Gale`s View - Embargo 6th November. There are those who believe that Members of Parliament should not concern ourselves with other than local or at least domestic matters.

That applies to Overseas Aid, to other people`s wars of course, and to issues such as the voting rights of citizens living overseas or the benefits paid to them.  Winter Fuel Allowance or "money paid to rich people sitting on yachts in the Mediterranean drinking gin" (an absolute travesty of the truth ) is a particular anathema.

The last breakdown of statistics were circulated at month end September 2013 when we had 3,116 supporters from 64 different countries.

This has now risen to 3,212 supporters from 64 different countries Significant increase +% changes, by individual countries, have been...

The British Government, as an introduction to a reappraisal of its relationship with the EU, has begun a review of all aspects of that relationship. They call these a 'review of competences'. CLICK HERE to see a discussion relating to Fundamental Human Rights.

Could the electorate in Britain cast one and a half million adrift in Europe? Will Britain drift away from Europe?      

The majority of the 1.5 million Britons in continental Europe will not be able to vote in any in/out Europe referendum mounted in Britain.  If they could vote they could well ensure that Britain stays in Europe.

If they can’t vote then the electors only in Britain could vote Britain out of Europe.

David Cameron wants a Referendum in 2017 if he is re-elected.

The Irish Government (the Oireachtas) has a body called the Convention to advise on changes in the Irish Constitution. This  Convention recommends voting rights for Irish citizens living outside of the State. The Convention on the Constitution has today voted in favour of recommending the extension of voting rights in Presidential elections for Irish citizens who are resident outside of the State, including Irish citizens resident in Northern Ireland.

The Convention on the Constitution is a forum of 100 people, representative of Irish society and parliamentarians from the island of Ireland, with an independent Chairman.  78% of the Convention approved this change. For its part, the Government has undertaken to respond to the Convention's recommendations within four months by way of debates in the Oireachtas and where it agrees with a particular recommendation to amend the Constitution, to include a time-frame for a referendum.

The last breakdown of statistics was circulated at the end of August 2013 when there were 2,906 supporters from 62 different countries. 

There now are 3,116 supporters from 64 different countries, welcome on board both Lebanon & Tajikstan, I wonder where they heard about us from!?

Expats across Europe have helped boost to more than 12,000 a petition against UK government plans to stop the Winter Fuel Payment for those in countries deemed ‘too hot.’ This includes Portugal.

The petition has grown by 3,000 signatures in a week. It means that the UK government will give a written response, as it must do for all petitions of 10,000 signatures or more.

An official reply is expected to be received in October. Should the petition gain 100,000 or more signatures by its closing date in June 2014, the matter also will be debated in parliament.

It is indicative of how much things have changed in Europe in recent years that the outcome of the general election in Germany last weekend is likely to have a much more profound effect on Portugal than the elections to be held throughout Portugal this coming Sunday.

Commentators in Berlin say the euro crisis played only a marginal role in the German election campaign, the first in that country since the start of the eurozone crisis, but it is expected to continue to be very high on Angela Merkel’s agenda during her fourth term in office.