? Etc etc.
I emigrated in 2012, cant really see why I would/should be entitled to vote in Ireland as I wouldn’t have to live with the consequences of those votes.
Also McGregor for president? Surely too much dirt on him, cough, multiple rape rumours, cough would immediately be brought up, no way Bertie doesn’t have e a few mates at the Indo, IT, Examiner, etc. who would be willing to do some investigative journalism on it. It’s one thing when he’s a sports star, another when he’s running for president
If you don’t suffer the consequencesof your vote, you shouldn’t have one.
I’m opposed to overseas voting but to suggest we base our voting rights on keeping certain people out of office is incredibly undemocratic.
Only citizens living in Ireland should be able to vote. Opening it up to Irish living abroad who are not living or participating here is not only wrong but opens up a huge can of worms.
When I lived abroad and paid taxes I shouldn’t have had the right to vote in a country I am out of touch with.
As an aside this issue can get emotional for some and yet look at the percentage who dont bother vote. We should have compulsory voting as this strengthens democracy and increases knowledge of the system and indeed the quality of candidates.
Shocked at all those calling for mass disenfrachisement ITT. If you’re a citizen, you should get a vote. That’s kind of an important principle in democracy. You can debate who gets citizenship but if you’ve got it, you should be able to vote.