Irish voters in UK election

[elgroucho]

Why are citizens of the Republic of Ireland living in the UK allowed to vote in UK general elections, and vice-versa?

It strikes me as odd as Ireland has been independent for many decades now. I know it is in the 9th amendmant of their constitution, but this doesn't really answer the question. What is the reason? They are after all independent countries.

[Loosehead]

This is an EU thing. I beleive if you are and EU citizen then you can vote if you are resident in an EU country. Not sure about how long you have to live there etc

[sunflower68]

It does seem odd though, I know.  My husband is not allowed to vote here though he's lived here 9 years.  He's american though our government are perfectly happy to take his tax etc.

[Romeo]

Loosehead - it's not an EU thing. It goes back to the Ireland Act, a term of treaty agreed when Ireland left the UK. The two countries are separate states, but it was agreed, as a gesture of goodwill and international cooperation, that there would be dual citizenship between the two countries, an 'open' border (i.e. no passports required) and the right to vote in each other's elections. I think it is a good thing.

[Peter Pedant]

yeah Romeo has the point: it dates from the 1922 Treaty of Separation. Everything was Irish - excuse the pun, right from the start where Lloyd George asks Eamon de Valera (Spanish) what he is gonna call the country as the word Republic does not exist in gaelic.

The treaty itself is remarkable as the United Kingdom concludes a treaty with a body that doesnt exist in a country that doesnt (and never) exists - that is the House of Commons in Southern Ireland

whatever the Dail was, it was not a House of Commons, and wherever Dublin was, it was not in a country named Southern ireland.

History of constitutional law is incredibly boring except of this mythical country of Southern ireland. Just about the whole of the treaty is about the position of the Crown in Ireland. The treaty provision for the Irish navy is limited to one sentence.

The irish negotiators stay in Sir John lavery's house in London, and Lady lavery ends up in bed with Collins, I think.

In 1936 when Edward VIII abdicates, de Valera demands five other enabling acts from London before he will allow the Dail to pass the instrument of abdication.

Later on de Valera gets p*ssed off with the Senate and dissolves it. Ireland is now uni-cameral. Ths does not work that well (unfettered power) and so the Senate is reconstituted

The history is one of measures to get the irish and british closer - voting in the United Kingdom, and being able to join the armed forces - unified institutions of which the only one of importance is the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland

together with measures that will separate the two countries - different currencies, different land law and so on and so on.

[Loosehead]

It may not originally have been an EU thing but isn't it now true that an EU citizen can settle and hence vote in any EU country?