British in Ireland and Irish in Britain must all have their say on Brexit
We are four weeks from the EU referendum — the most far-reaching decision the UK will make about its future for a generation.
On Thursday 23 June, the British people will decide whether the UK should remain in or leave the European Union. The outcome, whichever way the vote goes, will affect Ireland.
A vote to remain would mean that the present basis for so much of the co-operation that takes place between Ireland and Britain would stay in place. There would be no risk to the common travel area.
Our two countries could continue to work together as partners and close allies in the EU to expand the single market to include more services and digital commerce, to reduce the burden of EU regulations and to pursue market opening trade deals with countries outside Europe.
A vote to leave would change the relationship that the UK has with the remaining 27 EU member states, including Ireland. We don’t know now what that new relationship would look like. But the same trade rules that would apply in future between the UK and the EU would also have to apply between the UK and Ireland. Britain and Ireland could not have a separate side deal on trade.
According to a report published this week by the Treasury in London, the uncertainty that would be caused by a vote to leave would put the brakes on investment in the UK, cost over half a million jobs there, and cut people’s wages too. A weaker UK economy would have major implications for Ireland as our economies are so closely linked.
Over 40% of all exports from Irish-owned businesses in Ireland go to the UK. Ireland is the 5th most valuable market for exports of goods from the UK. Our two-way trade is worth over €1 billion each week and growing. So there is a lot at stake, depending on the new terms of trade to be negotiated in the event of a vote to leave.
Irish people living in the UK have the right to vote in this referendum. And so do many thousands of British people living in Ireland. There are an estimated 288,000 British-born people in the Republic. In Munster alone, we believe there are now more than 80,000 Brits resident in the province, many of whom may be eligible to vote on June 23.
Brits living in Ireland appear to be more interested in this poll than any before. We have now nearly double the number of overseas voters on the register than we had for the UK general election. But there are many who have not registered.
We are encouraging all British expatriates living in Munster and other parts of Ireland to register to vote for the referendum. The deadline for doing so is Tuesday, 7 June. So there is still time for people to act and have their say by registering to vote before that date.
As long as they have lived in the UK and been registered to vote there within the last 15 years, Brits living in Ireland are eligible to vote in the referendum.
The process to register online is straightforward and only takes five minutes. People need to have their passport and UK National Insurance number to hand. Then simply search online for ‘UK register to vote’ or go to the website www.gov.uk/register-to- vote. The instructions are quick and simple to follow.
It’s probably too late now for British people living in Ireland to register for a postal vote. But there’s still time to vote by proxy. This involves nominating a trustworthy person to vote in the UK on their behalf. Alternatively, Brits can travel back to the UK to vote in person in their constituencies, as so many Irish people did for the same-sex marriage referendum last May.
This referendum matters — for the UK and for Ireland. The decision will affect people in both countries. The widespread coverage of the UK’s referendum in the Irish media shows how much concern there is here. There is a recognition that Ireland has a unique perspective in this debate.
For the Irish in Britain, as well as a diaspora of some 5.5m who have recent Irish ancestry, there are 500,000 Irish-born people who may be eligible to vote.
They also need to register by June 7 and can do so via the British government website. (www.gov.uk/register-to- vote).
European Movement Ireland is also asking people in Ireland to contact their relatives and friends in Britain via our #PhoneAFriend voter registration drive. We have online graphics and postcards available from our office and on www.europeanmovement.ie.
We are delighted to have the support of the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and other members of the Oireachtas, as well as people from all walks of life, who are updating their online profiles and sending postcards to their loves ones in Britain to urge them to register to vote.
Most people living in Ireland will have deep ties with both our countries. On an issue that affects us both, we urge everyone who has a vote — the Irish in Britain and the British in Ireland — to exercise it. No one who has a voice in the referendum should miss the opportunity to have their say in this historic decision, which will affect all of us and our families for decades to come.
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