Election period

[french frank]

Just do your votematch and then go and do something more interesting.

[MrGongGong]

Just do your votematch and then go and do something more interesting.

Just off to harvest the Tofu ;-)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Just do your votematch and then go and do something more interesting.

Oh dear. It says I agree most of all with the Liberal Democrats. Before the last election I would have agreed, but I could never vote from them now. :-(
The Green Party was my runner-up.

[ahinton]

I got my postal ballot today
Here are the options

An Independence from Europe: Nutjob kipper breakaway lot
BNP: Fascist bigots
Conservative Party: Unethical rich boys
English Democrats (i'm English NOT British NOT EUropean!): Nutjob extremist pub bores
Green Party: Excuse me, do you have organic soya ?
Harmony Parts (Zero immigration, Anti-EU, Pro-Jobs): In dire need of a dictionary methinks "Harmony" ?
Labour Party: Them of the illegal war
Lib Dems: Dishonest two faced and untrustworthy
UKIP: Geographically challenged liars.


Aint democracy great :-(

So most of the folks I get to choose from are angry, dysfunctional men

Only 9 out of the 41 are women

I got mine today, too - even more "parties" than yours!

What to do in Herefordistan I cannot say.

Ahem...

[Serial_Apologist]

Oh dear. It says I agree most of all with the Liberal Democrats. Before the last election I would have agreed, but I could never vote from them now. :-(
The Green Party was my runner-up.

Used the blindfold-cum-pin the donkey method, did you?

[Dave2002]

Just do your votematch and then go and do something more interesting.

I didn't understand all the questions.
Some of the questions were interesting because they prompted me to think about things I didn't realised might be relevant, or possibly refer to a current state of affairs about which I knew nothing.

Your views have the most in common with:Green Party (England and Wales)

on 13 points You disagree with Green Party (England and Wales)
Green Party (England and Wales)
Labour
Liberal Democrats
Conservatives
British National Party
UK Independence Party
on 6 points You agree with UK Independence Party

I'm surprised that Labour came higher than the LibDems - slightly - though the result could be different if I did the test again - due to a certain degree of randomness.

Regarding the upcoming European elections, so far I think we've only had leaflets from the Conservatives - on two separate occasions. The leaflet appears to present UK issues rather than ones relating to the UK's relationship with the EU - but maybe most electors won't notice that. I have no idea who our current MEP is, nor do I know how big the constituency is.

This page is interesting and informative - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europea...olitical_Group

Q1: How many electoral regions are there?

Q2: What is different about the voting in Northern Ireland?

Q3: What overseas territory is included in UK voting?

Q4: Who founded the British Democratic Party?

Q5: What are the European Parliament groups?

Q6: Is there alignment between the UK Conservatives and the European Conservatives and Reformists, and is there alignment between UK Labour and the European Liberals and Democrats?

Q7: What proportion of the European seats are held by the UK?

Q8: How many parties in the UK are putting forward candidates this year?

Q9: How is the number of candidates standing in the UK this year related to an aircraft type?

Q10. Does anyone really know, or perhaps even care, how these elections might affect us?

Perhaps we all think ignorance is bliss! Possibly also the media, and those who drive the media, are not interested in us being any better informed. I wonder if the state of ignorance is prevalent in other countries too.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Used the blindfold-cum-pin the donkey method, did you?

Clearly I have same ideals that the Lib-Dems claim to have (and did have until Charles Kennedy resigned) but I could never now support a party with such a prominent turncoat as Danny Alexander.

[french frank]

For me it was a dead heat between Labour and Lib Dem, with Greens a respectable third and the others also ran.

Clearly I have same ideals that the Lib-Dems claim to have (and did have until Charles Kennedy resigned) but I could never now support a party with such a prominent turncoat as Danny Alexander.

People are allowed to have whatever criteria suits them for voting for a particular party. For me it could only be on policy. I don't understand why DA is picked out particularly by so many people. My feeling is that his influence behind the scenes has deserved better.

And, btw, I had a leaflet from the Conservatives a couple of days ago saying, under 'What we did': "Cut tax: So we've given an average income tax cut of £700 to 25 million people taking 2.7 million people out of tax altogether." (The last bit was part of the coalition agreement, and was Lib Dem Policy).

I've found a couple of worthwhile (in my view!) articles on tuition fees too. Independent review of the current position (April 2014)

The Observer, prior to the Gen Election.

Add to this the figures which show that more students from deprived areas are going to university than ever before (most recent figures).

"According to Ucas, young people from disadvantaged areas in England are almost twice as likely to apply as they were in 2004.

Ms Curnock Cook said: "This analysis shows a remarkably persistent growth in demand for higher education from all demographic backgrounds and for institutions across the spectrum in the UK.

"Amid encouraging patterns of demand from mature and disadvantaged students, there remains a stubborn gap between male and female applicants which, on current trends, could eclipse the gap between rich and poor within a decade."

I don't expect any opinions to be changed, on anything. When anyone has been thoroughly demonised, no one wants to put in a good word for them :-)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Re student loans, it's interesting to note that they use RPI as the inflation rate, yet insist on CPI for anything that requires the government to pay out.

[Dave2002]

In my earlier post I wrote:

I have no idea who our current MEP is, nor do I know how big the constituency is.

thus displaying my ignorance.

There are in fact several (10) MEPs for my area, which is in the South East - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_E...onstituency%29

I still have no idea what they do for me/us. How do I get in touch with them? What can I "talk" to them about?
What do they stand for?

How do the UK parties differ in their approach to European issues? It is not possible for one person to be both a UK MP and an MEP, so what issues do they put forward in their MEP roles? Some UK politicians have become MEPs, though not all MEPs have been MPs.

Are MEPs in a different world from MPs? Does anyone care?

At least I have some ideas how to relate to our local MP, and why I might want to contact him - which I have done on several occasions.

[french frank]

Well, because I have a LibDem MEP I get regular updates as to which issues he's covering, and especially what grants he's applied for and how EU money is being used in our own constituency (mainly as a result of his work, since he is quite senior as an MEP). But I have no idea what the other MEP(s) do(es).

I emailed him once to express the concern (discussed here, I think) about an EU directive on lead which was being interpreted in the UK as threatening some of the older cathedral organs. He researched it and told me that the directive should NOT affect the organ pipes, and was not intended to, but the UK Dept for Trade & Industry was insisting that it should.

Here is the text of his second reply (2006) after making enquiries (he was then ELDR leader in the EU parliament):

"I write further to previous correspondence concerning pipe organs. You contacted me recently regarding concerns that the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directives would prevent the future repair and manufacture of pipe organs containing lead. I replied that I understood that the legislation had not been intended to cover pipe organs but that I had written to both the European Commission and the Department for Trade and Industry for clarification.

By way of an update, I have received a reply from the European Commission, but not from the Department of Trade and Industry.

The interpretation of the legislation by the UK government would have had the effect of subjecting UK pipe organs to both Directives since they contain both lead and electric pumps. However the European Commission does not share the UK’s interpretation. [My bold!]

Officials from the Department of Trade and Industry are due to meet with Commission officials next month to agree a clear exemption for pipe organs from the scope of the legislation, which will also remove the need for organ builders to apply regularly for derogations.

I will keep an eye on the situation and will endeavour to keep you updated as any further developments arise. "

He'll probably be defeated this time by one or other of the parties on the grounds that Lib Dems can't be trusted. But then, it's said that people get the governments they deserve.

[Dave2002]

ff

I think you have 6 MEPs in your area - used to be 7, see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_W...onstituency%29 and indeed one of them is a LibDem. Perhaps he does have particular responsibility for Bristol, though it's by no means clear.

You are lucky that you get updates. I am unaware of any updates re European affairs in our South East area. We have 5 Conservative, 2 LibDem, 1 Green, 1 Labour and Nigel Farage! See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_E...onstituency%29

[french frank]

I think you have 6 MEPs in your area - used to be 7, see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_W...onstituency%29 and indeed one of them is a LibDem. Perhaps he does have particular responsibility for Bristol, though it's by no means clear.

And before that, the constituency was subdivided, and there was one member for Bristol. Now all the MEPs are for the entire area: South West England and Gibraltar.

You are lucky that you get updates. I am unaware of any updates re European affairs in our South East area. We have 5 Conservative, 2 LibDem, 1 Green, 1 Labour and Nigel Farage! See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_E...onstituency%29

But I only get updates from the Lib Dems because he sends to the Lib Dem members - possibly via party sources rather than EU: I don't know.

But I can see that if people don't belong to a party (as most people don't) they won't get updates (other than at election time, perhaps). What I wonder is whether UKIP MEPs send out newsletters to their party members in the constituencey, telling them what they have done for the area; what funds they've won (e.g. emergency flood relief cash); what EU Commissioners they've invited and shown round in order to get investment and jobs into their area. Or do MEPs who don't support Europe do nothing except rant about how much their constituents are paying out, how people's jobs are at risk from immigrants, what ridiculous 'laws' are being imposed on them by these unelected commissioners &c &c and never mentioning the benefits?

[Beef Oven!]

And before that, the constituency was subdivided, and there was one member for Bristol. Now all the MEPs are for the entire area: South West England and Gibraltar.

But I only get updates from the Lib Dems because he sends to the Lib Dem members - possibly via party sources rather than EU: I don't know.

But I can see that if people don't belong to a party (as most people don't) they won't get updates (other than at election time, perhaps). What I wonder is whether UKIP MEPs send out newsletters to their party members in the constituencey, telling them what they have done for the area; what funds they've won (e.g. emergency flood relief cash); what EU Commissioners they've invited and shown round in order to get investment and jobs into their area. Or do MEPs who don't support Europe do nothing except rant about how much their constituents are paying out, how people's jobs are at risk from immigrants, what ridiculous 'laws' are being imposed on them by these unelected commissioners &c &c and never mentioning the benefits?

Don't let the UKIP get under your skin, or at least try not to let it show.

[Beef Oven!]

Ah, must be speech time.

Do you want the playoff scores?

Edit : how did the weather turn out? And what is the food like?

Raining. Registry office first, unlimited food and booze later. Forgot shoes, look a bit of a twerp in suit with trainers!

Are Orient up!!!?