Election period

[amateur51]

Ah, must be speech time.

Do you want the playoff scores?

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

Transfer to Round Ball game thread please

[french frank]

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

I was merely wondering how those who have been elected were able also to show how they've made the EU 'benefit system' work for benefit of their constituents when they don't admit there are any benefits. It seemed a quite reasonable query. Any ideas?

[Anna]

We have 11 parties standing (of the 44 candidates 15 are women) Some of the parties are only standing in Wales such as The Socialist Labour Party (led by Arthur Scargill!) and others are only fielding candidates in Wales and Scotland. One of the minority parties not standing in England had a party political broadcast last night. It was dreadful and constituted nothing more than what I think could be called hate crime. I know all parties now can have at least one broadcast but surely, to give airtime to such Islamophobia as this (when they don't have a hope of getting a seat) is wrong?

We've had a lot of LibDem broadcasts, Nick says vote for him to keep UKIP out and I think tactical voting will be strong in the election.

[MrGongGong]

I was merely wondering how those who have been elected were able also to show how they've made the EU 'benefit system' work for benefit of their constituents when they don't admit there are any benefits. It seemed a quite reasonable query. Any ideas?

I think they mean that THEY will benefit from the EU by claiming as much money as possible without going or voting and as THEY obviously "represent" the so called "ordinary" people of the UK, then the "ordinary" people benefit ?

Or some other pile of B*llox that they will make up to try and fool people into thinking that they are somehow NOT like all the others ?

"Voting for UKIP as a 'protest vote' is like shitting in your hotel bed to protest bad service and then realizing you have to sleep in a shitty bed."

[french frank]

I think tactical voting will be strong in the election.

Don't forget that the voting is by proportional representation. There is only one reasonable way to vote. Decide which party will best represent your views in Europe and vote for it. There is a quota to elect each member, parties that reach that quota get one MEP - the person who is No 1 on the party lists; then the surplus votes (above the quota) are counted to see if/which candidates at No2 also get elected, and so on (if I remember correctly). It's complicated but not for the voter. You just vote for the party you support.

Please jump in, anyone, if I've remembered this wrongly. I don't think people should faff around with 'tactical' voting because this only works with FPTP. As far as I can see, you can't keep a party out by tactical voting; but you might stop your own party from 'winning'.

[aeolium]

I was merely wondering how those who have been elected were able also to show how they've made the EU 'benefit system' work for benefit of their constituents when they don't admit there are any benefits. It seemed a quite reasonable query. Any ideas?

I don't think that is the objective of those who are standing on the principle of returning more powers to national governments from the EU (including those who want all devolved power to be returned, i.e. to exit the EU) - I presume that would be the benefit that would be striven for. It certainly seems legitimate to me that parties and their representatives should be able to stand on such a platform since it is representative of a significant part of the electorate - not just in this country - which would otherwise be disenfranchised.

[french frank]

I don't think that is the objective of those who are standing on the principle of returning more powers to national governments from the EU (including those who want all devolved power to be returned, i.e. to exit the EU) - I presume that would be the benefit that would be striven for. It certainly seems legitimate to me that parties and their representatives should be able to stand on such a platform since it is representative of a significant part of the electorate - not just in this country - which would otherwise be disenfranchised.

They can stand for what they like, but once elected they should certainly DO something for their money, surely? Just as I would expect their 16 candidates standing for Bristol City Council to undertake the normal duties of a councillor if elected.

Though getting elected to the UK parliament in sufficient numbers would actually give them some power. As MPs, should they not work for their constituents?

[MrGongGong]

As MPs, should they not work for their constituents?

What a quaint, old fashioned and sweet idea.
I'm sure some folks would be able to pin point the exact moment when this stopped happening ;-)

[Dave2002]

Don't forget that the voting is by proportional representation. There is only one reasonable way to vote. Decide which party will best represent your views in Europe and vote for it. There is a quota to elect each member, parties that reach that quota get one MEP - the person who is No 1 on the party lists; then the surplus votes (above the quota) are counted to see if/which candidates at No2 also get elected, and so on (if I remember correctly). It's complicated but not for the voter. You just vote for the party you support.

Please jump in, anyone, if I've remembered this wrongly. I don't think people should faff around with 'tactical' voting because this only works with FPTP. As far as I can see, you can't keep a party out by tactical voting; but you might stop your own party from 'winning'.

This is frightening. I was about to display my ignorance and ask how the voting would go - what the ballot paper will look like. If all I can do is to nominate a party that does not seem to me to necessarily represent what I would wish. I thought the paper might have a list of candidates, and somehow I could choose between them, but if it's only the party then my strategy will have to be different, though it's still not necessarily how I'd like it to be. There might be some parties where I might agree to have (say) 3 people as possibles, but there might be a couple of "not under any circumstances" - in which case it would be safer to vote for a different party in which hopefully all would be "possible" and there would be zero "no-way" candidates. This could be particularly relevant in my area where one party has a lot of potential candidates.

[Beef Oven!]

I was merely wondering how those who have been elected were able also to show how they've made the EU 'benefit system' work for benefit of their constituents when they don't admit there are any benefits. It seemed a quite reasonable query. Any ideas?

There are lots of benefits of the EU. And Mussolini made the trains run on time.

[Beef Oven!]

I think they mean that THEY will benefit from the EU by claiming as much money as possible without going or voting and as THEY obviously "represent" the so called "ordinary" people of the UK, then the "ordinary" people benefit ?

Or some other pile of B*llox that they will make up to try and fool people into thinking that they are somehow NOT like all the others ?

But that's part of the appeal, young man. The UKIP aren't like the others. You even started a thread on the very same topic!

[MrGongGong]

But that's part of the appeal, young man. The UKIP aren't like the others. You even started a thread on the very same topic!

They are EXACTLY like the others
That's what the daily stream of news stories about these delusionists shows

and you know it ;-)

[Beef Oven!]

They are EXACTLY like the others
That's what the daily stream of news stories about these delusionists shows

and you know it ;-)

Well. I know what you're driving at, and at the end of the day, I don't trust any politicians or political parties. But, the UKIP aren't full of spin. They say what they believe, and that's different. Even if you don't like what they say.

[Dave2002]

They say what they believe, and that's different.

You can't actually meaningfully say that for anybody else. Some people, such as one of the former Presidents Bush, couldn't even say it for themselves - and in fairness admitted that.

You have no way of knowing whether I mean what I have just typed, or not :-)

[MrGongGong]

You have no way of knowing whether I mean what I have just typed, or not :-)

I believe the power of the Flower Fairies to heal the ills of the world

people believe all sorts of nonsense
some even believe that a certain English composers finest work is...................... no no no let's not go there