Far Right Victory?
There is an air of jubilation around this morning – or an attack of the vapours – depending on whether you are standing in the King’s Arms in Doncaster, or Lentils-R-Us in Islington. ‘The People’s Army’, that seething morass of alleged racists, which apparently includes the majority of voting Europeans, have elected their champions to fight trial by combat for them.
UKIP in Britain, the Golden Dawn in Greece, the Front National in France, the Freedom Party in Austria, the AfD in Germany are this morning donning their armour and marching to Brussels to the cheers of their supporters. Terrific, congratulations to them. A remarkable result that does truly reflect the frustration of the european electorate, but what good will it do?
Tomorrow morning the crystal glasses will be polished to perfection, the wine cellar raided for its finest vintages, the silver salvers laden with the result of grazing on Europe’s most pesticide free and nutritious pastures in preparation for the first of many long and emotional dinner parties for those who will decide Europe’s future foreign policy (do we go on antagonising Putin or not?), immigration policy (do we, don’t we?) or health policy (can we or can’t we smoke?).
How will our successful home grown combatant, Nigel Farage, fare in such a regal atmosphere? He won’t be there. Not invited. Nor will Marine Le Pen or any of the other successful warriors of the People’s Army. Not invited.
Instead, round the table, will be the old guard, the ones we are told this morning were the ‘losers’ in this election; David Cameron, Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande etc, etc, jockeying to take home the best goody bag from this private party. It is they who will be deciding on the future European Commissioners who will make the big decisions on immigration and austerity, the two issues we apparently care about more than any other.
Did you even know who the lady in my image was? She is Cecilia Malmström. Never heard of her? She was probably Nigel Farage’s greatest asset in these elections; for it is she who decided on European immigration policy. Another grand dinner party for the ‘national leaders’ long ago agreed to that – just so long as Gordon Brown could have Catherine of Arrogant deciding foreign policy instead of Peter Mandelson.
The sad truth is that all the leafleting, all the impassioned bellowing into megaphones, all the sodden shoes and raincoats, have only succeeded in filling the spectator seats in the European Parliament. Bread and circuses.
We were voting for the monkeys, not the organ grinders.
- John Galt
May 26, 2014 at 7:56 am -
The BBC were up to their same tricks last night with the Euro election results, trying every synonym of “racist” as labels for UKIP and Farage.
The reason they’ve dropped the direct racism charge was that every time they headlined how “racist” UKIP members were, UKIP’s share of the vote went up.
Funny that…
- Reimer
May 26, 2014 at 7:58 am -
Getting severe cognitive dissonance reading UKIP-ers declaring that a new day has dawned, flattered as they are by the perceived outrage in the media class at their party’s supposed breakthrough. Tell it to the BNP.
- right-writes
May 26, 2014 at 9:23 am -
The BNP is not successful, their two MEP’s in 2009 were a genuine protest vote, and of course now that the Labour party are welcoming BNP people back, they are able to stand as Labour candidates again.
As for the “success” of UKIP this week…
It must be remembered that the European Parliament was designed to be totally toothless, so they have been successful in becoming the biggest UK Party in the EP, but it is relatively meaningless in terms of executive power…
As you rightly point out Anna, the same has-been politicians will be sitting around the table racking their heads (brains seems a tad charitable), to see if they can find another way to circumvent democracy… This is their warning.
UKIP is coming to a palace near you (if you are in London that is) very soon. The general election campaign is underway, and I implore the LibLabCON to continue in the same way they have up to now…
We may be in for a rough ride.
- right-writes
- The Slog
May 26, 2014 at 8:08 am -
Spot on m’dear.
Mr Farrago has 140 odd local council seats in the UK, and no control. He has 36 seats in Strasbourg, and no role in any major alliance there. And he has 0, none, zero, zilch MPs at Westminster. It is a miracle, an earthquake, a sign….or Brian’s shoe.Note the speed with which the major Parties have rushed to miss the point: for the kneejerk left it’s “a rising tide of racist hate” and for the Tory right “a vote against EU bureaucracy”…see BoJo’s priceless klaxon, sorry, column in today’s Telegraph.
For me, one man in one picture sums up what’s happened:
http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/predictable-euro-election-results-elites-rush-to-miss-the-point-slog-moves-to-clarify-it/- Duncan Disorderly
May 26, 2014 at 8:33 am -
‘Loveless indifference’, yes that’s it exactly. It is sad that few people can even be bothered to hate the EU. I dare say most UKIP supporters don’t even hate the EU.
- Stewart Cowan
May 26, 2014 at 10:37 am -
Speaking only for myself, I hate the EU with a passion. The problem with hate is that it can eat you up, so I don’t dwell on it and I’m not hating anyone in particular, although the two ‘human beings’ I actually do hate are Blair and Cameron.
- DtP
May 26, 2014 at 11:27 am -
I nearly did myself an injury hating Brown so much and so have taken on an air of lacklustre defeatism. I remember being mildly enthused by Cameron until about 6 months before the last general when I had to phone them up and quickly realised that 4 years preparation meant juggling different testicles on alternate days. Could be worse, I suppose – they could have been clever and fuck knows where we’d be then. Whoo hoo!
- DtP
- Stewart Cowan
- Daedalus X.Parrot
May 26, 2014 at 3:27 pm -
“Mr Farrago has 140 odd local council seats in the UK, and no control”
Yes, Mr Theslog, you are technically correct in making the same observation that the BBC and the Cameronites make, i.e. that UKIP have a relatively small number of council seats, have no MP and hence no power and, by implication (maybe not by you, I don’t know), no electoral relevance.
But as someone who has to construct software that delivers financial data to many users. I know that the most important metric that rational professionals use is the trend, not the absolute figure.
Currently the trends show that UKIP party membership is rising, month on month, while Labour, Tory and Lib Dem memberships are falling.
The trend in UKIP’s general election votes has also been increasing since when they were founded in 1993:
– 1997 105,722 UKIP votes
– 2001 390,563 UKIP votes
– 2005 605,973 UKIP votes
– 2010 919,471 UKIP votesThe trend in UKIP’s council seats has been increasing sine 2013:
– 2012 UKIP have 9 council seats in total
– 2013 UKIP win another 139 council seats
– 2014 UKIP win another 163 council seats,
giving a total of 300 or so district and county council seats.UKIP council seats were virtually unheard of 4 years ago, now they are in hundreds. My local council in Cambridgeshire has felt UKIP pressure to change its policy on awarding councillors inflation-busting pay rises. The UKIP turkey councillors voted for Christmas by demanding and obtaining a halt to the pay increase. Okay, a minor victory for 2014, but one that would never have been thought possible 4 years ago.
Another major policy delivered by UKIP is Cameron’s promise of an EU referendum which he claims he will hold in 2017. This was a direct result of the increase in support of UKIP in the last two years.
- Peter Whale
May 26, 2014 at 10:01 pm -
Well said Dead Parrot. All the scoffers are dead jealous of the guys who have stuck with the UKIP wagon and seen progress and had a bit of success, may it long continue.
- Peter Whale
- Duncan Disorderly
- Ho Hum
May 26, 2014 at 8:46 am -
As a more positive, alternative, view, think of it as being the closest Daily Mail readers will ever get to a legal high. But, as could probably rightly be implied from your piece, their euphoria will disappear shortly
As for the growth of the far right elsewhere, the main difference is that while most opposition parties in any legislature are really just made up of more Bastards-in-Waiting, those folk are Real Bastards-in-Waiting. The party alignments made in the next few weeks will be interesting
Please forgive me if you think I’m unduly cynical. I’m just too old now not to be
BTW, is there any way to ‘subscribe’ to your posts without having to comment first? Sometimes I would like to read the BTL wisdom, and inanities, without having to add any of my own
- Magwitch
May 26, 2014 at 8:51 am -
Anna, you’re priceless. On the one hand I rail against the crass ignorance of the MSM over Europe and on the other I sometimes struggle with the forensic analysis of Dr North over at EUReferendum yet you manage to highlight the whole problem with the EU with humour and style and “nail it” with pinpoint precision.
- right-writes
May 26, 2014 at 9:35 am -
Who’s Dr.North?
- Andy
May 26, 2014 at 10:51 am -
Richard North
http://eureferendum.com/profile.aspx?username=richard- right-writes
May 26, 2014 at 11:03 am -
Many years ago, I married a native Garlic speaking lady from Ireland (still together!), But for some reason, I took to reading some of the old stories that had been translated into English…
One of my strongest memories were the stories of the two old philosophers, who sit in the pub, or in the corner of the kitchen, and (er) philosophise…
The stories sort of remind me of North and Booker…
I think it is also called “pissing into the wind”!
- right-writes
May 26, 2014 at 11:04 am -
I seem to have attracted the unwanted attentions of a “spell checker”!
Gaelic Gaelic Gaelic Gaelic….
- Reimer
May 26, 2014 at 11:07 am -
It wasn’t Joan Sims in ‘Carry On Henry’, was it?
- Reimer
- right-writes
- right-writes
- Edgar
May 26, 2014 at 10:52 am -
He’s an anti-UKIP blogger who imagines that politics is about rational analysis of facts.
- Ho Hum
May 26, 2014 at 10:56 am
- Ho Hum
- Andy
- right-writes
- Judd
May 26, 2014 at 9:01 am -
Yes a victory, but only the first skirmish, the main battles are yet to be fought, and each will be increasingly hard to win.
Unless UKIP can capitalise on this breakthrough, and they must be congratulated on a fair win in an unfair fight, and gain sufficient MP’s in the next election to force a slightly more fair referendum, then all can still be lost.
The ultimate battle will be an in/out EU referendum, and i expect everything short of live missiles to be thrown at keeping us in the eurostate, money no object.
However, a breather after a well fought fight, and well done to UKIP, what we musn’t forget is that without Farage and his sometimes motley crew, there would be no hope for the future.
- Cascadian
May 26, 2014 at 5:57 pm -
Not a first skirmish, that was several years ago. More like the first war, and the established parties are weak and exhausted, no new tactics, funding drastically reduced, just throwing more men over the top to thrash around in the mud and get killed, the generals all today say they have learned a lesson (they haven’t).
Clegg will be gone in one month, if UKIP can capitalize on its momentum and organization to win Newark- a tough nut, but achievable given last nights returns, then Camoron will be gone soon after. Milliband-hopeless case, UKIP should do nothing to weaken him, he is an asset. Certainly NOT a time for a breather, a time to join the party and use whatever skills you have to help.
- Cascadian
- rabbitaway
May 26, 2014 at 9:40 am -
‘We’ are always voting for the monkeys ! The organ grinders don’t even need to wind that handle anymore. Vote for whoever you want or don’t, the same bastards run the show. That’s why so many politicians change when they get onto office. It’s not rocket science is it ? Every so often they throw a few crumbs out to whatever mob happens to have the biggest gob or influence to rouse the indolent from their armchairs. We know why far right political parties take seats, the mob are fed up and rightly so. It’s just a shame that there is really no one worth actually voting for.
” Corruption” Sir Jimmy Savile 1992
http://rabbitaway.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/corruption-all-round-corruption.html - GildasTheMonk
May 26, 2014 at 9:55 am -
“Lentils R Us” – classic.
I am not sure how far this will go. As an ardent anti-establishmentarian, I regard UKIP as a useful tool, as I sense do many of those who vote for them/it. What I detect is a widespread loathing of the political establishment and elite, both personal because they are almost invariably privileged, wealthy, smug and condescending.- Joe Public
May 26, 2014 at 3:19 pm -
………. And on the expenses fiddle + gravy train.
- Joe Public
- binao
May 26, 2014 at 11:02 am -
That’s right, nothing happening here, move along now.
The bins will still be emptied by your local council, the decisions of the top table will still be rubber stamped by MEPs, when they attend as opposed to just clock in, in exchange for generous pay, allowances, & pension packages.
What is obvious is that the result Sunday is not seen as a reason to change course; ‘just a protest’, ‘the bubble will burst’, an opportunity to blame the coalition for the cost of living crisis & austerity & housing, drone, drone; and ‘…only us libdems have promoted Europe & the others have failed to so we’ve paid the price…’ & more. Harriet H is on planet Metro for comfort.
For me the real gem was when one scornful LD loser said on national tv, my words, ‘… at 35%, at this turnout level let’s remember UKIP only have the support of about 10% of the electorate…’. Unaware perhaps that by the same reasoning, the LDs got about 0,5% of the electorate supporting their earnest message!- rabbitaway
May 26, 2014 at 12:23 pm -
Nicely put @Bin man !
- Engineer
May 26, 2014 at 1:08 pm -
Yes.
I listened to BBC Radio 4’s The World at One. About 25 minutes of hand-wringing because a couple of LD activists have called for Clegg to stand down, then 5 minutes discussing what the Conservatives should do about it, then change the subject completely. As an analysis of a democratic election result by a public service broadcaster, it was utterly scandalous, but it didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Wherever the centre-ground of British politics lies, it most certainly isn’t somewhere the BBC wants to go. But you all knew that anyway.
Never mind, peeps. Keep on shoving. Hopefully the political so-called ‘elites’ might start to get the message before we end up having another major conflict in Europe.
- rabbitaway
- Ho Hum
May 26, 2014 at 12:33 pm -
It’s interesting that, when you look Europe wide, the countries where the middle ground held up best, and right wing gains had least impact, were Germany and Italy
Been there, done that?
- Engineer
May 26, 2014 at 1:17 pm -
They still have their eurosceptics, they just express their discontent differently. Bepe Grillo in Italy, for example.
As for other countries having ‘far right’ parties, one does feel that some people are very quick to apply the epithet to even relatively moderate views, if those views are even mildly anti-federalist. That’s a bit dangerous, because it can semi-legitimise the (relatively few) really nasty elements by lumping them in with more moderate ones.
- Engineer
- Reimer
May 26, 2014 at 2:47 pm -
Too little too late, I fear, given the speed of the electoral cycle and the MSM’s news-cycles vs Abdul’s copious reproduction, EU self-aggrandisement etc. Like the engineers on the Titanic planning on how to politely gain entry to the wheelhouse with the iceberg getting close enough to give a chill.
- Johnny Monroe
May 26, 2014 at 3:00 pm -
I appreciate this won’t be a popular point of view on here, but Farage’s ‘man of the people’ schtick grates with me. So, he enjoys a fag and a pint – is that the extent of what ‘the people’ want in a political leader? Let us not forget Nick Clegg’s luxury item on ‘Desert Island Discs’ was a packet of cigarettes, if we are to place great importance on such things. UKIP have nothing to say beyond recycling scraremongering horror stories from Mail front covers of the past ten years; half of their candidates are turncoat Tories who think Cameron is a socialist because he introduced gay marriage. Yes, the right has the right to be represented, but so does the left – and the left has no one to vote for anymore. I’m no more a fan of the public school/university/Spad conveyor belt that produces the test-tube MPs representing the three main parties than anyone else, and it’s good to see them getting a kicking from the electorate; but anyone who thinks Farage has the answers has borrowed Jamie’s Magic Torch en route to Cuckooland.
- binao
May 26, 2014 at 4:00 pm -
I don’t think anybody seriously imagines that the UKIP people are going to be running anything on our behalf, any more than DC’s possible negotiations are any more than delaying tactics until the oldies die out.
But politicians are desperate survivors, the most deeply held principles instantly disposable to stay in or get power.
From which it seems to me that while it’s ‘steady as she goes, calm water ahead’ again for the mainstream lot, somewhere, maybe not here, national politicians will feel the need at some time to respond to local pressure at the expense of the eu faith. Not burning lamb or making life difficult for foreigners as usual; no, something serious. Something that will either provoke an ill judged response from Brussels, or will lead to further disobedience in Europe which cannot be reined in. Not all members are as Greece was.
It seems to me that the present mood presents more opportunity for such misalignment.
Just a thought , probably nonsense. - Cascadian
May 26, 2014 at 5:46 pm -
Well it would seem that former liebour voters of South Wales, South Yorkshire, Essex and many places in between have made their decision, perhaps it is time to make yours?
It is all very well to buy into the nonsense that the established parties are peddling, but do you really believe 28% of the electorate are racists and loonies? Most of the supporters look like Grandma and Grandad! My perception is that there must be a fair number, maybe even a large majority, of competent, sane supporters such as Engineer who have recognized that the stagnant pool of UK politics has only managed decline(very poorly) since 1945. The parties who have managed that decline are well known, a change is needed and a new party with all its faults is available, you could, by joining early make your aspirations known and perhaps participate in the downfall of the “conveyor-belt” politicians.
Punk rockers were pretty much a bunch of losers, but they had one thing right. Talk-action=zero.
So, whats it to be?
- Johnny Monroe
May 26, 2014 at 6:37 pm -
A party that does for the left what UKIP is doing for the right would suit me fine – but there ain’t one!
- JimmyGiro
May 26, 2014 at 7:21 pm -
Such as National Socialism !?
- Johnny Monroe
May 26, 2014 at 7:41 pm -
No, I was thinking more of reviving the Whigs. If anyone’s interested, I’ll be holding a pow-wow down at my country residence, Radclyffe Hall, in a couple of weeks. We’ll finally get something done about those damn Corn Laws.
- Cascadian
May 26, 2014 at 9:00 pm -
Johnny Munroe: (sitting at the electoral train station), Stationmaster, tell me good-sir when is the next train for Whigs?
Stationmaster: Well sir the last one was in the nineteenth century, but if you wait I’m sure there’ll be one along eventually.
Johnny Munroe: Thank good-man, I shall go into the waiting room and await it.
Seems like a good plan, I hope many more of the leftist tendency join you. Meanwhile in the real world Liebour supporters are celebrating because UKIP barely contested London and saved them from an even more humiliating result and Clegg has to face his wife to tell her their weekends at Chevening House could be at an end, no wonder he looks bereft.
Roll on Newark then the Scottish referendum, camoron needs to be beat upon his skull several times in short succession before a clue penetrates, two disasters in a couple of days obviously isn’t enough.
- Johnny Monroe
May 26, 2014 at 10:54 pm -
Cascadian: Can I please have a computer with a spell check?
Farage: Buy me a pint and a packet of Silk Cut and you shall have the world, my dear.
- Junican
May 26, 2014 at 11:52 pm -
“….and you shall…. ”
Erm… No ….. I shall: We shall.
“Thou,he/she will: You/they will. - Cascadian
May 26, 2014 at 11:56 pm -
Better than a spell-check, I have a eyesight test next week, not a moment too soon it would seem.
- Junican
May 27, 2014 at 1:09 am -
LoL! Mind that you are not palmed off with rose-coloured spectacles!
- Junican
- Junican
- Johnny Monroe
- Cascadian
- Johnny Monroe
- JimmyGiro
- Ho Hum
May 26, 2014 at 9:44 pm -
I don’t believe that the 28% are all racists or loonies.
But I equally well don’t think that all the 30% of Germans who democratically elected Hitler et al were necessarily signed up to his party’s full, if somewhat toned down, manifesto either. Nor do I think that any more than a single figure % actually went on to carry out any of the subsequent nastiness that followed
But what I can’t ignore is that the other 70% that didn’t vote, or the 90+% who didn’t actively participate in the subsequent unfolding horrors, whilst products of one of the great creative Euroopean nations in respect of their science, technology, art and culture, for the most part stood by and provided active support, tacit agreement or just deliberate non involvement
And the same happened in Russia during the Revolutions and their aftermath, end into the 1950s and 1960s
Just because the voting majority isn’t necessarily onside doesn’t mean that you should assume that the entryist, the committed activist, the right-on rightist or leftist isn’t going to piggy back over their innocent souls
- Cascadian
May 27, 2014 at 12:34 am -
Really Ho Hum?-Hitler! I should not even bother, but I will.
Luckily, UK has not struggled under the yoke of war reparations that could not be paid off or the horrors of a terrible depression where people literally starved to death, those issues more than an enigmatic leader led to the rise of national socialism.
Reduce the percentage to 25%+/- and your argument applies equally to the conservatives and liebour. In other words your argument is nonsense. No matter how low my opinion of camoron or milliband is they do not have the makings of a Hitler, and neither does Farage.
Of course, if you abhor change then stick with liblabcon , that has worked real well for the last 70 years.
- Ho Hum
May 27, 2014 at 1:20 am -
Maybe if I had written ‘rightist or leftist or centrist’ you might have understood the point.
It doesn’t matter what the colour of the party is, what its published manifesto is, whether or not it’s to the right, the left, or centre, or even if it got 99% of the votes of the people that bothered to turn up at the ballot box, what will follow on as implemented policy, and drives the subsequent legislation that is then deemed necessary to enforce that on those that object, is a factor that is determined by the nature and make up of the hardcore, politically driven party ‘elite’ , and which will be something that is almost certain to be dislocated from what those who stuck their little ‘x’ in the box thought they were going to get
Those who think that because any new kids on the block seem to be a breath of fresh air, no matter how much we might all wish that to be so, are suffering from ‘fond hope’ syndrome
As I said, I don’t believe all 28%, or whatever it was or ended up as, are loonies or racists. But even if the votors might all have been proved to be the most cuddly of Ewoks, whose idea of a grand time is an afternoon in the woods at the teddy bears picnic, that matters not one whit.
- Ho Hum
May 27, 2014 at 1:41 am -
Put another way, it doesn’t matter who gets into power by persuading the votors – however good bad or ugly they might be – with whatever sweet words they wish to believe, the reigns of power then fall into a small select group of hands, and the mass of the people will, or can, do sweet FA to affect what those hands choose to do. And the history of radical changes of every colour and hue, even when based on understandably legitimate disaffection, is that they haven’t got much of a track record of making good choices, or otherwise working out unduly well
- Cascadian
May 27, 2014 at 1:29 pm -
I understood the point and its juxta-position with Hitler well enough.
I happen to have worked (volunteered for an extended period might be a better phrase) for one of those parties that effected “radical change”-The Reform Party of Canada, and I’m delighted to say things worked out very well. A decrepit and discredited Progressive Conservative party was nearly demolished and a new party formed government, unseating the socialist lieberals, it took a decade of effort. Which is why I so thoroughly disagree with your analysis, what UKIP are doing is not some theory, it is based on actual results.
Your point about leaving the implementation of policy to the “professionals” is correct, there is a great need for “ordinary” people to get and stay involved with parties to avoid them being over-run by the camorons or millibands of the world, that is what I have been propounding here. Is the Conservative Party of Canada perfect?-no, I would wish they moved faster to repeal very many expensive and unnecessary programmes, but they are a damn sight better than camorons tepid “progressive” conservatives which so obviously deserves destruction.
You seem to have a very low opinion of your fellow citizens, and an entirely complacent view that nothing can be changed, so why bother. At the same time people that will do you real harm the radical feminists, Leveson-groupies and activist judges (almost entirely socialists) are destroying your country. These are your enemies not some imagined nazi right-winger dreamed up by the fevered brain of some bbc/guardianista. Perhaps that is why you are Ho-Hum.
- Ho Hum
May 27, 2014 at 4:31 pm -
OK, so I’m a member of a political party too. What I did for most of my employed life precluded me – one of the conditions of employment attached to what I did – from taking any directly active role. One of the misfortunes some public servants have to put up with, along with the public continually telling them that they could do thing better
Right now I am seriously hacked off with them and the only reason I’m still hanging in is because they still have some recovery potential, and in principle should be that which best serves those on all sides of the political spectrum
As to not knowing who the enemies really are, without and within, you’d only need to look back at some of the previous posts – well, if they hadn’t been deleted – to see I’m not under any illusions in that regard
Irrespective of all that, and your somewhat unfortunate latching on to the notion that somehow I’m in the thrall of some deluded Mage who sees right wing bogeymen hiding in every bush by the wayside, it is still the case that we are at a potential turning point in the political timeline – it will take a decade or so to determine how real it might prove to be – and there remain lessons, and some possible warnings, to be drawn from the past. No more than that
Dear me, the written word can be a poor medium for concisely conveying concept and tone! I wish that pub we talked about previously was nearer to both of us
- Cascadian
May 27, 2014 at 7:56 pm -
I take it from your comments that you support the conservatives, if so you have my sympathies (at one time I did too). Camoron has destroyed the party and there are no obvious successors or any new ideas.
Like the economic theory of creative destruction, I believe UKIP will prove to be the tool to destroy the conservatives, and they need destruction, a system with three social democrat parties is a sick and moribund system unfit for change or sensible governance,(which is what you have experienced for 50 years). I believe the lib-dums are already destroyed, deservedly so.
UKIP have been around for a few years now, so my decade estimate (if UK is on a similar schedule) could and I think probably does indicate major breakthroughs in the next general election. I hope so for your sakes.
- Cascadian
- Ho Hum
- Cascadian
- Ho Hum
- Ho Hum
- Cascadian
- Johnny Monroe
- binao
- MTG
May 26, 2014 at 6:46 pm -
Nick Robinson: But aren’t you a bit of a hypocrite on the jobs front, Nige?
Nigel Farage: Scheiße…erm, the truth is that Kirsten Mehr works for me on an Arbeit macht Frei basis. And before you ask, I did not have sexual relations with that woman. - Junican
May 26, 2014 at 8:35 pm -
I don’t know whether this makes sense or not, so please shoot me down gently.
It is said that MEPs have no power. Well, Yes …. In the sense that they have no power to introduce legislation. But, as I understand it, they DO have the power to block legislation. Is that right?
UKIP has said that it will not form alliances with other, similar parties, but it has not said that it will not agree with other, similar parties how to vote on specific issues.
I don’t know what percentage of the total of MEPs are anti-EU, even if they are ‘not together’. But if over 50% of MEPs were anti-EU, it is easy to see how these MEPs could bring the EU to a standstill. They would simply need to reject every proposition put before them. No ‘formal’ alliance is necessary.- Eric
May 27, 2014 at 1:03 am -
no they don’t have the numbers to do that. The majority of MEPs are on the left along with a sizable conservative faction that will vote similarly for their own best interests.
There is a problem for UKIP in Europe- they want rid of the EU so have to be careful how they vote about anything. Therein lies the problem. If they appear to be a real working part of the EU parliament then they risk alienating their own constituents who will want action.
The UKIP is nothing new but it’s a ‘breath of fresh air’ if it puts the wind up the others.
Reality says however the entrenched parties will do everything in their power to decimate them and probably succeed.- Junican
May 27, 2014 at 1:33 am -
Hi Eric. That is precisely why I said that I do not know what the facts are, although I was aware that it is likely that the anti-EU MEPs are very unlikely to have the majority. Had it been otherwise, the MSM would have shouted it out loud. But if these groups unite, it is possible that sufficient other groups would also be against some particular EU proposal so that no proposal which persecutes citizens gets through. I have in mind the directive which limits the availability of e-cigs and of snus, but it could equally apply to the use of olive oil dispensers or the shape of bananas.
It is impossible to believe that Cameron, Miliband or Clegg have any comprehension of the machinations of the EU elite. I suppose that thinking about such things is too hard, which I understand. It is far easier to learn a script off by heart, especially if you have the gift of a photographic memory, than to actually reason things out.
Our Government is corrupt, but not intentionally so. It just so happens that Cameron, Clegg and Miliband are cyphers. But what lies behind them?
- Junican
- Eric
- Frankie
May 26, 2014 at 8:43 pm -
A succinct summary Anna ‘…plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.’ This is a massive protest vote, but will not change anything at the moment, but hopefully it will remind the incumbents that people will only put up with so much, before resorting to protest.
Most UKIP candidates, aside for their questionable views on race couldn’t run a bath, never mind a country, so I can’t see them forming the next UK Government.
The real losers here are the Lib Dems. They chose to ‘sup with the Devil’ but forgot that they should use a long spoon…
Cleggy is probably toast. No one has yet forgiven the Lib Dems for their U turn on tuition fees, so this is probably a portent of things to come in 2015.
That’s politics!
- Engineer
May 27, 2014 at 9:49 am -
I feel a little sorry for the Lib Dems (but not much) because I feel they are to a great extent the agents of their own troubles. Before the last general election, they made all sorts of promises safe in the knowledge that they’d never have to implement them. Then, because of an inbuilt unfairness in size of electoral constituencies resulting in a hung parliament, they found themselves in government, and having to make the unpopular decisions that come with responsibility. To be fair to them, the real and pressing problem at the time of that election was the appalling state of the economy and the public finances, and whilst neither problem could be said to be solved, good progress has been made, to which they have contributed. In other matters, however, they have been something of a brake on sensible reforms – the realignment of constituency boundaries to level the electoral playing field, for example – their position on this being the result of a rather childish bout of pique rather than a careful consideration of the best interests of the British population.
On the matter of the EU, they are very clear about their policy, which is fair enough. However, it would seem that their policy is out of step with a good proportion of the British electorate (or, at least, those that could be bothered to vote), so in that sense, they need to either change their policy or accept that they’re out of step with the majority. Throwing their toys out of the pram and ritually sacrificing their leader will not change their electoral prospects one bit, unless they significantly change their policies to align them closer to the majority view of the public, which is one of mild (or in some cases rabid) scepticism about the EU’s more integrationist intent.
- Ho Hum
May 27, 2014 at 10:55 am -
Another area where they will have lost support is in their having promised much to roll back some of the more illiberal impositions made by the previous Labour administrations. They were fine in opposition, standing up more manfully against some of those than the Tories, but seemed to recant on much of their intent when in power, even allowing for the fact that some influence in that regard might be limited in being the junior partner within the coalition
What is almost unforgiveable, though, and will have alienated a number or rafts of people, is their apparantly wholehearted espousal of the Do-You-All-Goodism authoritarianism that seems to inflict every politician who ever gets as much as a chance to pull the levers of power. That, as much as their pro-Europe stance, will have disaffected many who had looked to them to roll back the purely nationalised elements of state nannyism.
The same will apply in part to the Tories, but less so, as they aren’t really, however much they might portray themselves as being so, the natural home of anyone who might truly be classed as of a liberal bent
- binao
May 27, 2014 at 11:37 am -
Yes
The libdems are the only group that openly nailed the eu flag to their mast; reward: support from less than 1% of the electorate (well they started it pointing out that UKIP only got 10% and I know I’ve said it before). The two main players were fully on board but chose not to remind people. The result would seem to be indicating something.
I don’t think Clegg’s suggestion that it would be disloyal to er, disagree with his opinion helped much either.
It’s hard to imagine any change that will help the libdems. Regardless of their local party machines, I suspect a lot members are just going to have to hold their noses and go to their real home , with Od Miliband.
The boundaries review issue was frankly anti-democratic in my opinion, but I’m a bit prejudiced from experience of the libdems locally.- Moor Larkin
May 27, 2014 at 4:36 pm -
@ I suspect a lot members are just going to have to hold their noses and go to their real home , with Od Miliband. @
Looking at the %-shifts between Libs and Labs, that seems to be exactly what happened. The 66% who couldn’t be arsed what happened were the real winners I guess. It’s hard to see why Cameron/Merkel should react to any of this, when you’re only talking about 30% of 30%.
- Moor Larkin
- Ho Hum
- Engineer
- plantman
May 27, 2014 at 11:30 am -
Spread the word. The Fruitcakes are in charge of the bakery and business is booming so they are obviously to the public taste.
Time for am emergency EU Directive adding them to the list of undesirable products (like salt and tobacco – despite the huge subsidies paid to tobacco growers) to take immediate effect.
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