London - Undemocratic, this is the right word describing the British electoral system which excludes its citizens living abroad and EU citizens in UK from general elections. Look at the electoral register and see people from Antigua, Bahamas, Botswana, Zimbabwe and all the Commonwealth countries can have their say on who rule the UK.
The ‘post-imperial’ electoral system gives ex colonies citizens the right to vote in the country which once exploited their own, and this is absolutely right and fair. But it is utterly unjust citizens from the neighbouring countries living in the UK and the British abroad (who lose the right to vote after a number of years) are excluded from the democratic process by the law since 1969. Why? Is it just for chance or this is the result of the British crossparty establishment's 'domestic defence policy'?
The answer is complex and touches the very founding process of democracy. Every political establishment, in every country, defends itself from whom considers, and wrongly classifies, as defector. This means those who flee their countries of origin are perceived as potential political defectors able to detect the structural, systemic failures of political systems in the countries they left: people emigrate when understand there is no hope for change. But why then Indian or Pakistani, for instance, living in the UK take part to national elections and have MPs representing their communities in the House of Commons while European origin and British expats don't?
Firstly because they are from former colonies and Commonwealth citizens, secondly because nearly all Commonwealth countries (except for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and perhaps few others), are not democracies comparable to the EU ones (exceptions here as well starting from Hungary) therefore people from Nigeria or Malawi have de facto a different political awareness and might not be able to promote changes in the structural system of an advanced democracy such as Britain.
Today the campaign to give British citizens living abroad and EU citizens in UK full political rights launched by Another Europe is Possible, The 3 Million and British in Europe marks a radical change in support of democracy in Great Britain, and goes far and beyond Brexit. The fight is for a fair and just society representing all and for a political system no longer allowed to hide and perpetrate exclusion in the name of a dead ‘post-imperialist’ establishment.
Let Us Vote: campaign and petition launched by Another Europe is Possible, British in Europe and The3Million
African unsustainable development between EU grants and China loans
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Hopes on Keir, new leader amid the challenging global emergency
London, 4 April 2020 - Now that the opposition’s voice has been shut up by the most dangerous health, social and economic crisis since WWII, we rely on Keir Starmer to take the helm back and lead Britain in the fight for the true independence it needs: the one from the Tories, an autocratic minority that over ten years put on the sidelines the democratic voices within the Conservative party and took control of the majority of the population by media propaganda and hidden surveillance.
Over the last months the anti-Corbyn argument prevailed in describing and interpreting Starmer’s positions: the distance from Unite, a non-radical approach to Labour party stances and choices, the priority of uniting corbynians, blerites, hard-socialist, brexiters and the many other sparse souls.
Finally the 56.2% win with 275,780 votes demonstrates the choice for Keir wasn't just a reaction to the previous leadership, but a full convinced support.
Keir Starmer is the new leader of the Labour Party. The former Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union won with 275,780 votes, a 56.2% win which is a good score if we think the exceptional hardship the election has been run.
Delay Brexit, stop no deal, win local elections, stop privatisation, stop arm production, stop the scandal of attack to journalists and free Assange, among the many hopes people put on him.
Starmer has, always had, a strategic, but coherent, approach to politics: since his election at the Commons in 2015, in the conflicting pro/anti Brexit fight, articulated a possible way out with a compromise on limiting free movement to workers only and a clear stance in favour of a second referendum in order to not alienate either of the two sides, when, instead, Corbyn’s pro-Brexit radicalism determined exactly this alienation which led to the historic defeat in last December’s general elections, despite the last minute shift of the party for a second vote.
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In the past he has been strongly criticised for his decisions as head of Crown Prosecution Service in particular in relation to the alleged protection of the police in the de Menezes killing, the Brazilian innocent man wrongly killed by police in London following a misidentification during the chase of terrorist after 2005 attacks. So activists, yes, look at Keir Starmer as the cops’ friend. But aside of simplistic identifications, he is a human rights barrister.
There’s always a way to prove again how he is on the side of justice and fairness: today we know Assange who is arbitrarily detained will not be given freedom along with 4.000 prisoners saved from the risk to catch coronavirus. It’s a scandal we all trust the new leader of the Labour Party, one who used to fight for human rights, will put an end to with a clear stance.
We have to think about what tragic catastrophe we are facing and how it’s urgent to call for a delay of the actual exit from the EU. We don’t even know if, when and how countries will survive and exit this horrible decimation in which we can only helplessly look at unshielded doctors, nurses and volunteers going to the frontline filling with their courage and skills the chasms of a National health service destroyed by ten years of Tories’ privatisation.
Unison's, the NHS workers’ union, full support to Starmer is emblematic of who and what the country must support, of what the priorities are.
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Garance Dessey