Gimli wants Jersey to have an EU referendum vote… and yes, we’re serious

Tuesday 02 February 2016

The EU referendum story is sure to take some twists and turns over the coming months, but none weirder than this – Gimli from the Lord of the Rings wants you to be able to vote in the EU referendum.

John Rhys-Davies – who played the dwarf in Peter Jackson’s three-part telling of JRR Tolkein’s epic fantasy tale – has tabled a petition with the House of Commons, calling for residents of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man to be given a vote.

The 71-year-old Isle of Man resident needs 10,000 signatures for the petition before the UK government will issue a response – if the petition gets to 100,000 signatures the petition would be considered for debate in parliament. But so far he has been supported by just 490 people. 

You can vote in the petition here.

Earlier last week, Chief Minister Ian Gorst confirmed that Jersey residents would not be able to vote in the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, saying that constitutionally, it was a matter for the UK population, not for Jersey.

The petition that Mr Rhys-Davies has filed is titled: “Give a vote in an EU referendum to the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.”

His brief introduction to the proposal states: “Daily life in these British Dependencies is affected by EU decision making.

“A decision to leave or stay in the EU therefore affects all islanders.

“Natural justice requires that they have a direct say in such a consequential referendum.”

Apart from the Lord of the Rings roles, Mr Rhys-Davies has also appeared in James Bond film The Living Daylights, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as numerous roles in other films, TV series, and acting as the voice for characters in computer games.