The future of the UK could be decided by foreigners if the Coalition Government’s plans for the forthcoming Scottish referendum are allowed to stand.

There are an estimated 253,000 foreign nationals living in Scotland and many of them will have a vote.

Under the UK’s absurdly anachronistic voting laws, citizens of 53 Commonwealth countries as well as the Republic of Ireland are allowed to vote in all elections. This concession is reciprocated only in Ireland and in a tiny handful of Commonwealth countries.

EU nationals can vote in Scottish Parliamentary elections but not for Westminster. Perversely, they will also be able to vote in the Independence referendum.

In the document Scotland’s Constitutional Future (see attached) the Government says certain categories of non UK citizens should be able to participate in the referendum because they already can vote in Scottish Parliamentary elections and to do otherwise

could lead to administrative complications and risk the perception

that changes were being made to favour one or other outcome, and would enfranchise individuals currently ineligible to vote in Scottish Parliament elections.

This means a closely fought referendum could be decided by people with next to no connection or affinity with either Scotland or the UK. They just happen to be living in Scotland for the time being and on the electoral register.

The UK Government believes

the existing Scottish Parliament franchise achieves the right balance of clarity, consistency, and transparency, and would be administratively straightforward to deliver.

Isn’t something missing?

What about fairness?

How can it be right to allow the UK’s centuries old constitutional settlement to be changed irreversibly by non UK citizens?

Allowing non-citizens to vote for members of a devolved Parliament with circumscribed powers is one thing. Giving non-citizens a say in the possible dismemberment of the UK is something else.

Participation in this make or break referendum should be restricted to UK citizens whose primary address is in Scotland. Pure and simple.

Too bad if this causes administrative complications.

For the record, citizens of the following 53 Commonwealth countries who are legally resident in Scotland will be able to vote in the Independence referendum: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Attachments:

Scotland Referendum.pdf

[Scotland's Constitutional Future]

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