Archive for October, 2007
What if emigrants had been allowed to vote?
Thursday, October 25th, 2007There’s an interesting opinion piece in the Irish Examiner about emigrant voting rights, contrasting the situation with the Polish vote in Ireland with the fact that Irish emigrants have never been given the vote.
The writer queries the potential impact of an emigrant vote:
Irish emigrants have never been allowed to vote in Irish elections, which raises the intriguing question: if they had had the vote at a time when emigration was so pervasive, could they have transformed the politics of Ireland? Would the leaders of the Irish political parties have found themselves addressing election meetings in Kilburn, Coventry, Birmingham, Boston and New York, promising that a vote for them was a vote to end the emigrants’ exile?
Irish Times publishes letter on voting rights
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007The Irish Times has published a letter today from Ean regarding emigrant voting rights. The letter was written in light of media coverage of Polish residents of Ireland exercising their right to vote in the Polish elections. It reads:
Emigrants’ voting rights
Madam – Your coverage of Polish citizens living in Ireland lining up to vote in their country’s election is a powerful reminder of the importance that migrants place on this link with their native country.
It also highlights the fact that Ireland is one of a small and shrinking number of developed nations that do not give overseas citizens anyvoice in the political process.
Nearly 100 countries have overcome the logistical and political hurdles involved in granting emigrants voting rights. Ireland’s stance on the issue is out of step with our technological and globalised world. – Yours, etc,
NOREEN BOWDEN,
Director,
Ean – Emigrant Advice Network,
Carmichael House,
North Brunswick Street,
Dublin 7.
Ean presents curriculum project
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007Ean presented our curriculum project as a work-in-progress at the annual conference of the History Teachers’ Association of Ireland on Saturday, the 6th of October.
The curriculum project is aimed at helping Transition-Year teachers to teach about emigration and the diaspora. It includes a course outline, primary-source documents, a list of resources, and sample exercises. Several teachers have volunteered to pilot the project later this school year.