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UK PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has unveiled her full cabinet, making few changes as the premier clings to power after losing her parliamentary majority in a snap election.
In one of the biggest shocks of the cabinet reshuffle, May named former Conservative leadership hopeful Michael Gove as environment secretary. Gove and May have clashed repeatedly in the past, and many commentators are surprised with the decision.
Aside from that, there have been few surprises in the embattled May’s reshuffle.
May made Damian Green, former work and pensions secretary, her deputy by naming him first secretary of state.
Treasury chief secretary David Gauke moves in to take Green’s place, while the leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, becomes justice secretary.
Lidington’s move sees him replace Liz Truss, who has faced criticism in the justice role and has been moved by May to Gauke’s former post as treasury chief secretary.
The minor reshuffle has been seen as a reflection of May’s weak position after she called a snap election, only to lose seats in Thursday’s vote in a dramatic change of fortunes.
In announcing the remainder of her cabinet today, May kept Jeremy Hunt on as health secretary despite him being vilified for his handling of the treasured National Health Service.
Liam Fox stays on as international trade secretary, a post created in the wake of Britain’s decision last year to leave the European Union as the country searches for new partners outside of the bloc.
Downing Street announced on Friday that there would be no reshuffle among the government’s top ministers, including Finance Minister Philip Hammond despite reports ahead of the election that he may be sacked.
Boris Johnson stays on as foreign minister, alongside fellow eurosceptic David Davis as Brexit minister.
May’s replacement last year as interior minister, Amber Rudd, keeps her post, as does Defence Minister Michael Fallon.
- © AFP 2017 With reporting from Cormac Fitzgerald
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No problem with ex-pats being allowed vote in referendum, but I’m not so sure about voting in general elections. Why should someone who is not living in the jurisdiction and subject to it’s tax system etc have a right to say how the rest of us are governed?
@Donal Murray: Because Donal that person wants to come home, marry, raise kids, come back to nurse a parent. But had to leave through no fault of their own. What happens at home in Ireland directly affects us.
@Ian Phillip Creaner: he can come home and then vote.
@Ian Phillip Creaner: I lived overseas for 30 years , always wanted the right to vote , but this guy is not even from here .
@Ian Phillip Creaner: what the difference in both elections
@Donal Murray: The shouldn’t. If this guy was not resident in Ireland in the last 18 months and came to Ireland to vote. He was breaking the law.
@Donal Murray: I would say the opposite is the case. An ex-pat might be entitled to a state pension and a sitting government could change the rules that govern that to affect them. A referendum, however, should really only affect those who actually live in the country so an ex-pat has no reason to vote in one.
@Ian Phillip Creaner: It is not fair on the people here who stayed and fought the hard fight. You left and your voting rights stayed here.
@Gary Kearney: I’m presuming you had a job and owned property during this hard fight?
@Shane McGettrick: are u trying to shame him if he did?
@Vote4Pedro: now how would that make any sense? Everyone wants a home and a job. That being said, it’s a bit disingenuous to talk about other people leaving their vote behind when you have resources that they can only dream about.
@Ian Phillip Creaner: It would affect us more directly as we live on the Island of Ireland and Irish persons living abroad may not have to ever live with the outcome.
@CrabaRev: many of the people that came home to vote we well gone more that 18 months. There’s citizens of Ireland out there that have had a vote all their lives refused their vote at the polling booth.
@Charliegrl80: Any that were gone more than 18 months and came back to vote were breaking the law. There is no law against not voting.
@Donal Murray: what about those that left because there was no work? And didn’t want to be a drain on the system! They will be the ones punished if they decide to come home, through car insurance etc… My son is in Australia nearly seven years and has not cost the state a penny! He’s still Irish born and bred and should be entitled to vote!
@CrabaRev: Some people that have voted all their lives from the age of 18 did not get a polling card and when they went to the polling station were refused their poling cards to vote. So they didn’t get a vote at all
“It was stressful, it’s was exhausting and it was expensive”. It was a journey back from Liverpool to Galway in 2018. If it was 1930 I might have some sympathy for you. I flew back from London on the Thursday to vote and I sat beside a girl in her repeal jumper who must have taken 40 selfies before takeoff. I’m very relieved the vote was passed but the I’m so bloody glad its over.
@Rocky Raccoon: Is this guy actually from Ireland ?
@Rocky Raccoon: yeah agree with that. To some people telling everyone on social media that they were coming home to vote seemed more important than actually voting.
@Gareth Keenan: picking a side because it’s trendy and in vogue or whatever term.is the latest equivalent these days. i’ve no interest in how those people feel.
Why in gods name should someone who doesnt contribute tax here or who is not effected by any laws here outside of the voting laws be able to determine how im treated in the country i stayed im and built up again? Enjoy liverpool, oz or wherever but just keep your beak out of my matters.
@AJ: that’s fine for general elections but not for referendums. The constitution is something that every Irish citizen has a right to vote on.
@AJ: I don’t get this “you don’t pay tax here” begrudgery. Plenty had to leave here during the recession. Would you rather they had started here in the dole? Would you have a problem with say David drum who banjaxed the country with dodgy accounting voting, but it’s not ok for your mate who had to leave? Nearly every other country allows its citizens to vote. Everyone who is Irish should have a say. Let there be a diaspora constituency, that way it would only be five seats in the dail or whatever.
@Keithy McKeitherson: NO we live here we vote here. You left you dont vote simple enough. Otherwise we could have even worse TD’s than we have now.
@Gary Kearney: oh don’t worry, it’s not people flying home to vote that are responsible for the Healy Raes or Lowry holding seats.
@Fergal Kelly: no we don’t – i’v ebeen gone for 15 years and i’m still a citizien but i cannot vote…
@AJ: affected
@Shane McGettrick: why do you single those particular politicians out?
This is a pi$$take Surely , the guy was not even born here .
I am for giving the right to vote to people who live overseas , but I’ll have to rethink the technical details after reading that bit of tripe .
I’m not sure if he meant his connection to Ireland was through his mother or grandmother .
You ok Hun ?
The USA expects its ex-pats to file their taxes every year and to pay taxes over a certain income limit. I think the only way Irish living abroad could vote would be if they filed taxes and paid tax over a certain income too. This way some of our “successful” emigrants could even contribute to cover some of the costs of their education.
I have to say the ones that travelled have really put it on a pedestal, you chose to live outside of Ireland and knew the deal with voting – it’s a non issue.
@Free comment ratings: All the same, it’s great that Irish citizens do value their right to vote. Other countries are fine with their exiles voting. A person who had to work or study abroad shouldn’t in my view lose the right to vote as if they were a criminal.
You are brilliant. Only for you we would be in the dark ages
@Mickey Finn: Where we belong
@Martino Treacio: Shame, he could have saved himself the exhausting bus journey through the Jungles of Liverpool, the 10 hour flight on the rickety plane with his 4 kids and the 48 stopover in Knock airport with only communion wafers and holy water for sustenance followed by the arduous bus journey down the motorway to Galway. FFS!! I hope he never has to go on a real trip or he may end up in hospital.
Expensive, Yes. Do I appreciate him using his vote (either way) Yes but exhausting, No.
@Bunny Johnson: At least he gets to go back to the NHS , heaven forbid he spent an hour on a trolley .
@Mickey Finn: brilliant me hole. it would have passed without them or do you have figures to disprove that. Young ones pft thinking they ate so more progressive than others.
@Mickey Finn: A student ( broke) mid exams ( exhausting ). Dual citizenship means he is uniquely positioned tp compare and contrast. Fair play to him for taking time to write the ONLY article I have seen on this subject. Homretovote cost millions that should have been saved . Fair play to our millenials . They are far more together than previous generations..
Ireland is one of only two countries in Europe that doesn’t allow their ex-pat citizens the right to vote.
Probably because when living abroad you can compare who things are run. Things like public transport, public health service, waste disposal, water,etc. You in all probability wouldn’t support a government that only sees it’s citizens as cash cows for business and corporations.
@Michael Allen:
No Michael the reason people go abroad is because it’s was their choice to leave Ireland.
@Just Some Guy: No it was not, they were forced out in droves at gunpoint by the political parties or so it would seem.
They left by choice nothing less nothing more.
As Irish people have done for generations. Just this generation seem to think they are more in titled than previous generations.
@Gary Kearney:
Forced out by gunpoint? Oh cop on Gary and stop being ridiculous
People who do not live in Ireland should not have a right to vote here. Not in referenda, not in general elections, not in local elections – not in anything.
I’m sympathetic to a student who might be abroad to go to university or the like, or traveling for a year. There’s probably a case for postal voting in cases like that. A person who has chosen to emigrate though has chosen not to be part of Irish life. None of those ‘forced abroad’ nonsense. None of them were. It’s always a choice and, if that’s the choice you make, you forgo your rights as a citizen.
We should be looking at ways to prosecute the illegal home-to-voters (not the ones who were legally entitled – just the illegal ones), not helping to make it easier for them.
I would also be in favour of ensuring that foreign nationals who actually do live here can vote, by the way. A foreigner who has chosen to make Ireland his home has more right to a say in how the country is run and what rights the people should have than an Irish born person who’s decided that the grass is greener elsewhere.
@John Murphy: If you “forgo your rights” why does your passport demand that Irish citizens be afforded all the rights and assistance they need while in a foreign country?
You’re a troll, a made up account. Trying to give an excuse to preserve the status quo, because you fear the change ex pats might bring to a decrepit political establishment.
@Dave Doyle: a troll? If that’s your bar on what a troll is you must be a snowflake.
@Dave Doyle: Not a ‘troll’ at all. How can you not see that the notion of someone voting to control the lives of people in another country, that do not affect them personally in any way, is absurd and wrong? That’s part of why SIPO exists – to prevent foreigners with agendas attacking our democracy (though, judging by your display picture, you have no problem with that). Just because someone is entitled to an Irish passport doesn’t mean that what happens in Ireland affects them. Some stuff does. Some doesn’t. The last referendum only affects people in Ireland so only people who live in Ireland should be eligible to vote in it.
And the point of this article being????
Sounds like whinging and moaning about exhaustion and expense on the 1 hand, and glory hunting on the other…Jesus, I am fairly fed up listening to pointless, snowflaky , self adulating “ news”. So what, man? You actually got out of your comfort zone, put your money where your mouth is ( a scarce concept these times) and did something you feel is principled- Great! But do we ALL need to know? And congratulate you? Hello…
People are shocked to hear that Irish citizens resident abroad don’t have the opportunity to vote. It’s something that could easily be remedied but as it would never benefit the big 2 parties it’s unlikely to happen any time soon.
@Shane McGettrick: I think it’s a mistake to assume that Irish citizens living abroad would vote substantially differently to those at home.
Personally I would restrict the vote to people who live in Ireland.
@Brendan O’Brien: No assumptions here at all, I would however be surprised if the voting breakdown of immigrants synced up with the population at home. It would be interesting to see how people who returned to vote in the last 2 referenda compared to permanent residents.
Why exactly would you be in favour of restricting voting to residents only? Would you extend the right to foreign nationals who are resident here? Should my 20 odd years living in Ireland as an Irishman be disregarded because I’m studying abroad for a couple of years? Generalistions are an easy answer,but rarely the appropriate one.
@Shane McGettrick: People who returned to vote in the last two referendums were on the register in Ireland. You probably could be too if you are studying abroad in the short term. Emigrants are a different matter.
And yes, I would allow foreign nationals to vote after a certain time. They are contributing to the country.
@Brendan O’Brien: You’re ineligible to vote if non-resident for a period of 18 months, despite the fact that I received a polling card. I hold an Irish passport and I have no intention to ever give it up. I might agree with you if i was abroad for 15 years but surely out voting right should be in line with European norms, if not extended due to the historic tradition of emigration.
@Shane McGettrick: Good point. I have Irish and Bulgarian citisenships, which means I can vote in both elections. A couple of years ago, the (utterly corupt) Bulgarian government tried to pass a referendum to take away the vote from immigrants. The reason was, the PM had a meeting in London with the diaspora where he was grilled on his actions within an inch of his life. These people had lived in places where corruption wasn’t obvious, and they weren’t brainwashed by a media owned by the same people who control the politicians. The referendum didn’t pass, i.e. I still have my vote.
Very sorry to see all the negative comments on this article. Some people just seem to have nothing good to say. Thank you to the author for taking the extra time and effort to travel home to vote, and I couldn’t agree more with the premise that improved access to voting for people who are abroad is sorely sorely needed.
@Decado666: Begrudgery and negativity are endemic on this site.
@Decado666: He wasn’t even born here , never mind lived here for any period of time
@Decado666: I believe in the right to vote for people who were born and lived here .
But this man wasn’t , probably never will , but still believes in his right to influence democratic process’s in this country .
He has a vote in 2 countries and moans about it.
if you no longer live here you should not get a vote on issues that doesn’t concern you.
@AJ. I’m classed as an expat. I pay Irish income tax, collect Irish VAT, collect digital VAT for 27 EU countries and spend thousands in the Irish ecomomy every month but I still don’t get a say in things that effect me directly.
are these millenial snowflakes going to come home and get out there and campaign with such passion as they did recently against the constant worsening homeless crisis, third world health service, crooked government?
@Jonny: couldn’t agree more. ‘Stressful’, ‘expensive’. FFS. Shackleton would turn in his grave at these wrapped up in cotton wool porcelain paddies complaining about traversing the pond.
As an Expat I feel it would be too easy for a very big, external block of emigrants to have a an disproportionate impact on an Irish referendum or election.
I do not pay Irish taxes and don’t have the same investment in schools, healthcare or the basic social contract between citizens and government as people who live and pay taxes in Ireland.
On that note, I feel with exemptions made for illness and disability’s that if you don’t pay tax you shouldn’t get a vote, it’s like walking into a restaurant and demanding what’s on the menu without paying.
As for you Daniel I can’t help but be cynical. People care vastly more about virtue signaling than the actual referendum or any other issue. Social media has maximized that tendency to insane levels
No. we won’t let Irish immigrants living their lives in other countries a vote here no matter how stressful you feel. Our votes affect us who live here and I certainly don’t want some idealistic Ex pat sticking their oar in.
@Missyb211: I’m an expat and I agree
And it was illegal.
The author of this piece isn’t even Irish! He’s the son or grandson of an Irish person.
Maybe there should be a special ‘constituency’ or even a few created for Irish passport holders living abroad to participate in general elections.
Emigrant candidates – perhaps based at home – could then go on the hustings online for their votes to represent their particular interests in the Dail.
Gerrymandering.
Home to vote = Voter fraud.
These people are criminals
@TheoWolfe:
But it seems that the powers that be are happy to let them flock home to break the law. I wonder would the law be enforced if they were coming hime to vote against the Govt ?
@TheoWolfe: ‘If you leave your address but you plan to return there within 18 months, you can continue to be registered there, as long you do not register at any other address.’
@Brendan O’Brien: Did you actually read it?
“You must be registered at one address only and you must live at that address on 1 September before the register comes into force. If you live away from the address at which you are registered, (for example, if you are a student living away from home), you will need to contact the registration authority and give them your new address.
If you leave your address but you plan to return there within 18 months, you can continue to be registered there, as long you do not register at any other address.
Overseas voters
If you are an Irish citizen living abroad you cannot be entered on the register of electors.”
@Brendan O’Brien:
I am aware of what that says but the rules are clear.
“Overseas voters
If you are an Irish citizen living abroad you cannot be entered on the register of electors. This means that you cannot vote in an election or referendum here in Ireland. (The only exception to this is in the case of Irish officials on duty abroad (and their spouses) who may register on the postal voters list).”
This section does not as far as I can see is qualified by the 18 months rule.
in any case many of the fraudulent voters have been away for more than 18 months and do not intend to return. You are excusing criminal behaviour.
The complaint is it was expensive and tiring to fly home to vote???? So don’t live somewhere else then. what a joke. I live in the U.S. and I am against allowing non-resident or expat Irish people to vote. You should only be able to vote in person on the ground in Ireland.
The signatories of the Proclamation who laid down their lives for the Republic expected that all citizens would be treated equally WHICH TO A REASONABLE PERSON WOULD MEAN THE RIGHT OF CITIZENS LIVING ABROAD TO VOTE.
“The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to ALL ITS CITIZENS, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.” (source The PROCLAMATION)
-my caps-
@Moorooka Mick:
Please note that the Proclamation does not say all residents but instead
All Citizens.
It is quite tragic that citizens living abroad are denied the vote while citizens of te UK living in Ireland can. What would the signatories of the Proclamation say to that?
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