In this election, who represents migrants?
A general election has been called and yet millions of people who call Britain their home aren’t allowed to vote in the UK. Living, working, and paying taxes is not enough to give many migrants the right to participate in this so-called democracy.
If you weren’t lucky enough to have been born in the UK, the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, you can’t take part in general elections or UK-wide referendums. This means that for any issue that could potentially affect the UK’s direction, our rights as migrants aren’t formalised enough to protect our livelihoods and well-being.
Why not become a British citizen - well, that would solve the problem, wouldn’t it? If only it was that simple. To be eligible to participate in the vital democratic process of voting by becoming a British citizen, you need to be persistent and have a lot of money. It takes years to go through a complicated system that even solicitors struggle with - and some people simply can’t become UK citizens because their countries don’t allow dual citizenships. Not to mention that you need to be wealthy enough to be able to afford the process. As is so common in the UK, people with money buy their way in, or at least a shortcut.
The lack of the right to vote extends to a lack of formalised rights for migrants who have family here, work here, pay taxes, use and staff public services, and form part of a community. Apparently, it does not matter if you have been an exemplary member of your community, and have lived and worked in the UK for years and years. Not only is it the case that you can’t vote, but also the Home Office can mistakenly deport you and strip you of your rights - and that is just the cherry on the top.
In theory, in a democracy, political decisions are made by elected representatives in parliament. They get to decide what people can and cannot do, and can coerce us to comply with their decisions. This leaves migrants’ interests out - we aren’t allowed to choose who will represent us through voting in elections. We don’t have a say in the laws that govern us. No wonder migrants are underrepresented.
Campaigns such as ‘Let us vote’ are fighting against this discriminatory policy. The campaign says that ‘it is fundamentally wrong that so many millions of people whose lives will be deeply affected by developments at Westminster are currently denied a vote.’ And it is true - migrants play key roles in British society, and it is fundamentally wrong that we are excluded from participating in the democratic processes of that society.
But the problem is much deeper than that. The UK’s political system is rigged and only works for the small minority who make decisions on our behalf - often only in their favour. The political system we have right now, underpinned by our unwritten constitution - yes ‘our’ - enables mistreatment of and injustice towards migrants, making our lives a political matter that we have no say over. We live in constant uncertainty, as it is up to the government of the day to decide whether fundamental rights will be respected. And they can, if they want, change their minds about citizenship rights.
We cannot say we live in a democracy if a large number of UK residents cannot have a say over our lives - on environmental protections, workers’ rights, or the privatisation of public services. In addition, political exclusion raises barriers, and results in communities being marginalised and underrepresented in the political process which ends up being a vicious circle.
Political participation can break down barriers between communities and bind us together as a society around shared interests and values. To have a real and just democracy, we need to rebuild the system, cut off the roots that are holding us back, and create a new, written constitution that protects everyone in the UK, allowing ALL OF US to have a say in decisions that affect us.
Unlock Democracy is campaigning to do just that, get involved today and add your voice to the call for a new constitution
This was written by Ana Guzman Ortiz, Unlock Democracy’s Digital Communications Coordinator