Why no EU action on vote rights?

YES, it is frustrating to have no say in how your taxes are used because there is no EU law to give residents a right to vote in national elections (Connexion, July). I sometimes wonder

about this: for whose benefit was the EU created?

I am Danish, living in France and married to an Englishman. We lived in the UK, where I worked full-time as a primary school teacher for 35 years, I paid my taxes and national insurance, but

voting? No chance.

I wonder if either of your previous writers on voting rights would have backed me up when I complained, or just mumbled: “Oh well...” At least I had the satisfaction of being honest by

saying: “I didn’t vote for them” when someone complained about any government.

IN response to John W Clarke’s letter on voting (Connexion, July), I could not agree more, but fear this will be a case of noises before and little action after the election. A simple

solution for anyone who feels strongly about this is to take up French nationality. Statistically this does not appear to be a popular option.

I believe much more important than the few who may want to vote for a French president are the estimated five million UK expats who have had their vote for UK government arbitrarily removed

from them by the 15-year rule clause contained in the Representation of People Act. That right should be restored. Tony LEA, Argèles-sur-Mer

WHAT a thought-provoking letter from Alan Akhurst (Connexion, June). I completely agree with his point about being disenfranchised as a fiscal resident in France.

My wife and I have been fiscally resident in France for 20 years having left our native UK in 1992. In that same year the Maastricht Treaty provided for EU citizens resident in another EU

country to have the right to vote at local and European elections. This directive was passed into law in France in 1998, giving EU residents domiciled in France the possibility for the first

time to vote in the European elections in 1999 and in the French municipal elections in 2001.