Bulletin - The British European Association (Denmark)

Recommendations

Info

The British European – page 10 Møller, and had time to tell him of my plight: I had lived and paid taxes in Denmark for over thirty years and yet had no vote. How could this be democratic? Oh, beware the charms of these politicians! His reply was to regale me with a tale of when he was a young student studying in Paris and felt disappointed he could not vote in elections in Denmark, and so on. Of course, before I could come back to ask what a future government could do for me and the many others in the same situation, he had to move on, and I lost my chance. I did not fare any better with the leader of the Conservatives, Bendt Bendtsen. I told him I could not vote for him, even if I wanted to, and his smiling reply was, "Well it's lucky your husband can, then." What a failure I am! Jill Conway-Fell has written the text for our new flyer: Elizabethann Burke November 2007 British citizens resident in Denmark do not have the right to vote in general elections, either in Britain or in Denmark. The British European Association (BEA) is an independent organisation with no political affiliations; it is supported by people from all walks of life. The primary aim of the Association is to obtain the vote in national elections for British citizens residing in Denmark, either in Britain or in Denmark. The Association acts on behalf of expatriates, in collaboration with other organisations in Europe, such as ‘Europeans Throughout the World’ (of which the BEA is an associate member), and lobbies Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The BEA does not accept the fact that some British citizens residing in Denmark have no voice and that they may vote in local elections only, and elections of members to the EP. Furthermore, we regard the lack of political representation as the greatest obstacle to freedom of movement within the EU. Members of the BEA have agreed that the EU has a responsibility towards European citizens, especially in view of EU Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of The Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, amending Regulation (EEC) No.1612/68 of The Council of 15 October 1968. The BEA invites speakers, such as authors, and arranges various social events; social events include: an annual dinner in January; a picnic in July; and other events on an ad hoc basis. For further information, please see the BEA’s website www.briteuro.dk, where details of past activities and current concerns can be found, including recent ‘Bulletins’ and electoral information. The BEA is run by volunteers and would welcome new members. If you are interested in the BEA’s aims and activities, please send us an e-mail at das74klapa@briteuro.dk
The British European – page 11 An address given by Dr Germaine Greer at Copenhagen University on 27 September, 2007 ‘Australia – what’s left’? by Jill Conway-Fell The English Speaking Union (ESU) arranged for Dr Germaine Greer, the renowned authoress of, inter alia, ‘The Female Eunuch’, a book that caused quite a sensation in the 1970s, to address a packed auditorium at Copenhagen University on 27 September 2007. Many of us were surprised to hear that she had written books about such varied subjects as poetry and gardening, and that her latest book entitled ‘Shakespeare’s Wife’is about the spouse of William Shakespeare. Dr Greer voiced her concerns about bio-diversity problems in Australia, saying that the Aussies simply did not care about fauna and flora, and that many species would soon become extinct. Reasons given for this situation were deforestation, grazing sheep and cattle, and agriculture, and the fact that native trees were being replaced by foreign and invasive species. Bio-diversity was being destroyed by mining and quarrying, by fragmentation and fire farming. In Dr Greer’s opinion, the complexity of Aboriginal communication, the absence of an ethnographic map of Australian, and the Aborigines as a vanished society were factors that posed considerable challenges. The Aborigines had a very strong culture of avoidance, that had resulted in a vanished society. The missionaries had prevented Aboriginal languages which had resulted in loss of land and identity, and enforced housing had prevailed. What white Australians mean when they use the word ‘reconciliation’ is that the Aboriginals must accept their fate and all their losses, which had resulted in violence, including attacks on women and children, suicide, drunken driving, and other forms of self-destruction. Health problems included obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, water sources had been destroyed by early white settlers; practically all fresh water was now saline, and in fact the Murray-Darling River had been destroyed by salt. It was a very interesting talk and quite a number of questions seeking possible solutions were put to Dr Greer. Many thanks to the ESU for a stimulating evening. From Danes Worldwide’s Kronborgmeeting on 12. August 2007 we bring Christopher Bo Bramsen’s speech on voting rights or lack of voting rights: Jeg har omtalt, at Danes Worldwide er en interesseorganisation. Lad mig i den forbindelse her nævne en enkelt mærkesag, som ligger os på sinde. Det er det gamle spørgsmål, om udedanskernes manglende eller begrænsede stemmeret ved danske Folketingsvalg og folkeafstemninger. Ifølge Grundloven skal man have ”fast bopæl i riget” for at kunne stemme. Det er en regel, der går helt tilbage til 1849, hvor Slesvig-Holsten-problematikken spillede ind. I 120 år fulgte vi reglen helt
Page 1 and 2: The British European - page 1 BRITI
Page 3 and 4: The British European - page 3 and t
Page 5 and 6: The British European - page 5 iv) S
Page 7 and 8: The British European - page 7 howev
Page 9: The British European - page 9 de va
Page 13 and 14: The British European - page 13 The
Page 15: The British European - page 15 Subs

Bulletin - The British European Association (Denmark)

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Delete template?

Save as template ?