The
15-year period was chosen arbitrarily to replace the earlier periods of 20 and
earlier 5 years. None of these numbers makes any sense at all. Expats do not
disengage from their home country. In this age of the Internet and satellite TV
and radio, expats can easily follow what is happening at home, whether they
live
in Birmingham, Berlin, Brisbane or Buenos Aires.
The
current 15-year rule fails to provide an objective, justified basis on which to
determine who should have the right to vote. Why should Britons, who have lived
in, say, Geneva, for 16 years lose the right to vote while those who have lived
there for 14 years still enjoy that right?
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