EU Parliament Elections: are you voting?

[gadgetman]

Well im voting UKIP for no other reason than to cancel out a vote of the self righteous idiots on Facebook who keep telling me not to vote UKIP as its racist. I also like the irony of all our MEP's being Eurosceptic or anti-EU.

I think like or loathe Farage & you may think his ideas are morally reprehensible you may think his party are closet racists or ex bnp members but from the interviews I have watched if you ask him a straight question you get a straight answer. Unlike Milliband or Camercleg which is all smoke & mirrors deception and a lesson in avoidance tactics. This honesty is very refreshing in the face of fierce barracking and the very vocal minority calling him racist who lets face it have been influenced not by the policies but from the PR propaganda machine using the Racism card at every opportunity they get to shut him down. He also knows his figures when pressed he can real off the numbers and usually they are Europe's own numbers not some manipulated half baked estimates from some London quango like the three main parties use. It also serves as a protest vote two fingers up at the establishment. I would vote green but im not a tree hugging hippy.

Farage does indeed talk the talk everyone wants to hear.

What he and his fellow UKIP MEPs actually do in Europe varies wildly from this. Attendance of 50% is unforgivable. Voting in less than 40% of parliament votes that DIRECTLY affect the UK is not protecting the UK interests.

Essentially UKIP are the right wing well off with a hatred towards Europe.

So if they were the UK government, they'd essentially be a turbo charged version of the Thatcher years!

TTake time to carefully study the manifesto of anyone you're looking at voting for.

UKIP's makes worrying reading. No statutory sick/maternity etc pay?

[gadgetman]

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/05/nigel-farage-ties-himself-in-knots-over-ukip-manifesto-again/

[Scribbler]

Farage does indeed talk the talk everyone wants to hear.

What he and his fellow UKIP MEPs actually do in Europe varies wildly from this. Attendance of 50% is unforgivable. Voting in less than 40% of parliament votes that DIRECTLY affect the UK is not protecting the UK interests.

Essentially UKIP are the right wing well off with a hatred towards Europe.

So if they were the UK government, they'd essentially be a turbo charged version of the Thatcher years!

TTake time to carefully study the manifesto of anyone you're looking at voting for.

UKIP's makes worrying reading. No statutory sick/maternity etc pay?

 

Surely being elected MEP even though a staunch Eurosceptic in fact I would say an anti-EU activist it stands to reason that you would be as disruptive as possible and make a mockery of the system after all that's why he was elected as MEP. He's there to be as divisive as possible and show the EU in its true light. In this effort he gets top marks. I wouldn't attend most of the stuff it wouldn't make a difference if he was there or not its a cliquey club and the UK is the naughty neighbour no in Europe cares what we think. Would I want Nigel Farage to lead UKIP to victory in the general election certainly not. Do I want him to upset the apple cart and make London take note of what the rest of the uk wants Yes.

[KenONeill]

Surely being elected MEP even though a staunch Eurosceptic in fact I would say an anti-EU activist it stands to reason that you would be as disruptive as possible and make a mockery of the system after all that's why he was elected as MEP. He's there to be as divisive as possible and show the EU in its true light. In this effort he gets top marks. I wouldn't attend most of the stuff it wouldn't make a difference if he was there or not its a cliquey club and the UK is the naughty neighbour no in Europe cares what we think. Would I want Nigel Farage to lead UKIP to victory in the general election certainly not. Do I want him to upset the apple cart and make London take note of what the rest of the uk wants Yes.

Er, Scotland wants to remain in the EU. At time of writing UKIP have yet to save a deposit in a seat in Scotland in any election.

[Scribbler]

Er, Scotland wants to remain in the EU. At time of writing UKIP have yet to save a deposit in a seat in Scotland in any election.

 

So you want to have a say if Scotland stays in the UK but you don't want the collective UK to have a say if it stays in the EU?

 

hmmmm.

[KenONeill]

So you want to have a say if Scotland stays in the UK but you don't want the collective UK to have a say if it stays in the EU?

 

hmmmm.

I posted specifically in the context of the last sentence of your previous, which seemed to indicate that you believed that London was the only part of the UK that wanted to remain in the EU.

[Scribbler]

I posted specifically in the context of the last sentence of your previous, which seemed to indicate that you believed that London was the only part of the UK that wanted to remain in the EU.

 

I'm not suggesting anyone should vote one way or another it wasn't pro EU or anti EU. I Just think we should be asked the question. London appears happy with the status quo going by the polls and they don't trust us to be able to make up our own minds.

[@Lee]

I'm certain I won't be voting for UKIP or any of the more extreme or loony candidates (we got a BNP leaflet complaining that UKIP aren't racist enough) but haven't decided who I will go for. I need to look at previous results and see which votes might make a difference and which would be pointless as well.

this story reports that UKIP are too racist for the BNP

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson/the-bnp-has-attacked-ukip-for-being-racist

and here http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/14/ukip-bnp-racist_n_5322084.html

[@Lee]

[jlwah]

This might help people decide who to vote for:

 http://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

[Scribbler]

This might help people decide who to vote for:

 http://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

 

Thanks for that according to that im conservative

[DaKKs_152]

This might help people decide who to vote for:

 http://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

I got Labour. 

Also, I haven't been keeping up with UK politics lately since I haven't spent much time in the UK in recent months. And no one here in continental Europe gives a toss.

[theezenutz]

Lol. I got lib dems with the green party a very close second

[Jrjg]

No
I am not voting
Reason:
Better things to do.
*runs and hides before the political opinions are thrown*

JRJG

[slider]

Done

[DaKKs_152]

@DAKKS This is very true. UKIP make some very good points on the anti democratic nature of the EU however the rest of their manifesto (which nobody bothers to read) is scarily right wing, small state, up the privileged, f**k the unfortunate crap so I cannot with clear conscience vote for them. I will be voting Labour but with a pretty heavy heart.

That's exactly how I feel about the Sweden Democrats. They make sense, but I cant in good conscience vote for them due to their past actions. They simply cant be trusted.

They want to up financing for schools, elderly care, they want Sweden to have the right to deport foreigners that have committed serious crimes, they want to curb immigration (my hometown alone accepted more Iraqis since 2003 than the US and Canada combined.), they want to raise defence spending to at least the NATO minimum (0.94% of BNP compared to the 2% NATO standard) and they want to allocate more money to the Police and the Justice System overall (which should help with corruption). None of which I disagree with. Everything makes sense.

I mean, just to solve the housing issue in Sweden, we need to build 45000 new apartments every year for five years. And that's not counting the expected raise in immigration. I have nothing against immigrants, my parents immigrated into this country. But if we accept more people than we can support we're not only condemning them to a life worse than what they come from, we condemn every one else in Sweden too. 

Also as a Home Guard reserve, I'm always rooting for the people who want to spend money on us. We work with jack ****. I've tried to return to active, but there is literally no money to "hire" more active duty personnel. So I'm stuck with the three week yearly service. Unless the Russians invade or mother earth decides to kill us I wont see any service until February.

 

[DaKKs_152]

MOD WARNING 

I'm gonna put this post in spoiler tags because the following 1970's-ish election poster is highly offensive. This does by no means represent my personal views (My above pseudo-sympathising with SD notwithstanding). I post this because I feel its important to point out why I don't trust SverigeDemokraterna. "It doesn't matter how beautiful a house is if the foundation is rotten." Any party that pushed an agenda this racist and pseudo-nazi in the past cant be trusted. It doesn't matter if it was 40 years ago. They might smooth talk some people into voting, but I'm a firm believer in that history should not be repeated.

If you deem it too offensive for Briskoda, you are of course welcome to remove it. However I urge you not to. I don't believe its appropriate to hide the parts of history we don't like. This is the past of Swedens, currently, third most popular party, people should be aware of it. 

Also, there is more damning evidence, among others a former party leader making a speech with the Nazi flag in the background, but I reckon Nazi symbols, no matter the reasoning behind it, is crossing the red line.

Translation as follows:

Sweden wake up!
Problem: Mass immigration
Result: Poverty
Measure: Return journey

Warning!
to Swedish girls. 
Avoid unprotected intercourse with n*****s that are carrying deadly AIDS.
Even more important: Do not desecrate you race, your Sweden, your family and relatives.
Only have abortions when its absolute necessary.
Keep Sweden Swedish.

Edited 22 May, 2014 by DaKKs_152

[gadgetman]

Heard and read a few people mentioned spoiling their ballot paper(s) today, and I really don't see the point.

A counter, I read today, can sort 1.6 papers a second.

No one reads anything written on them, and no one analyses spoilt papers to distinguish between accidental spoils (by elderly, anyone confused with what to do etc) and anyone thinking they're making a political stance which any current or future candidates will take notice of. They simply go into the bin

[moley]

I vote in the general elections, but rarely in local council elections, because I don't believe party politics have any place in local councils. Local councillors should represent their area to give the people the best deal. Councils are there to spend the budget in the most effective way.

[Ootohere]

Spoilt Ballot papers show that there was a Turn Out, not a lack of interest, just a lack of candidates worth voting for,

 so that is one less excuse for the losers talking about low turn outs.

 

Excuses like the weather kept voters away etc, when actually it was the pillocks standing for Election that deserved no votes.

 

george

[Llanigraham]

Heard and read a few people mentioned spoiling their ballot paper(s) today, and I really don't see the point.

A counter, I read today, can sort 1.6 papers a second.

No one reads anything written on them, and no one analyses spoilt papers to distinguish between accidental spoils (by elderly, anyone confused with what to do etc) and anyone thinking they're making a political stance which any current or future candidates will take notice of. They simply go into the bin

 

They don't go in the bin.

 

All spoiled papers are retained until the end of the count and all are available to be inspected. In the instance of a tied or close vote then each one can be inspected and the "spoliing" can be discussed by the Political Agents for each candidate to see if it can be counted as a "proper" paper. For example, a paper that uses a "tick" instead of a cross is initially counted as "spolied" but is easily (and often) then included as a proper vote if needed.

 

They also count towards the "total turnout" so their number can affect whether a candidate loses his deposit or not.

 

If you don't want the paper to count then the safest way of spoiling it is to put a cross in EVERY box.

[grr666]

At the current time only 400 odd out of 2000 potential

voters registered to use my local polling station have

bothered to go and vote so about 1 in 5 eligible voters.

I personally think that's a disgrace but that's just my opinion

and some may believe they have a good reason not to bother

which is fair enough I suppose, but I reckon the usual suspects

apathy, stupidity and laziness are the three main reasons that

currently 4 fifths of local voters here haven't voted.

I reject the idea that the 'system is broken' as some have alluded to above. 

I believe the electorate is/are broken, it/they must be if they will waste their

actual money voting in their millions for crap like X factor and big brother yet

CBA to go and cast their free vote to say how they are governed.

But offer them a cheap 3 piece suite at Ikea and there's gridlock getting 

into the place and people fighting over their place in the queue. 

 

Don't really care, couldn't be bothered or too dumb to realise what's

actually happening. Sadly a great deal of the UK electorate fall into

one or sometimes more of the above categories. 

 

Me and the wife have just returned from casting our vote. 

It took a whole 10 minutes including the walk there and back,

they couldn't make it more convenient really. But to lure the

lowest common denominator away from Eastenders or whatever

to go and vote you'd have to offer them something they want for free.

I don't know... Some fags or a free scratchcard or all day wear onesie or

something like that. I'd make voting a condition of receiving continued benefit

payments, no vote then no free cash. Funny how they can be bothered to 

fill in all the forms the DSS want so they can entrench themselves for the rest

of their lives in the benefits culture. But can't find it in themselves to go 

and put an X in a box once every few years (or to work for that matter).

I'd bet there would be a queue at the polling booth if benefit payments

were threatened by non participation. 

[mdon]

Nope.

 

I have thought about a spoiled vote as a couple of people on here have pointed out the purpose of doing so but I just can't for the life of me see the point.

 

So no I will not be voting this time and probably ever, or at least until they sort the mess that they try to wrap up and package up as democracy out.

 

And yes I do have the right to complain. I pay my taxes just like everyone else.

To be honest I'm not bothered whether you vote or not. I've come to realise your opinion on the failure of our politicians and the government are really null and void as obviously you are just out for yourself and no one else, you don't care about your fellow man as in another thread, when asked why not stand up, be counted and run for either the local council or even as a MP, you stated no, why would you no that, there's nothing in it for you!

[@Lee]

pretty sure the people who liked this comment got it :think:

 

[skodanorman]

At the current time only 400 odd out of 2000 potential

voters registered to use my local polling station have

bothered to go and vote so about 1 in 5 eligible voters.

I personally think that's a disgrace but that's just my opinion

and some may believe they have a good reason not to bother

which is fair enough I suppose, but I reckon the usual suspects

apathy, stupidity and laziness are the three main reasons that

currently 4 fifths of local voters here haven't voted.

I reject the idea that the 'system is broken' as some have alluded to above. 

I believe the electorate is/are broken, it/they must be if they will waste their

actual money voting in their millions for crap like X factor and big brother yet

CBA to go and cast their free vote to say how they are governed.

But offer them a cheap 3 piece suite at Ikea and there's gridlock getting 

into the place and people fighting over their place in the queue. 

 

Don't really care, couldn't be bothered or too dumb to realise what's

actually happening. Sadly a great deal of the UK electorate fall into

one or sometimes more of the above categories. 

 

Me and the wife have just returned from casting our vote. 

It took a whole 10 minutes including the walk there and back,

they couldn't make it more convenient really. But to lure the

lowest common denominator away from Eastenders or whatever

to go and vote you'd have to offer them something they want for free.

I don't know... Some fags or a free scratchcard or all day wear onesie or

something like that. I'd make voting a condition of receiving continued benefit

payments, no vote then no free cash. Funny how they can be bothered to 

fill in all the forms the DSS want so they can entrench themselves for the rest

of their lives in the benefits culture. But can't find it in themselves to go 

and put an X in a box once every few years (or to work for that matter).

I'd bet there would be a queue at the polling booth if benefit payments

were threatened by non participation. 

 

Sad but true. 

 

37% turn out in my area. That just isn't acceptable. Why don't people care? Ask people what they think of David Moyers and every man and his dog will give you a fully detailed opinion; yet if you ask about something that matter ... like who's ruling the country and a large proportion can't give a coherent response. "It doesn't affect me", or "They're all as bad as each other" etc.

 

Do some research, form an opinion, CARE about your country.