FIANNA Fáil’s London branch is urging the party to extend the right to vote to the Irish in Britain.
Speaking to The Irish Post, the newly elected secretary of Fianna Fáil London, Audrey Eager, said: “The Diaspora want to vote. What I would like to do would be to get that message back to our party members in Ireland at the Árd Fheis.”
Fianna Fáil’s London branch was established in 2012, with Ms Eager joining just a few months later.
Fianna Fáil London secretary, Audrey EagerShe has recently been elected secretary of the branch and will also be in the running to sit on the party’s committee at the Árd Fheis – where she will be standing on the Diaspora platform.
With a day job in the travel industry, Ms Eager has spent time living everywhere from Andorra to Switzerland since leaving Ireland in 2004, but came to Britain in May 2012 to further her career.
Despite more than a decade living away from Irish shores, the Fianna Fáil member is passionate about more inclusive voting rights for the Diaspora, particularly with the historic same-sex marriage referendum coming up.
“So much of a new wave of people are leaving but plan to go back and sooner rather than later,” she said. “It’s incredibly important to give them a vote in things that have a major effect on Irish society. Just because they left it doesn’t make them any less Irish.”
The current rules state that emigrants can vote in Ireland if it has been less than 18 months since they left the country and they can prove they intend on returning within that timeframe.
Ms Eager plans to challenge the current rules at the party’s Árd Fheis on April 24.
“Whether we base it on another country’s system, or whatever way we do it, we need to extend the right to vote to the Irish abroad,” she said.
Regarding how that might work, she added: "Be it five years, ten years or more a rule needs to be in place, because there are too many of Irish heritage worldwide to all vote, but those who are going back should be able to have a say in what is going on at home.”
