EU Elections - who's voted?

[Wilse]

I've just been and did what I thought I'd do - voted Lib-Dem.

I normally vote SNP. In fact, this is the only time in mylife that I
haven't voted SNP.

So who else has voted then?

[that_punk_guy]

I left my completed ballot papers at my mum's house by accident. Punk sis assured me she'd post it for me... but didn't. Balls. :-(

I had voted Lib Dem, anyway. So I just essentially negated your vote. Crap.

[Wilse]

@Chris:

It's only half-seven - polls don't close till ten.

Can't you still make it, or is it postal only?

[Dagon]

@that_punk_guy
lol me too I'd like to vote for the European Liberal Democrats (http://eld.europarl.eu.int/content/default.asp?PageID=108) party but in my country there isn`t any party that represents it! so I guess we have at least minus 2 votes for the lib dems if you cant make it ;)

Down with the European bureaucratic Superstate, up the federal Europe! :)


From the European Liberal Youth faq (http://www.lymec.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=FAQ&file=index&myfaq=yes&id_cat=3#7):
---
Does LYMEC favour a European Federation?

Yes indeed. LYMEC believes in a federal Europe, that focuses on core-tasks. Europe has an important role to play when it comes to cross-border issues like trade, environment, migration, free movement and security policies. However at the same time we also favour decentralisation. Some other issues are simply better dealt with on regional or national level.
---

[that_punk_guy]

Wilse wrote:
@Chris:

It's only half-seven - polls don't close till ten.

Can't you still make it, or is it postal only?

Hmmm... Apparently I can drop the envelope in at the Town Hall (not my town hall though) right up till 10pm. It's an hour's walk each way (I still have to get the envelope from mum's) but f**k it, I'm sick of hearing next-door's dog bark anyway. :-D

[Speelgoedmannetje]

f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck
I'm rather busy the last weeks so I totally forgotten it, even if I had time for it at all :-x

[Robert17]

Yeah I voted, my first time lol, BNP got my vote I'm afraid..

[that_punk_guy]

Robert17 wrote:
Yeah I voted, my first time lol, BNP got my vote I'm afraid..

"Insanity 1, Sanity Nil."

[Robert17]

Actually I watched their party political broadcast and I thought they made a really good argument... anyway things surely can't get any worse :P

[that_punk_guy]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

I wouldn't bank on it.

[Speelgoedmannetje]

I would've voted for the party for the animals, since ppl are utterly ignorant about bio-industry and saying on the radio that animals are having a good life today because they also got a pet dog called Fifi and he gets out twice a day.
I'd like to mash his sweet doggie Fifi to a schnitzel and let him eat it and later I'll throw him in a production line where chickens get a nice bath (with two electric poles in it so these chickens will be electrocuted)
But first I'll let him live for years in a cage where he can hardly move and the only thing he can do is eat, with his lips cut off (these chickens get there beak partially cut off, otherwise they'd peck each other)

[Robert17]

Well at worst we could always leave the country lol

[KennyR]

Robert17 wrote:
Actually I watched their party political broadcast and I thought they made a really good argument...

What, darkies make the country sick?

Thankfully we up north in the civilised part of the UK don't have the English...err, "British" National Party.

[odin]

Ofcourse I voted, so far I haven't missed a single election in my (short) life and I intend to keep it that way :-).

Oh and I voted the socialist green party (GroenLinks, 'GreenLeft', hm...somehow that sounds quite silly in English :-)).

[Robert17]

They didn't say that, did you watch it? Basically what they said which I agree with is that bogus asylum seekers should not be allowed here, the ones that come to work like the rest of us are all well and good though. However I guess in all the hubbub about freeloaders from other countries we're not really adressing the issue of the ones who were already here :-P

[mikeymike]

Tory. Postal vote.

:-)

[that_punk_guy]

Robert17 wrote:
Basically what they said which I agree with is that bogus asylum seekers should not be allowed here, the ones that come to work like the rest of us are all well and good though.

Sorry, but what you've been lead to believe there contradicts the BNP's policy which is explained on their website. They want to end immigration completely.

The reason they give for this is that they want to preserve British culture. (Yeah, what culture?) The real reason is that they're racist hate-mongers.

You've been had, mate.

[KennyR]

(Yeah, what culture?)

Sometimes you wonder. What's really great about British culture that needs preserved? Most of us wearing cloth caps and working in t'mines while the lords and ladies shoot pheasants and drank port? Eating food thats a mixture of lard and bad real food? Pretending we won the second world war all on our own? Going to a church on Sunday and disowning the daughter because she gets pregnant without getting married? Everyone being white but having no chins? Or much too many chins? Skinheads going around beating up "wogs"? Being suspicious of Europe and using lots of weird standards so that our exports fail and our workforce can't get jobs? Thinking you're a world power again?

British culture sucks. It doesn't suck as much as lots of other cultures suck, but I'd rather be a Euro any day.

[ajlwalker]

@KennyR

"Thankfully we up north in the civilised part of the UK don't have the English...err, "British" National Party."

Did you vote Kenny? The BNP appeared atop my ballot paper and I was electing the "Scotland Region". Suggesting we are more civilised than the south is almost as bad as anything the BNP would say!

On a lighter note, I left the pub tonight, missed a train, and got soaked through in the rain, all so's I could do my civic duty and vote.

I was tempted to remain seated and sink a few more Stellas though. :-P

[Van_M]

In my humble opinion, to get a correctly functioning democratic society, all voices should be able to be heard. I do not agree with the bashing on the ppl who voted for the radical parties (BNP included).

[mikeymike]

Van_M wrote:
In my humble opinion, to get a correctly functioning democratic society, all voices should be able to be heard. I do not agree with the bashing on the ppl who voted for the radical parties (BNP included).

I disagree. The people should be heard, not all the parties. The people should be listened to for their feelings why they'd like to vote in a bunch of pro-nazis like the BNP. The real political parties need to listen to those reasons and deal with the problems causing those reasons accordingly.

The asylum seeker issue in the UK needs to be dealt with, not buck-passed. I think the euro issue stems from that.

[whabang]

Haven't voted yet. The elections isn't until sunday! :-D

[bloodline]

that_punk_guy wrote:
Robert17 wrote:
Yeah I voted, my first time lol, BNP got my vote I'm afraid..

"Insanity 1, Sanity Nil."


Dude!!! reagardless of your own Political views, you can't critisize Robert for his!! We live in a Democracy, and we must up hold the rules of a democracy...

As for my Vote, I'm usually very secretive about how I vote, but what the hell, I went Lib-Dem... except For the London Mayor where I went with Ken (again) even though his a laber scumbag now :lol:

[mikeymike]

bloodline wrote:

that_punk_guy wrote:
Robert17 wrote:
Yeah I voted, my first time lol, BNP got my vote I'm afraid..

"Insanity 1, Sanity Nil."


Dude!!! reagardless of your own Political views, you can't critisize Robert for his!! We live in a Democracy, and we must up hold the rules of a democracy...

Umm, yes he can. Free speech, y'know? :-)

If tpg forcibly stopped Robert from voting BNP, then that would be against the ideals of democracy.

[smithy]

I was forced to vote by post this year. I was going to spoil my ballot paper to protest against all-postal voting (despite what 2-Jags Prescott says, areas with postal voting have seen a similar turnout to those without), but I decided to sacrifice my principles because I sensed change is in the air in the EU.

People all over the EU, and especially in the new member states are very distrustful of the EU and the unquestioning support it receives from all the mainstream political parties. There are a new breed of parties right across the EU that are not extremists but are EU-sceptic that are enjoying popular support, like the UK Independence Party. Filling the EU parliament with EU-sceptics is just too good an opportunity to miss.

The left-wing press and the BBC claim that the EU parliament was set up to hold the EU Commision to account. This is wrong. The EU's Commission and Parliament have the same objective, to "further the integration of Europe" (fact: it's written in the Treaty of Rome). Anyway, if you elect people who are opposed to the main objective of the EU parliament we can effectively derail at least some EU business.

This is a huge prize for those of us that believe in European intergovernmentalism, and oppose European supranationalism.

Of course, the usual suspects will come out and claim anyone who is opposed to the EU are small-minded nationalists or xenophobes. In fact, the opposite is true. I wouldn't call people who want a Europe of democracies, all co-operating freely with each other in a tariff-free market xenophobia or nationalists (there still isn't a free market in the EU, yet, by the way).

The real nationalists are the people who support a single EU state - these are the people who are waving the EU flag, calling themselves European, and supporting the transfer of power from the electorate to unelected officials.

This rather extreme position is adopted by Labour and the "Liberal" Democrat parties with their unquestioning support.

Anyway. To my vote. I had a hard time deciding between Tory and UKIP. Michael Howard is one of the few mainstream party leaders in Europe talking sense. He knows a supranational EU (i.e. a single state) isn't what the majority in Britain (and Europe) want. And he's talking some sense about needing some fundemental reform.

However, official Tory policy involving renegotiation is just absurd. He cites Thatcher's "success" with the rebate, as an example of how you can win arguments in the EU, but this is rubbish. For a start it took her 5 years just to get it on the agenda at the bi-annual summits, that's 10 summits of being ignored and fobbed off and lied to. In the end the famous rebate wasn't all it claimed to be, at the last minute a clause was inserted that the British didn't see the significance of. Although the UK got 70% of its money back... it also meant that for any British projects that got EU funding, the British Government had to pay 70% of it itself. This is why the British hardly ever apply for EU subsidies, grants, etc... because we have to pay for most of it ourself.

Anyway, the point is that Thatcher's "success" is overrated, the CAP and CFP cannot be renegotiated without a majority, the treaties taking powers from the people to unelected and unaccountable officials cannot be renegotiated without a majority. In Old Europe, Britain has no allies. Every other mainstream political party in Old Europe unconditionally supports the march towards a single state and supranationalism.

Howard knows this, through his experience of dealing with the EU. Official Tory policy of renegotiation is very optimistic. Howard, of course, may be factoring new considerations in. New Europe is very pro-British and believes in intergovernmentalism as Britain does, Blair has wisely been creating alliances with the new members and it may well be that this new power axis will dominate the EU. This majority could well be what Howard hopes will make his renegotiations a reality.

On the other hand, perhaps Howard knows full well that the renegotiation policy is fanciful at best, but is just wanting to appear reasonable. His vision of a Europe of independent, free nation states, co-operating and sharing power each where they choose is the only fair and workable future for Europe. That is the only conclusion he can come to should he be elected and his renegotiations fail.

Should Howard's renegotiation fails he'll know that the only option is to hold a referendum and ask the question that should have been asked in '73 - and if the people don't want a single European state, then we have to get out.

There is no halfway house like Blair is suggesting without renegotiation.

Oh - I voted UKIP (putting the rats in the larder), but I intend to vote Tory at the general election.

[bloodline]

mikeymike wrote:

bloodline wrote:

that_punk_guy wrote:
Robert17 wrote:
Yeah I voted, my first time lol, BNP got my vote I'm afraid..

"Insanity 1, Sanity Nil."


Dude!!! reagardless of your own Political views, you can't critisize Robert for his!! We live in a Democracy, and we must up hold the rules of a democracy...

Umm, yes he can. Free speech, y'know? :-)

If tpg forcibly stopped Robert from voting BNP, then that would be against the ideals of democracy.


I just felt Chris's comments were uncalled for. Ok I doubt one would find much support for the BNP, with good reason. I have no problem with comments which critisize the BNP party.

Oh... just ignore me, I'm having a really shyttie day :-( and I didn't sleep a wink last night...

[that_punk_guy]

Uncalled for, maybe. But within my rights (unless the site admins consider it a breach of T&C.) Just as you are perfectly entitled to call my comment into question. :-)

Oh well. It's nearly the weekend! And at least you don't smell of wee today... right? :-D

[bloodline]

Oh well. It's nearly the weekend! And at least you don't smell of wee today... right? :-D


oh, I hope not or today would end up being very very pointless :-(

I'm farting like a trooper... I've got to hold it in for an hour or... aghhh... I'm not even making sense?!?!? I have a weird dreams last night about insects eating everything... the walls, celilings... even my A500...

[Speelgoedmannetje]

mikeymike wrote:

bloodline wrote:

that_punk_guy wrote:
Robert17 wrote:
Yeah I voted, my first time lol, BNP got my vote I'm afraid..

"Insanity 1, Sanity Nil."


Dude!!! reagardless of your own Political views, you can't critisize Robert for his!! We live in a Democracy, and we must up hold the rules of a democracy...

Umm, yes he can. Free speech, y'know? :-)

If tpg forcibly stopped Robert from voting BNP, then that would be against the ideals of democracy.
Democracy and free speech is very relative.

can we preach for violence?

Do we have the individual freedom to take others their freedom away?

Is maintaining the constitution a democratic decision?

[mikeymike]

Democracy and free speech/freedom have very little in common. The questions you asked are purely to do with freedom.

I think the quote about "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance" summarises the point about the balance extremely well. Who said that originally? An American politician, can't remember who.

[that_punk_guy]

Thomas Jefferson.

[the_leander]

Sadly my son (now one month old!) has been getting constipated of late, so I have been rather busy trying to get him to relax, then with the aid of gripe water, we've had the exact oposite - the floodgates opened... So I've had no time to deal with politics and voting and such forth.

I would have voted UKIP for EU and Greens for local as the UKIP weren't running locally.

As for voting for the National Front... er... sorry BNP, I would say to Robert that you really need to start looking beyond the vaneer of any given party you plan on voting for, because despite what they say they are, the others here are correct in saying they are Rascist thugs, As I explained in an earlier post on another thread, the BNP are the National Front (a well known group of Neo-Nazis and white supremesists) rebranded. You scratch even slightly at their vaneer and all the old stuff quickly comes out.