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
.png)
London, 1 May 2021 - There’s something in the Kill the Bill protest that makes the British establishment, and not only the government in charge, particularly concerned.
​
The massive reaction against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (which gives the police more powers to curb any kind protests and rallies) in fact merges in solidarity many and diverse movements as it puts into question the definition itself of right to protest: Black Lives Matter, Sisters Uncut, Extinction rebellion, Stand up to Racism, plus Socialists and Corbynites (former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke at the rally in London).
​
It is not by chance that all those who silently watch us from behind screens and cameras push to limit civil rights after such a dangerous pandemic which impoverished people, exposed not only the poorest, but also the middle class to unemployment, eviction, debt, uncertainty of the future, undermined families with many not able to afford food, hit the hardest those who cannot afford to live alone and catch the virus in crowded houses: the virus exposed the roots and the wide extent of social injustice.
In the wake of all this it is clear that the establishment expected more and more rallies against racism, marginalisation, violence against women, unemployment, right to education, work and affordable housing.
The idea of the shameful Bill started during the Covid crisis with the intent to ‘tackle’ the merger of movements for social justice and prevent riots. It is in fact a preventive criminalisation of protests disguised as protection of those the Home Office defined as “silent majority”.
“These new measures will not stop people from carrying out their civic right to protest and be heard, but will prevent large scale disruption enabling the silent majority to get on with their lives.” Home Office spokesman said to the Guardian today while rallies were being held in London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Cambridge, Sheffield and Edinburgh.
Tactical wording from the Home Office is aimed at diminishing the representativeness and the influence of rallies and social movements in order to pass the false perception that those who have the strength, will and courage to take to the street to challenge the government and defend the rights of us all are just a tiny minority which have to keep the voice down.
They did not succeed in doing that so far, but the Bill is a serious intimidation which could silence the majority.
UK: The rally, the bill, the establishment behind the scenes:
thousands speak loud against anti-protest upcoming law