Billy Lawless (Independent) | Oireachtas source

They also want to forget that the founders of the Republic called for a government elected by the suffrages of all of our men and woman, not one elected by a small group of taxpayers and landowners. Our demand for rightful equality - to have the immigrant vote counted - goes back to the founding democratic principle of this nation. We want to fulfil the promise of the Proclamation: one citizen, one vote.

Why are emigrants not allowed to vote? If one is not on the island or is on the wrong part of the island, one cannot vote. There are almost 100,000 Irish-born citizens living in greater London who cannot vote here. The entire political landscape of Ireland will undergo a profound transformation in the next 20 years driven by five factors: Brexit, the possibility of a referendum on a united Ireland, rising immigration, an increasing population and our demand that Irish citizens living overseas or in Northern Ireland be given the right to vote.

These issues should be front and centre in the current presidential campaign. I would like to hear the opinions of each of the candidates on these pressing matters.

Irish emigrants should have the right to vote in Irish presidential elections and referendums. They also need greater representation in the Seanad. Postal voting is well established as a means to achieve such aims in many European countries.