Hoping for a surge of youth voting
Lowering the voting age to 14 and having a cut-off age to filter out all the ageing gammons who will be dead anyway will deliver the Socialist Utopia Union of Europe comrades. To the barricades!
You’re making out it’s a disadvantage it’s the main advantage
You're making out it's all good or all bad.
I did..
Outofbreath - i like that the Green Party thinks the EU is far from perfect, but what i like more is the fact that they realise you have to have your feet under the table to be in the negotiations, not pissing outside the back door moaning that you have no say and you're being treated unfairly....
You’re making out it’s all good or all bad.
No, I'm saying it's fundamentally good but could be tweaked. The green voters are saying it's it's fundamentally bad - undemocratic & it's allows easy movement of stuff across a wide area. Tweaks can't fix the "problems" the Green voters have, they're central to the whole idea of a large free trade area with free movement of capital and people.
Outofbreath – i like that the Green Party thinks the EU is far from perfect
Yes, that's clear. I just think you're wrong, the EU is actually pretty good.
Yep - agree with all of that. The EU stinks in a number of important ways. If we could run our own shop, it would be good to do so, but clearly we can't, so being an EU member is a necessary evil.
binners, I thought LibDem was the tactical vote of choice for the NW?
posted this in the EU Ref thread but here seems more appropriate...
Well I voted last night, as did my Wife, got into work this morning and casually asked my colleagues if they had voted, depressing replies:
person 1 – early 30s: “nah, they’re all a bunch of ‘see you next tuesdays’ so what’s the point
person 2 – late 50s: “no, we’re leaving so no point” (he voted leave ‘to shake things up’ in the ref)
person 3 – mid 30s: “yes of course!” (didn’t say which way but I think he’ll have gone Lib Dem)
person 4 – mid 30s: “nope, euros so no point”
person 5 – early 30s: “yup, for Farage!” (I think he meant he voted for the Brexit party, not Farage directly, but I’m not sure he knows the difference)
So from my tiny sample of youngish to middle-aged IT guys from Devon, voter apathy wins above everything else 🙁
I am loving how everyone is avoiding engaging with the troll on this thread.
Another Green vote here
our polling station was busy and the ballot box stuffed by 7pm. They were using a fish slice to shove the ballots in.
In the NE it was a hard choice who to vote for. For the first time ever I made up my mind in the booth. The risk was splitting the vote and letting Farage's mob win all three seats.
Probably me being dopey, but if the UK can't announce results until Sunday/Monday, why do there seem to be reports of the Holland results (who also voted yesterday)?
I haven't seen any percentages on voter turnout (been out on the bike lol), but from a friend who always helps at these things the % turnout in his area was up from an abysmal 27% to an equally abysmal 29%.
Apathy seems to be the real winner again 🙁
if the UK can’t announce results until Sunday/Monday, why do there seem to be reports of the Holland results
The government is having difficulties finding someone in office who can count above 10 without moving their lips.
Probably me being dopey, but if the UK can’t announce results until Sunday/Monday, why do there seem to be reports of the Holland results (who also voted yesterday)?
Because the "populists" did less well than expected, so the EU are happy for this news to come out in the hope it discourages the populist vote across Europe. People don't want their vote to be wasted- the EU spreads the idea that populism isn't gaining traction, others will be disuaded from voting populist.
The government is having difficulties finding someone in office who can count above 10 without moving their lips.
I hear Dianne Abbot is free. She's already counted 150 million votes in her region.
The Dutch thing is based on exit polls not the actual ballot.
Exit polls are supposedly illegal because voting is continuing across the EU. Call me a troll, stick your fingers in your ears and go La la la, avoid engaging with the truth, that's your choice, but fact is the EU is a wrongun.
Ah, I see we've mastered irony. What's next on the list, charm?
Exit polls are supposedly illegal because voting is continuing across the EU.
Illegal under UK law, but how about Dutch law? Maybe, just maybe, there's nothing to see here after all.
...but how about Dutch law?
Bending the rules?
I didn't vote - I just don't really care one way or the other and have made my peace with that
I hear Dianne Abbot is free. She’s already counted 150 million votes in her region.
Or maybe we could get Philip Hammond on the job - he will get the right answer. Within 20 billion or so.
From what I read earlier, EU rules allow exit polls, UK rules do not.
"In Holland we used to have a big problem with illegal exit polls, but now we have legalized them: there is no problem!"
didn't bother - we are leaving.
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There can be only one point five million
What's the likely timeline after today's news? Seems like the elected MEPs will actually sit. The new Tory leader isn't going to be in post and have resolved Brexit by the end of July
The new Tory leader isn’t going to be in post and have resolved Brexit by the end of July
I doubt Brexit will have been resolved by July 2020. Bojo will find himself in exactly the same bind TM was in....
Remainer, work in manufacturing, got kids who I want to grow up in a tolerant society, pro NHS and not a fascist.
LD
I am Harry_the_Spider...
I was a Corbyn supporter and Labour member.
I was prepared to give him a chance.
I still think the last manifesto was superb.
How was he supposed to jump?
Pro Brexit and he alienates the wet, softy, Binneresque wing of the party who, let's face it, hated him anyway.
Pro remain and the working class demi-gammon turn to Funny Uncle Nigel.
Shame.
As a lefty remainer I have no one left to vote for.
I was looking forward to a quiet old age. Looks like I'll be back on the streets protesting against the Brown Shorts and getting funny looks from the neighbours.....
Well this was an election with no winners, other than apathy.
Less than 15% of the electorate felt the need to stroll down to polling stations and cast a vote for a remain in the EU party. Presumably the other 85% couldn't give a monkeys.
The Tories achieved their worse national election result in 185 years.
The Labour Party achieved their worse EU election result ever, although surprisingly only 1% less than they managed under Gordon Brown.
ChangeUK have seen their dreams of shaking up British politics shattered after receiving less than 3% of the vote.
UKIP which having now gone full-blown racist, misogynist, and islamophobic, a position that would have likely seen them top the polls in several EU countries, didn't do much better on just over 3% of the vote.
Yaxley-Lennon, who would probably have been seen as a national hero in Austria, Hungary, and Italy, managed a tad over 2%
Still, among all the disastrous election results there appears to be a couple of happy people.
Vince Cable because his party received 1 in 5 of the votes of the small minority that could be bothered to vote, quite an improvement for a party that only 2 years ago most people wouldn't touch with a bargepole.
And happy smiling Nigel Farage, because his party won an election for a parliament that he doesn't want to be a member of. Although the last time his party won the EU election all the UKIP MEPs resigned one by one, so that smile might not last. Still, this time he's starting with 5 more MEPs so he might have better luck.
For me the cause for celebration is how the UK bucks the European trend. Exactly 10 years ago in the EU elections the BNP in the UK received almost one million votes, 6.3% of the vote.
Weirdly enough, also 10 years ago, the National Front in France received exactly the same share of the vote - 6.3%
Yesterday the renamed NF in France won the EU election, whilst in the UK the BNP has disappeared from British politics - they can't even manage to win a ward council seat anywhere in the country.
That really is a cause for celebration. And no, before someone says it, the Brexit Party is not the equivalent of the BNP. The British people have firmly rejected fascism, bigotry, and islamophobia, as Thursday's results prove. In stark contrast with much of Europe.
Less than 15% of the electorate felt the need to stroll down to polling stations and cast a vote for a remain in the EU party. Presumably the other 85% couldn’t give a monkeys.
Can't help but wonder where all those people who don't want to be ruled by unelected bureaucrats were.
That really is a cause for celebration.
Except you're comparing chalk and cheese, Ernie. Have a look at current RN policy and compare it with BNP policy. Rien à voir.
And you're conveniently forgetting that Farrage (Brexit) who is every bit as extreme as Le Pen senior just scored more than Le Pen fille.
Care to link the Brexit party policy policy that convinces you it's not in fact worse than the BNP. Please, Ernie, link it and prove me wrong. It's so ****ing evil they daren't print it.
Edit, could you link your source for FN results, they got over 10% way back when in almost any election the fielded candiadates.
Having done a bit of fact checking you've done some serious cherry picking Ernie. My memory served me well, way back in 1984 Le Pen senior already scored 11%. It was when Marine came along and modified the policies and dialogue to attract voters from both extreme right and left where they join on the far side of the circle that the results jumped to their current levels of around 25% if you average Euro, local and national elections.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_national_(parti_fran%C3%A7ais)
That really is a cause for celebration. And no, before someone says it, the Brexit Party is not the equivalent of the BNP. The British people have firmly rejected fascism, bigotry, and islamophobia, as Thursday’s results prove. In stark contrast with much of Europe.
Was thinking the same but as Educator points out we don't actually know what the Brexit party stands for but can guess as Farage is leader. People voting for the Brexit party are making up their own minds of what is stands for and as many of them would have been UKIP that probably isn't much difference from the rest of the EU far right parties.
Was thinking the same but as Educator points out we don’t actually know what the Brexit party stands for but can guess as Farage is leader.
Simple. It boosts Farage egotistical personality while continuing to make him money.
you’ve done some serious cherry picking Ernie
LOL and you accuse me of "cherry picking"!
What's the point of linking to a French wikipedia page, was it in the hope that most people wouldn't be able to read it? Why don't you write your posts in French Edukator - if it's the lingua franca for STW?
Here is a link to an English wikipedia page :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rally_(France)#European_Parliament
You'll see :
2009 Jean-Marie Le Pen EURONAT 1,091,691 6.3%
6.3% is EXACTLY the same percentage as the BNP received in the UK in that election.
You might say there is no comparisons between the BNP and the French NF but there certainly is. Jean-Marie Le Pen is a convicted racist thug who has dismissed the mass murder of millions of Jews as a mere "detail of history".
Sure, since the NF have ditched Jean-Marie Le Penn they have tried to portray themselves as a more respectable racist bigoted islamophobic party, and that has undoubtedly won them more votes.
But here in the UK Yaxley-Lennon also tried to do exactly the same thing distancing himself from his thuggery past and links with the violent islamophobic EDL. However it got him nowhere - the British people saw straight through the racist bigot.
Of course the bar is placed differently in France, even the so-called moderates of the centre party are bigots. Only a couple of months ago government ministers, among others, successfully put pressure on Decathalon France to withdraw the sale of "sports hijabs", something which achieved nothing other than make Muslim girls less likely to participate in sport, or dress as they wish. But it did satisfy there bigotted hatred of Islam.
I can't imagine a similar situation ever occuring in Britian, even with a Tory government. The political climate in France, and much of Europe, makes the French NF seem not too extreme. But they are definitely extremist in the context of the UK.
In Italy, Austria, and Hungary, there are political parties IN GOVERNMENT that are willing to see desperate people fleeing wars, created by Europeans, drown at sea, it is both disgusting and frightening. It seems that Britian alone stands against the rising tide of fascism across Europe, once again.
Apologies for any spilling misstakes, spellcheck isn't working.
Here's a choice example of what is happening in Europe :
Can you imagine a leading British paper having that on their front page?
Comparing not quite the worst ever FN result when le Pen senior was largely discredited (and rightly for reasons you mention) with a good BNP result is most definitely cherry picking, Ernie.
As for the rest of your xenophobic, anti-French bollocks "bigotted hatred of Islam". You have a bigotted hatred of the French. I call hypocrit.
Britain if you remember started the war that resulted in the refugee crisis and then refused to take any refugees.
Edit: lest you forget:
Independant ewspaper headlines are one thing, killing over 100 000 in a religious crusade led by a head of state quite another. I don't judge the UK on Daily Mail headlines.
ernielynch
Can you imagine a leading British paper having that on their front page?
A quick check describes the publication in question as a low circulation right wing weekly. Why are you comparing this to a leading British paper?
MEP elections is now over. Bring on the GE!
In the meantime in the far east All American companies will soon (already started) be divesting out of China. The rest of the Western companies will follow in the near future.
The start of two world system begins ...
As for the rest of your xenophobic, anti-French bollocks “bigotted hatred of Islam”. You have a bigotted hatred of the French. I call hypocrit.
LOL! I'm a French born national! I even served in the French armed forces! (well I was conscripted actually) But none of that makes me blind to the rise of bigotry and islamophobia in France, why would it?
And btw get your facts right, it wasn't the "the worst ever FN result", that was 10 years earlier in 1999. Although it's totally irrelevant to the point I'm making. Which is that in 2009 both the BNP in Britain and the NF in France recieve 6.3% of the vote. Today the French NF won this week's election and the BNP can't even win a ward council seat - even though it only requires a handful of votes.
As for your previous comment "Care to link the Brexit party policy policy that convinces you it’s not in fact worse than the BNP" because I couldn't arsed, since you've got me to respond again........you must be the only person on here who doesn't know why Nigel Farage, and a few others, left UKIP and formed another party........"worse than the BNP" LOL!
The British people have passed their judgement on UKIP's metamorphosis into the new BNP, and it was very harsh indeed - 3% of the vote. Even in the recent local elections when Leavers didn't have the Brexit Party to vote for, UKIP lost 80% of their councillors.
The British people should be proud of having the most multicultural least racist country in Europe. The French should be ashamed, although to be fair there are worst countries in Europe.
A quick check describes the publication in question as a low circulation right wing weekly. Why are you comparing this to a leading British paper?
Because it's apparently sold in the Polish parliament, it's not a fringe paper sold on street corners.
Although its circulation figure are actually irrelevant, you wouldn't see 'how to spot a Jew' on the front page of even a low ciculation British paper, because quite simply they would be prosecuted. And quite right too. Only in Poland could that happen, and a few other countries.
But hey, I know my take on the situation doesn't chime with the narrative on here that British electorate are both incredibly stupid and racist, so you carrying on picking holes wherever you can.
