The SNP has adopted an open, inclusive approach to citizenship in the new independent Scotland it hopes to create.
In keeping with this vision, the SNP want Scottish citizenship to be open and inclusive: for all those resident in Scotland, those of Scottish parentage, those born in Scotland and those outwith Scotland to Scottish parents.
Yet, surprisingly, only those Scottish citizens who are actually resident in Scotland at the time of the referendum will have a chance to vote on whether they wish Scotland to come out of the United Kingdom and become an independent country. This seems to be a very exclusive franchise.
In the spirit of inclusion, and of our European membership, it is appropriate that a young Greek student, whom I recently met socially, will, under the current proposals, vote in the referendum, even though he will return to Greece at the end of his studies. On the other hand, three of my four children, born and educated in Scotland, who have gone to the south of England to get work in their fields but who see their long-term future in Scotland, will not be able to vote. This does not seem either fair or inclusive.
Current UK constitutional referendum arrangements allowed British citizens living abroad, who had previously registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years, to register as overseas voters in the AV referendum in the UK last year. This 15-year eligibility rule, which can only be exercised through active registration, provides a reasonable compromise between recognising the rights of citizens temporarily living abroad and the problems of giving voting rights to a people who no longer have a stake in the country.
In its report on the conduct of the 2011 referendum, the Electoral Commission took the rights of this group very seriously indeed. Alex Salmond has described the forthcoming referendum as the most significant decision Scotland has faced in 300 years. The right to vote is a fundamental characteristic of citizenship. It is astonishing that the proposals currently being put forward by the SNP Government, so inclusive in other ways, would deny many of Scotland's citizens the right to contribute as full members of Scotland's civic community to this vital decision.
If the proposed restricted franchise is adopted, there may be a good legal case at the European Court of Human Rights that the basic rights of citizens have been denied. Even if the majority of those responding to the current consultation are content with the proposed franchise, this should not deny citizens of Scotland their right to vote.
Daniel Murphy,
18 Forth Crescent, Stirling.
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