Give emigrants right to vote

Our citizens abroad deserve to have their say, says Senator Mark Daly

IRELAND has now assumed the presidency of the EU so it should come as no surprise that we find ourselves ready and willing to talk about jobs and economic growth but not a word will be said about Ireland’s dismal record when it comes to voting rights for her own citizens. Ireland does not allow the 800,000 Irish citizens living overseas or in Northern Ireland the right to vote. The real scandal is that we accept as a given this peculiar system of citizenship that distorts the very meaning of the Republic.

Ireland is not only bankrupted economically but we are a Third World nation when it comes to sustaining democracy. It is more than ironic that former president Mary McAleese, whose allegiance to Ireland is unquestionable, was denied the right to vote for so many years because she was born and lived in Belfast.