Is it possible that (say) Catalonia would want to give up Spanish rule in return for a looser European affiliation? In practice it would depend on the small print. Given the fiasco over the constitution, the prospect of Brussels being able to craft a workable template for simultaneous national devolution with supranational affiliation isn't good.
So in practice I'd guess there would be a wave of breakaways, including Scotland, possibly Wales, and then maybe Catalonia and one or two others. These would be based on very local sentiment rather than European solidarity. And that's where the process would stop.
Other nationalisms are minority interests and likely to stay that way unless people see there's some significant benefit to splitting off.
The worst case scenario would be nationalisms that were explicitly anti-European - within Europe. If Scotland breaks away, this is likely to happen within England.
You'd then get the interesting situation of Scottish indepence sold as freedom from England, and English independence sold as freedom from Europe.
An England without Scotland and Wales, outside of Europe, would be a very bad place to live, because without the Scottish counterweight English politics would immediately lurch far towards the right.
Bad. Very very bad.
To vote in parliamentary elections in the UK you must be a British citizen, a citizen of another Commonwealth country or of the Irish Republic, as well as being resident in the UK, aged 18 or over, included in the register of electors for the constituency and not subject to any legal incapacity to vote.
And your country of nationality is the only place where you are guaranteed to be able to move to in the future. Some countries tax expatriates, some countries draft them into their armed forces. Especially nowadays, expats don't necessarily intend to stay away forever. And with today's transportation and communications, they're not "gone" like emigrants used to be 100 or even 50 years ago. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
Do you mean they need representation to preclude elimination of this right? I'm not sure they deserve this right.
Some countries tax expatriates
Oh, I'd prefer the elimination of that in the course of agreements against double taxation.
some countries draft them into their armed forces
Well, and then they draft-dodge. (Tarkan, Turkey's biggest boy-singer star, lived in the USA for that purpose.)
Especially nowadays, expats don't necessarily intend to stay away forever.
Isn't this a country-specific comment? At any rate, if expats come home, then they regain their voting rights. I don't see why they deserve more rights coming from this reason than 'simple' immigrants. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Why should they be able to keep their citizenship, then? Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
