Euro elections...

[M H]

I see the eurosceptics have shot themselves in the foot somewhat by having about 6 different eurosceptic parties on the ballot paper... should split the vote nicely :) doh!

[thembuzz]

better eurosceptics than all-out racists, though, eh?

[marcel]

I hate the fact that I have almost no clue about European politics.

[spoon]

why are they so skeptical? surely somebody can prove to them that Europe is real.

[M H]

well, if they do get in, they refuse to acknowledge the existance of europe by not turning up to the european parliment anyway.. Bit like here in Bury (St Edmunds) where they had a party called "Abolish Bury Town Council Party" in the council elections, a few of who's candidates got in, and then basically never turned up for the council meeting.. so all hot air at the end of the day.. proper speak your brains material.. and I was including the Bastard Nazi Party in with the Euro sceptics although they are a far more nasty breed...

[M H]

That's a far better name for the BNP than british national party, Bastard Nazi Party.. Like, I'm a british national, and I don't support them so I don't see why they are taking my name in vain...

[M H]

I hate the fact that I have almost no clue about European politics.

I heard it was something to do with "gravy-trains" whatever they are...

[Loz]

we only have "gravy replacement-bus-services" here

[Yer_Maw]

i find it pretty amazing that national sovereignty has been trumped by a body that nobody really cares about voting for and dont really have much of a profile. I think europe is a good idea, but we dont really hear about what they are up to compared to our own parliament. Its just bizzare how this situation came about without that much of a major fuss about it.

[M H]

i find it pretty amazing that national sovereignty has been trumped by a body that nobody really cares about voting for and dont really have much of a profile. I think europe is a good idea, but we dont really hear about what they are up to compared to our own parliament. Its just bizzare how this situation came about without that much of a major fuss about it.

Punishment voting maybe?

[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

i find it pretty amazing that national sovereignty has been trumped by a body that nobody really cares about voting for and dont really have much of a profile. I think europe is a good idea, but we dont really hear about what they are up to compared to our own parliament. Its just bizzare how this situation came about without that much of a major fuss about it.

um there has been quite a fuss about it

[Yer_Maw]

If your talking about completely changing who makes the laws that ultimately govern us, compared to how such changes come about in history i think the creation of the EU has been a bit of a walk in the park.

[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

no i'm just saying there are people making a fuss about it.. they just generally happen to be right wing nuts.. Tony Benn has campaigned against it for years though.

[Yer_Maw]

Fuss? come on. If the laws are made in the european parliament i want to know what they are up to in the papers every day. Forget Gordon Brown and that mob. The eu is seen as some little faraway thing people moan about in the papers. But its real and its in control and noobody in this country really seems to take it seriously.

[ivan]

gonna lay my vote on "piratpartiet" joy.

[emef]

the bnp got my vote purely for the trafalgar poster

genius

[spoon]

i voted by post last week, can't remember who i went for. one of them had a hammer and sickle on his literature i know that much.

[thembuzz]

Fuss? come on. If the laws are made in the european parliament i want to know what they are up to in the papers every day. Forget Gordon Brown and that mob. The eu is seen as some little faraway thing people moan about in the papers. But its real and its in control and noobody in this country really seems to take it seriously.

word

[JonnySpeed]

i've vote green since i was 18

[emef]

no offence, but i find that quite hard to believe

[thepigjockey]

I think I'm getting a Eurection.

[soulcheck]

gonna lay my vote on "piratpartiet" joy.

it's a shame i can't vote for them :/

[marcel]

I heard it was something to do with "gravy-trains" whatever they are...
I was serious. It's hard to keep up with what they do there. and you always get only the biased version of your national papers.

Sadly I know more about US-Politics than I do about European Politics thanks to the Daily Show..

[emef]

us politics?

i dont understand?

[soulcheck]

Europarlament is kind of reverse of what should've been done. Instead of moving the decision making process and the responsibilities towards people (nowadays most things can be done locally ie. by city council), they created a body somewhere above clouds that's supposed to steer the europe. great bs

[Patrick]

The EU is like Bespin ?
I did not know that.

[soulcheck]

That's exactly what they wanted.

[thembuzz]

Europarlament is kind of reverse of what should've been done. Instead of moving the decision making process and the responsibilities towards people (nowadays most things can be done locally ie. by city council), they created a body somewhere above clouds that's supposed to steer the europe. great bs

i don't know... it just seems like the natural evolution of human history to me. we start out in small groups, then form bigger groups: natal groups to tribes to kingdoms and senates and such to nations...

also, i'd like there to be a world superpower by 2050 besides the us and china, please

[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

also, i'd like there to be a world superpower by 2050 besides the us and china, please

That will be India I think.

[thepigjockey]

Time magazine article on Eu voter apathy:

A recent Eurobarometer survey found only 34% of the 375 million eligible voters were likely to cast ballots for the 736-member Parliament, the E.U.'s only popularly elected institution. That would preserve an ignoble pattern: turnout has fallen at each successive direct election to the Parliament, from 63% 30 years ago to 45% in 2004.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1901432,00.html

[M H]

I was serious. It's hard to keep up with what they do there. and you always get only the biased version of your national papers.

Sadly I know more about US-Politics than I do about European Politics thanks to the Daily Show..

Yeah, I guess policy and debate in brussels doesn't get as much coverage as westminster.. maybe it's a bit like rome just before the end, all peeled grapes, milk baths and cocaine....

[JonnySpeed]

no offence, but i find that quite hard to believe

> no offence, but
> but

fuck off

[ivan]

Piratpartiet made it to the eu-parlament. 7.1%

[thembuzz]

well, the bnp have done much worse than expected in manchester, at least

[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

well, the bnp have done much worse than expected in manchester, at least

Typical northerners, just didn't put the effort in.

[thembuzz]

yorkshire's made up for it, though

[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

jesus.. 120,000 votes... and actually less than last time...

[Loz]

haha.. I heard Nick Griffin on the radio this morning, think the interview was from last night. He said something along the lines of:


The very fact that the BNP have got two seats on Gordon Brown's watch means that it's the end for him.


It's almost as if he also knows how despicable the BNP are....

[platinum ray]

Hmm, I think our ideas about sovereignty are a bit funny, being from islands and all. I was against Europe up until quite recently, but I still don't like the way they're going about convincing people it's a good idea over here. If we vote wrong they just ask us to vote again and again until we vote right. At least we get to vote on it though. It's a big issue over here.

To summarise what I think I know about the elections across Europe;

- Where governments have not been supporting exposure to property bubbles and the financial crisis people seem to have voted in favour of centre right parties.

- Where governments have been supporting exposure to property bubbles and the financial crisis people seem to have voted in favour of the opposition. In some cases that is centre right and in others centre left.

- Over all the centre right seem to have made the most gains across Europe.

- The extreme right have made a small amount of significant gains.

- The Greens have held their own in the larger EU states.


8-()

[Orang Utan]

Piratpartiet made it to the eu-parlament. 7.1%
aren't they neo-nazis?

[thepigjockey]

I'm hoping this rise in the popularity of the right will inspire antiracists to vote in the future. This rather attractive anti-immigration pig is now a Finnish MEP :(

http://www.hs.fi/kuvat/iso_webkuva/1135246586052.jpeg
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/EDITORIAL+Protest+strongly+in+ evidence+at+the+polls+in+Finla nd+and+elsewhere+in+the+EU/1135246593060

[troymoyonionz]

how can you be in europe if you havnt got any euros!!??

just dont make sense.

[Orang Utan]

somebody on twitter said 'Why do BNP want to be in Europe? It's full of foreigners.'

[Orang Utan]

would a swede care to explain this please:
http://svtplay.se/v/1584014/dj_trex_goes_eu-val_a_union_of_peace_love_and_ bass

[mattboyslim]

somebody on twitter said 'Why do BNP want to be in Europe? It's full of foreigners.'haha probably a BNP voter

The irony is pretty immense. "We hate foreigners but we'll gladly take your euros to print more flyers about Muslims nicking our taxi driver jobs"

[JonnySpeed]

SHEDLOADS of Trots and tankies will be getting a ticket to Strasbourg tonight. According to the Financial Times, the far left may pick up four and perhaps five of the 22 European parliament seats allocated to Portugal, with up to 20% of the vote:

Nine recent polls give the Bloc Esquerda (BE), a party formed 10 years ago from a coalition of small Trotskyite, Maoist and other radical movements, an average of more than 10 per cent in Sunday’s election for the European Parliament.

Portugal’s Communist party (PCP), which has never converted to “Euro-communism”, remaining faithful to its Stalinist roots, is polling more than 8 per cent. Each is forecast to elect two of Portugal’s total of 22 European MPs and the BE is aiming for three.

The example of BE illustrates what can achieved when revolutionary socialists come together in a united organisation that that does not change its political orientation every few years and its name even more frequently than that.

Meanwhile, last I heard the Noveau Parti Anticapitalist in France and Die Linke in Germany are both polling around 10%, and also likely to secure representation in Strasbourg. I look forward to reading the British left's devastating critique of where the European comrades have gone wrong after the results are in tonight, presumably starting with Callinicos in the next ISJ.

interesting non-news

[JonnySpeed]

if anybody see Griffin on TV this morning saying he would help sikh girls who were being groomed by muslim paedos?

wonder if its also protection from paedos in his own party? http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/2008/11/evil-paedos-are-secret-bnp-thugs_23.html

twat
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[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

Jesus.. I had to turn that off after 20 seconds.. fucking hateful shit.

[Loz]

I got to "the grooming of overwhelming young, white girls... by members of different immigrant communities"

[Yer_Maw]

plastic taken off the couch specially for the video

[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

Incitement to hatred should be a crime regardless of ethnicity, he makes me hate him and that's a crime against me...

[Hectic Cum Balthazar]

That's right.. I said it.. it's just as bad for us whites, worse in fact... worse... ummm

[bigus]

The EU is like Bespin ?
I did not know that.

lol :)