Voting and the Irish in Britain

EU citizenship

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott
The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.

Sir, – Kenneth Harper (Letters, May 27th) is understandably distraught at the loss of British citizens’ voting rights in Ireland because of Brexit. But a similar injustice is perpetrated on the 300,000 Irish (therefore EU) citizens resident in Britain. Citizens of other EU countries will be queuing up at their embassies and consulates across Britain to vote in the forthcoming EU elections, but no such facility has been made available by the Irish Government for its diaspora. We are effectively disenfranchised, with no say in determining how we, as EU citizens, are to be treated. There have been proposals to enable the diaspora to vote in presidential elections. Far more important to me, at least, would be the restoration of my right to vote as an EU citizen. – Yours, etc,

SEÁN BOYLE,

London.