Topic: | Re:Re:Poles in Ealing | |
Posted by: | Wiktor Moszczynski | |
Date/Time: | 24/04/10 00:16:00 |
In fact, Arthur, my experience is that many Polish nationals ARE registered but are unaware of it. For instance in Walpole Ward there are some 450 Polish names on the electoral register of which just over half are recently arrived Polish citizens ("recently" means in the last 5 years). There are about 11,000 Polish surnames on the register in the Borough of Ealing which is about the size of a ward. There are around 60,000 Polish nationals registered to vote in London. Yet when I approached many of them they were not aware they were on the electoral register. Since the GLA election there have been special efforts by young Polish professionals to register their fellow countrymen to vote under the campaign slogan "Poles to Polls". However the overwhelming majority registered because it made it easier to apply for a job or a bank account if you were a registered voter. They had not grasped the political significance of registering. My experience is that new Polish arrivals are more likely to vote if they have children in the local school. Thanks for raising the issue. |