The best liar

[silentC]

I always consult with my wife on who I should vote for

[HappyHammer]

Trying to get a postal vote in the uk was a joke .... the department which sent out the forms for overseas voters to vote wouldn't send them to an overseas address!!! and failed to send the form to a UK address I suggested. The High Commission here had either run out or didn't have any in the first place.

Why were you trying to vote in the UK in the first place? Did you intend going back at some stage? I wouldn't be happy with "ex-citizens" voting on policies that weren't going to affect them directly....

[jackiew]

wasn't an ex-citizen when I was voting ... was legally entitled to vote ( which said government department wasn't arguing about ) and am a dual citizen now.

from a british embassy website ....

" If you are a British citizen over 18 years of age living abroad, but you have been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years, you can apply to be an overseas voter (or overseas “elector”). If you were younger than 18 years of age when you left the UK, your parent or guardian must have been registered.

Once registered as an overseas voter, you are entitled to vote in elections to the UK and European Parliaments, but not UK local government elections or elections for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly or the Northern Ireland Assembly.

For further information and to register as an overseas voter, download and complete the electoral registration form for British citizens living overseas and return it to the Electoral Registration Office covering the address where you were last registered to vote in the UK (the addresses are also available on the website).

If you would like to vote by post or by proxy, you can complete either the postal or proxy vote application form that accompanies the registration form."

at the time I last tried to vote the form wasn't downloadable unfortunately.

There may be circumstances when I would have no choice but to go back to the uk to live for a while ( something happening to my elderly parents or my son etc etc ) . In addition I have pension entitlements in the uk and other financial interests there. I would be seriously stupid if I didn't care what happened there.

From the AEC website ... similar arrangements exist for Australians living overseas

"Registering as an overseas elector if enrolled

If you are enrolled and intend to leave Australia within the next 3 months or left Australia less than 3 years ago, and intend to return to Australia within 6 years, you may be able to register as an overseas elector to ensure your name remains on the roll. "