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Issue 631
18 - 24 NOV 2011
Let Us Remember Them
The Standards are lowered during the two minutes silence
MORE THAN 200 people packed into and outside of La Siesta Church in Torrevieja last Friday for the annual Armistice Day ceremony. The moving and solemn ceremony started just before 11am and included a two minute silence. Read the full story on page 9.
Expats right to vote by Louise Clarke REMEMBER THE name James Preston, because it is highly likely that this man’s ‘David and Goliath’ fight against the British government, will change history. James Preston believes that as a British Citizen, he should have the right to vote regardless of how many years he has been living abroad and regardless of where in the World he is living. Mr Preston’s ex-pat voting rights case against the British government was heard in the High Court in London last week and he is currently awaiting the final judgement. Described as a brave man, James Preston has de-
cided to take on the full might of the British government by applying for a judicial review of the expatriate voting rights law. James is a married fund manager from Leicestershire, who works for a property investment firm based in Madrid. DEMOCRATIC Despite never having voted before in his life, he is incensed that he can’t vote in UK elections because he has lived out of the country for too long. He says: “I know this might sound odd, but until I got married and had children, I really never felt the need to vote. It was my strong feelings about the Iraq war that persuaded me to think about voting in the forthcoming UK elections but now that I’ve reached the 15-year watershed of living in Spain, I’ve lost the chance. I’m basically being
stripped of a fundamental democratic right; the right to vote.” Regardless of the decision, one thing is for certain and that is that this case has far and wide reaching consequences for every British expat in every part of the world. And this issue is something that Conservatives Abroad has been fighting for. Chairman of the Javea branch of Conservatives Abroad, Margaret Hales, told RTN: “What a courageous man James Preston is for taking his case to the High Court in London. Every British citizen living abroad should be cheering for him! We at Conservatives Abroad here in Spain are extremely grateful to both him and his pro bono lawyers and hope that this case will push the British Government further into changing the legislation and letting us vote.” An online voting poll has been launched in support of James’ case and you can read more and vote your support at www.votes-for-expat-brits.com