The right to vote, or how safe is Britain for foreigners?

The UK general elections are just behind us and I was unable to exercise my democratic right to vote. I have spent half my life living away from my native country and yet I’m not allowed to vote in the national elections of my adopted country. This leaves a bad taste and I ask myself: What actually makes a citizen? Shouldn’t a citizen be every person who lives and works in a country for a certain amount of time?

UKIP's leader Nigel Farage (Image: metro.co.uk)

Never before have I felt this strongly about a general election! The swing to the right and the neo-Nazi trends all across Europe are frightening and in Britain, the right-wing party UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) have been getting stronger over the last few years. This party and their leader, Nigel Farage, who incidentally has a German wife, play on the concerns and fears of certain demographics of British society, people who are looking for a scapegoat to blame for their own misery or inability to manage their lives. UKIP are making a strong case for Brexit – the exit of Great Britain from the European Union – and are trying to curtail immigration from other European countries. Their xenophobia and homophobia play into the hands of the extreme right too, such as the EDL (English Defence League) and fall on fertile ground with disgruntled, as well as ignorant, people who want to turn the clock back to the “good old days” (whenever they occurred).

Learning from history?

As a German native, with a social and political conscience, I am aware of how the Nazis gained ground and came to power in the Weimarer Republic and Germany in the 1930s. Many people were disgruntled then, feeling the after-effects of World War I and the economic depression. They too were looking for a scapegoat and the Nazis skilfully directed people’s attention, negative attitudes and feelings of hatred towards the Jews who were eventually sent in droves to the concentration camps during the Holocaust. Of course, it wasn’t only the Jews who ended up in concentration camps but many liberal thinkers, left-wing activists and trade-unionist were denounced and arrested and perished there too.

Concentration Camp Auschwitz (Image: history.com)

Needless to say, the right-wing and neo-fascist trends across Europe fill me with great trepidation and it was my deepest wish to play my part in preventing UKIP from gaining a foothold in the British Parliament this spring. I did receive my polling card for the general elections in the post and was elated. Although as a German citizen, I’m only allowed to vote in local elections, I thought that maybe there had been a lucky change of some sort or a mistake had been made that allowed me to vote on a national level for the first time since I left Germany 30 years ago. Alas, as I entered the polling station in the village hall, I was merely given the opportunity to vote for the local elections which coincided with the national election.

A blessing in disguise

The electoral system in Great Britain is called First Past the Post (FPTP) and differs from Proportional Representation (PR). There has been a movement in the UK for a reform of the electoral system that would allow for a fairer distribution of seats in the Commons. I had

General Election Result 2015 (Image: telegraph.co.uk)

been hoping that that the British people would wake up before the general election and show UKIP the door, but as it turned out, this party managed to get not far off 4 million British votes and came in second in many constituencies. However, due to FPTP, UKIP only managed to get one seat in the Houses of Parliament. So while I favour an electoral reform and even UKIP want to adopt PR, the voting system used by most European countries (ironic?), I was greatly relieved that FPTP led to UKIP only having one MP. Indeed a blessing in disguise!

The way forward

There are millions of European non-nationals living and working in the UK who for various reasons cannot obtain British nationality or want to keep the nationality they were born with. Shouldn’t these citizens be entitled to vote in a general election if they don’t vote in their home country? I myself have no interest in voting in Germany as I haven’t lived there in a very long time, however, I would very much like to vote in Britain as I live and work here and am deeply concerned about British politics. Furthermore, an EU referendum about Britain’s place in the EU is scheduled for 2017 and could result in Britain leaving the European Union. Again, non-UK nationals won’t be entitled to vote in a referendum.

If current trends in British politics continue, I will certainly have to ask myself the question if I want to remain in a country that is becoming increasingly intolerant, xenophobic, racist and homophobic. One can only hope that common sense will prevail and that it won’t come to Britain leaving the European Union. Should the Euro sceptics manage to gain the upper hand and should Britain leave the EU, I don’t think I would like to remain on this island.