| Author | Message | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:08 pm Post subject: |
| From The Times
June 8, 2009
SNP would treble MPs if result replicated at general election
Angus Macleod,
Scottish Political Editor
The Scottish National Party would see its number of MPs at Westminster more than treble to 27 if the European Parliament result was repeated at the next general election.
The Nationalists, who currently have seven MPs, would far outstrip Labour which would see its number of MPs in Scotland cut from 38 to 15. The Conservatives would stage something of a comeback with seven MPs from Scotland compared to the present one while the Liberal Democrats would drop from twelve to nine.
The projections, calculated by the SNP using the respected and impartial Electoral Calculus website model, are further bad news for Labour on top of a European result which saw it trailing the Nationalists in terms of share of the overall Scottish vote.
The SNP took 29.1 per cent, up 9.4 per cent on 2004, with Labour on 20.8 per cent, down 5.6 per cent and an overall swing from Labour to the SNP of 7.5 per cent. The Conservatives came third on 16.8 per cent, down almost one per cent, while the Liberal Democrats came fourth with 11.5 per cent, a drop of 1.6 per cent. Of the minor parties, the Greens performed best with 7.3 per cent, still 0.5 per cent down on five years ago.
Turnout in Scotland was 28.6 per cent, compared with 30.75 per cent in 2004, and the final seat share-out from Scotland in Brussels was SNP: 2; Labour: 2; Conservatives: 1 and Liberal Democrats 1.
The Euro result was in many ways an electoral watershed in that Labour's vote share was its worst in any national vote in Scotland since 1910 and it was the first time the SNP had topped the Scottish poll in a UK-wide election.
The night was so bad for Labour that it only narrowly topped the poll in three heartland local authority areas - Glasgow, Fife and North Lanarkshire - while the SNP triumphed in 22, including Edinburgh, out of 32 council areas.
Labour also lost in seats presently occupied by the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, in Edinburgh South-West; Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, in Renfrewshire East (where they came third behind the Tories and the SNP); and Iain Gray, the Scots party leader, in East Lothian. Mr Murphy put the party's poor showing overall down to a “massive abstention” by Labour voters annoyed over MPs' expenses and internal party wrangling. “Divided parties get punished by voters,” he said.
David Martin, the party's most senior Scottish MEP who was re-elected, accused ministers, such as Hazel Blears, who have resigned from Gordon Brown's Government, of undermining the party's campaign. “I think it is appalling that, during election week, senior members of the Labour party chose to walk out of government, criticise the Prime Minister and generally undermine our campaign.
“I just don't think that it shows respect for the candidates we had up and down the country, or respect for the ordinary Labour party members who were out knocking on doors.”
Source.... | |  | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject: |
| Sinn Féin victory in Northern Ireland masks unionist fears
Henry McDonald
guardian.co.uk,
Monday 8 June 2009
Sinn Féin topped the poll in the European elections in Northern Ireland. The party's sitting MEP, Bairbre de Brún, was the only candidate to reach the quota on first preference votes, with 126,184. Her return to the European parliament came hours after her party colleague in the republic, Mary Lou McDonald, lost her Europe seat in Dublin.
The Ulster Unionist/Conservative candidate Jim Nicholson was the second elected, with the Democratic Unionist candidate Diane Dodds coming third. The DUP has topped the poll since 1979 and this result will be seen as a setback.
The biggest surprise, though, was the performance of the Traditional Unionist Voice leader, Jim Allister. He polled 66,197 first preferences and, although eliminated, has enough support for his party to gain at least six seats in the next assembly elections. Sources within the British and Irish governments said they were concerned that rising support for Allister, particularly in rural unionist areas, might push the DUP to the right. In particular they are worried that the DUP may now seek to delay the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster.
Allister vowed to stand in North Antrim, Ian Paisley's old stronghold, in the next general election. Tallies indicated that he received around 33% of the first preference vote – at least 12 points ahead of the DUP.
Source... | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:05 am Post subject: |
| Angry Europe embraces the fringe
Doug Saunders
London — From Tuesday's Globe and Mail,
Monday, Jun. 08, 2009
10:26PM EDT
When the European parliament reconvenes in Strasbourg, France, next month, its vast 736-seat legislature will be dominated by a large group of seats on the right, a sharply diminished group on the left, and a looming new formation that might be called the “angry bloc.”
In a startling flight to the fringes, the European Union's 490-million citizens sent an amazing range of angry, racist, anti-European, anti-immigrant, separatist, protest and far-right parties and candidates to represent them in Brussels, a ragtag protest vote that now represents more than 16 per cent of the European Parliament.
In some countries, notably Britain and the Netherlands, these fringe anti-government parties managed to outpoll even the governing parties, in a continent-wide election that is widely seen as a referendum on the popularity of the governments of the EU's 27 member nations.
So it is perhaps even more telling, at a time of considerable public anger at the credit crisis and the economic downturn, that the centre of power in the parliament shifted decidedly rightward, with parties of the moderate right outpolling social-democratic and liberal parties by wide margins.
At a time when European countries from France to Greece have been riven with protests and strikes against the devastation caused by the credit crisis, and unemployment is soaring across the continent, the vote marked a humiliating trouncing for such mighty forces of the left as Germany's Social Democrats, France's Socialists, Spain's governing PSOE and especially Britain's governing Labour Party, all of whom saw their lowest poll results in the parliament's 30-year history of elections.
Britain's Labour Party fell to third-place status, with only 15 per cent of the vote, behind the far-right, anti-Europe UK Independence Party, a result that deepened Prime Minister Gordon Brown's leadership crisis and led another cabinet minister to resign Monday.
Parties and coalitions of the right, such as those of Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel did very well, turning their European parliament bloc, the European People's Party, into a powerhouse with 36 per cent of the vote. And Britain's Conservative leader David Cameron, who won his country's biggest share of the seats by a wide margin, is planning on shifting his party into a further-right, anti-Europe coalition, moving the legislature's centre of gravity hard to the right.
This seemed to foretell a Europe, after important elections in Germany this fall and in Britain within the next year, governed almost entirely by right-wing parties, with both the moderate and the far left marginalized.
Indeed, most of the protest votes against the economy went to parties of the extreme right. Anti-capitalist parties of the far left, such as Germany's Left Party and France's New Anti-Capitalist Party, did very poorly despite having campaigned hard as alternatives to the failed economic system, and Communists barely registered.
Voters did not seem to be blaming the economic crisis on the capitalist system, but on the political classes, and perhaps more darkly on immigrants, outsiders and even Europe itself.
“The fear of social upheaval turned into anger, hostility and the desperate demand for moral and ethnic order,” Ezio Mauro, editor of the Rome newspaper La Repubblica, said Monday. “And the way this type of xenophobic and racist delirium often goes hand in hand with a deep hostility towards the European project, which in many cases is the only effective protection against ultra-nationalist and anti-democratic tendencies, should give us food for thought.”
So the legislature now contains, for the first time ever, members of the British National Party, which forbids blacks from being members and calls for the “voluntary” repatriation of anyone descended from immigrants. They won two seats, both in northern England, despite a joint effort by all of Britain's mainstream parties to keep them out.
They'll be sitting alongside the Freedom Party of Dutch firebrand Geert Wilders, a party increasingly devoted to anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant agitation, which came second in the Netherlands with 4 seats. Austria's extremist Freedom Party, Hungary's fascist Jobbik Party, and Denmark's DVP, an extreme right-wing party, had record results, and Italy's fascist Northern League won a strong eight seats.
And anti-Europe parties, which believe that the Parliament in which they sit should not exist and the EU should be abolished, also did extremely well. Britain's United Kingdom Independence Party, which wants the EU abolished and immigration ended, outpolled the governing Labour Party with 13 seats, and Finland's anti-Europe True Finns captured 13 per cent of the vote.
Most of the far-right and anti-immigrant parties also hold anti-EU platforms, and together with the two major anti-Europe coalitions, Union for a Europe of the Nations and Independence and Democracy, at least 121 of the 736 seats are now held by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who do not believe the parliament should exist.
Record turnouts were also recorded by some separatist parties including Northern Ireland's Sinn Fein (formerly the political branch of the Irish Republican Army), the Scottish National Party.
Despite the outcry over the more extreme election results, and their symbolic importance for national governments trying to gauge their popularity, the vote is unlikely to make a huge difference in European affairs.
While the results may signal an important political shift in European politics, the parliament itself, despite being the second largest elected body in the world (after India's), remains a body of limited influence. It cannot introduce legislation – that is the job of the European Commission, an appointed body with representatives from member nations' governments. It can amend and approve the budget, but otherwise its control of spending is strictly limited.
So, while its MEPs technically vote on legislation that controls as many as half the laws affecting the lives of European citizens, the parliament does little that captures the day-to-day interest of Europeans. That would go far to explain the voter turnout this week of 43 per cent, considered extremely low for a European election.
There is yet another effort under way to pass a new European constitution that would give the parliament real power and create an elected president; it will culminate in a referendum this fall in Ireland, where voters vetoed a previous constitutional attempt last year.
But the new parliament, with its strong bloc of Euro-skeptics, seems to indicate a rough passage for any such effort. It is, in many respects, a legislature deeply devoted to its own continuing irrelevance.
Source.... | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:25 am Post subject: |
| European elections 2009: Europe's centre-right declares war on Conservatives
The European Parliament's centre-right grouping has declared war on David Cameron and said a new Conservative government must not be allowed to derail the Lisbon Treaty.
By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels
Published: 7:30AM BST 09 Jun 2009
Joseph Daul has said the European Parliament's number one priority must be defeating Conservative opposition to the Lisbon Treaty Photo: REUTERS
The Tory leader has angered the European People's Party (EPP) after pulling out of the grouping to form a new Eurosceptic bloc called the European Conservatives and Reformists.
Mr Cameron's pledge to hold a referendum on the Lisbon European Union Treaty, if it remains unratified by the Irish by the time of a British general election, has also alarmed the Brussels establishment as Labour goes into political meltdown.
Joseph Daul, the chairman of EEP, the MEP for Strasbourg and a close ally of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, has said the European Parliament's number one priority must be defeating Conservative opposition to the Lisbon Treaty.
"Even though the Conservatives have left, we will work to make sure the Lisbon Treaty comes into force at the end of the year. We regret all demagoguery and populism. We will do this even if David Cameron threatens a referendum," he said.
Wilfred Martens, the EPP president and former Belgian prime minister, implied that other EU governments are pressuring Gordon Brown to hold off an early election, before a second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in October.
"It could be rather awkward if we had a snap election in Britain with a referendum as one of the issues," he said. "The political situation in the UK is therefore extremely important. We want to see political stability or we have the danger of opening up a debate that could jeopardise the Lisbon Treaty."
Mark Francois, the Conservative spokesman on Europe, hit back at Mr Daul.
"The EPP are entitled to their view, but so are the British people," he said. "It is because they were promised a referendum by all three main parties at the last election and because powers ought not to be transferred from Britain to Brussels without the voters consent that we are campaigning for the British people's right to have their say."
EU officials and diplomats also fear that Britain's political meltdown, after Labour's hammering in European elections, could force a general elections, followed by Conservative victory and an EU referendum that finally kill the Lisbon Treaty before a second Irish vote.
"No one wants an election in Britain, not because of any special affection for Gordon Brown but because an early election would threaten the Lisbon Treaty. That cannot happen," said a European diplomat.
A record low turnout in euro elections has helped fringe and extremist parties to benefit from the economic crisis at the expense of centre-left parties across the EU.
Traditional Social Democrats or Socialists, in alliance with Labour, did badly both in government and opposition across the EU as centre-right governments in Germany, France, Italy and Poland weathered the storm to consolidate votes.
Voter participation, at 43 per cent, was the lowest on record since European elections began in 1979, a development that has raised concern over political credibility at a time when EU powers are poised to increase the Lisbon Treaty.
Voters angry over the economic crisis punished centre-left governments in Britain, Spain, Hungary and Bulgaria as Social Democrats and Socialist failed to capitalise on economic crisis in Germany, France and Italy.
Anti-immigrant, extremist and previously fringe parties stepped into the political vacuum with significant gains in the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Finland, Greece and Romania.
Source.... | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:25 pm Post subject: |
|
Good to see our politics are coming on in leaps and bounds in 2009. We now have Fascists throwing bottles and eggs at 'fascists', LOL!
Always interesting to see the so called champions of free speech at work when someone stands up and says something they don't like. Will the real fascists please stand up? No.....didn't think so, they're all too busy claiming the other guys the baddie. 
From Times Online
June 9, 2009
BNP leader Nick Griffin pelted with eggs outside Parliament
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00570/pohle_3_570876a.jpg
Nick Griffin, the British National Party leader who was elected to the European parliament on Sunday, was ambushed by protesters today and forced to abandon a victory press conference outside the Houses of Parliament.
Mr Griffin was chased by at least 100 protesters who descended on his public meeting chanting: “Off our streets, Nazi scum.”
There were tussles between BNP supporters and anti fascism groups including Unite Against Fascism, whose protest appeared to have been organised by a campaign on Twitter and other social networking sites as well as by mobile phone.
Mr Griffin and Andrew Brons, its second MEP, were shepherded away by their security guards. The pair had been hoping to explain that their European election meant that the BNP now has political legitimacy, but Mr Griffin only had time to complain about some reports in the newspapers this morning before the disruption started.
The group was chased around the corner from College Green towards Westminster Abbey as protestors threw eggs and hit them with placards. The Times saw both sides shoving each other and throwing punches.
Later, as the protesters celebrated, a car load of BNP supporters drove around the block and passed them yelling “scum”.
Afterwards Weyman Bennett, the joint national secretary of Unite Against Fascism, confirmed that his group had organised the demonstration and pledged that it would continue to attempt to disrupt Mr Griffin's public appearances.
"What people wanted to demonstrate is that their filthy politics are not welcome here," he told The Times.
"Wherever Nick Griffin or the BNP exist we will stand up with other people and say that the politics of fascism and Nazism have no place in the 21st century.
"These types of politics don't represent the majority of this country and the majority of people have to speak up for a decent society."
He confirmed that he had seen eggs thrown at Mr Griffin and that a few had struck the BNP leader, who "ran away".
He denied that the protest was childish, and said that he was deeply worried that far right politics had managed for the first time to gain a mainstream political platform.
"People have to get together when they see threats like this developing and nip it in the bud. Let's not let fascist politics gain ground like it did in the 1930s," said Mr Bennett.
"They said that (French far right politician) Le Pen was a clown, and he ended up challenging Mr Chirac for the presidency of France because his politics were allowed to grow.
"I think we shouldn't give platforms to people who are fascist and racist."
Mr Griffin condemned the attack, which he said was "just like what happens in Zimbabwe".
"It was a disgraceful piece of mob violence. People have a right to demonstrate but that right stops where my nose ends. They do not have the right to throw eggs and bottles," said Mr Griffin.
"Unite Against Fascism is a little mob of professional agitators paid for by the main political parties. It is an absolute outrage, like something in Zimbabwe.
"We have seen something of the Labour Party's fascism, but it's not just them it is the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
"The problem is, why aren't the police prosecuting these people? What journalists need to be asking is who is doing this, who is behind this, and they need to be asking the Labour Party why they are backing people who are using violence against legitimately elected political representatives?
"The next time they could throw a brick. The police were there today and they stood by and did nothing."
He confirmed that nobody was hurt, although some of his party were hit with eggs, placards and in one case a bottle.
He denied that anti-BNP protests were a common occurrence. "It only happens where thugs are organised by a mob financed by mainstream political parties. The organisation UAF and subsidiary groups are financed by, for example, lottery grants and by police.
"We will certainly be writing to people like David Cameron and people from other political parties asking them to disassociate themselves from the use of violence."
Source.... | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:05 pm Post subject: |
| 'Why we threw eggs at the BNP'
Eddie Mair interviews Sarah Kavanagh:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8092132.stm
The BNP leader and newly-elected MEP Nick Griffin has been pelted with eggs by anti-fascist campaigners.
He abandoned a planned news conference, saying the attack by protestors was 'a sad day for democracy'.
The protest was arranged Sarah Kavanagh on behalf of the "Unite Against Fascism" group.
She spoke to Eddie Mair on BBC Radio 4's PM about the protest. | | | | ktholcombe | | Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:16 pm Post subject: |
| Nick Griffin talks about egg attack
Nick Griffin interviewed on BBC TV News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8091785.stm
The leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, has said "it's a very, very sad day for British democracy," after he was forced to cut a press conference in Westminster short.
Dozens of protesters disrupted the event, which follows the British National Party winning its first two seats in the European Parliament. | | | | MADMAX | | Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:04 pm Post subject: |
| .
Nick Griffin is just the monkey, not the organ grinder. Nevertheless, he is a horribly little man that would not hesitate to use violence given the opportunity... anyone that denies that is being naive in the extreme.
From what I have read, voter turnout is decreasing rapidly as more and more people realise that the political system has been fatally compromised by criminals in suits... i.e. lying, thieving politicians and banksters. Nick Griffin and his smelly little BNP only represent the most ignorant and retarded in British society... those who are easy prey for racist rats like Griffin. These scum will get sorted out on the streets when the time comes... I wouldn't be surprised if Griffin and his money masters got a bullet in the head. Many of our fathers and grandfathers fought and sacrificed to keep the streets of Britain clear of scum like that.
. | | | | MADMAX | | Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:20 am Post subject: |
| .
BNP's NICK GRIFFIN
The World can see what a snivelling little shit he really is... ha haa!
. | | | | Phoenix | | Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:03 am Post subject: |
| | Quote: | | The leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, has said "it's a very, very sad day for British democracy," |
Oh I don't know. Eggs, paint and other messy, smelly objects are a very democratic and British way of telling snivelling cowards what we think of them and they have been used very effectively in the past. Or perhaps Mr Griffin would prefer the violent methods usually employed by his BNP thugs but not against him of course, that would be very undemocratic. | | | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk |
