One More Day for Irish in Britain and British in Ireland to Have their Say in EU Membership Referendum
Dublin, Wednesday, 8 June 2016: European Movement (EM) Ireland has welcomed the extension of the registration deadline for the UK’s historical EU membership referendum on June 23rd until midnight tomorrow. The extension occurred after unprecedented numbers of people tried to register before midnight on Tuesday, 7 June and a UK government website collapsed as a result.
Commenting on this development, Noelle O Connell, EM Ireland’s Executive Director, said, “Through our #PhoneAFriend campaign, we have been working hard with our members and stakeholders to get the message out to 500,000 Irish-born in Britain, and the 120,000 British in Ireland who can vote in the referendum, and to make sure they register on time. So it is very reassuring to hear that the Electoral Commission and the British government have agreed to address the unforeseen technical issues by extending the registration deadline until midnight tomorrow.”
“While European Movement Ireland is not advocating how people should vote, we believe strongly that a European Union without the UK as a member would be bad for Ireland, bad for Europe and bad for the UK itself. The vote on their continued EU membership is ultimately a decision for the UK electorate though, and whatever the outcome, it will be respected,” added Ms O Connell.
“While believing that a ‘Brexit’ would be a very undesirable result, European Movement Ireland has focused our efforts on providing independent, factual information about the referendum, as well as urging those with family and friends in the UK to #PhoneAFriend. No matter how people decide to vote, it’s absolutely vital that they have their say on this once in a generation decision on Thursday, June 23. And in this context we welcome the extension of the registration deadline, which will help to ensure this” concluded Ms O Connell.
Ends.