Today

[liv]

Happy birthday to darcydodo!

Happy blogaversary to me - I joined LJ this date in 2003, and moved to DW around this time in 2009.

Happy election day to fellow Europeans, (apart from people in civilized countries where they've moved the European elections to the nearest weekend to improve turnout). I voted during my lunchbreak today, inconveniently in the wrong ward since my change of address hasn't yet propagated to the electoral roll. There was no local election in the ward I lived in until Feb, so it was Eurolections only for me.

My polling station, a local secondary school, has turned into an Academy since I last voted. It's quite scary; they've pretty much rebuilt it from the ground up and it's full of corporate-style "inspirational" slogans. I only hope it's good for the kids.

My ballot paper was very long and chock-full of racist parties. I don't know if I should be worried that there are so many, or complacent that the people who vote single-issue on how much they hate foreigners are too fragmented to ever get anywhere in this election. I am on balance a bit worried, especially since the mainstream parties are trying to compete with these weird xenophobic groups by taking an increasingly hard line on immigration, and not steering clear of expressing their anti-immigration views in racist ways.

I'm also annoyed about how much of the campaigning has been based on whether you're for or against the current government, and a lot of empty promises about purely UK issues that are nothing to do with the European parliament. I would have liked election literature about which alliances the parties intend to join in Europe, and about actual European issues and policies. Apart from anything else this can only reinforce the false impression that we have lost our sovereignty and are governed from Brussels.

I strongly agree with cosmolinguist that people who can vote should, and also that UKIP is not a joke.

Comments

[jack]

*hugs* I was also distressed by the long list of racist and otherwise unacceptable parties. I think it's good that people *can* form smaller parties. But it's bad that most of the ones that *did* are so awful. It increases the chance someone will think "they sound reasonable" and increases the extent they all look "normal" :(

[liv]

Yes, I think it's in general a good thing that the Euro voting system, not being centuries out of date, gives small parties a reasonable chance. I am slightly annoyed with the National Health Action people for targetting Europe at all, since the NHS is a national issue not a European one, and for standing only in London. But they are an example of a small, non-evil party who have a chance because of the more or less PR voting system.

It's a very good point that having bundles of overtly racist parties on the ballot paper may make racism look normal, though. But then, so does having the BBC take UKIP seriously because Farage is vaguely telegenic or because "controversy" helps increase viewing numbers.

[cosmolinguist]

But it's bad that most of the ones that *did* are so awful.

The only silver lining I see there is that it's good the fragmented bigotry can't get its act together enough to be one big party that might actually get somewhere.

[pretty_panther]

I'm going to vote later but as a Scot I'm sick of how most of the voting broadcasts are about the referendum more than anything else. The librals are the only party whose broadcasts are actually on the damn subject at hand. That pisses me off. If you're going to spout your propaganda at least make it relevant. Sadly it seems UKIP think they have a chance here and so are footing a candidate.

[liv]

Ugh, yeah, that must be really annoying. The European elections are not just yet another platform for campaigning for or against devolution!

Commiserations on ending up with a UKIP MEP. I am astounded that anyone in Scotland would think of voting for them; they're really such an in English party, no matter what they claim in their name! My region is even worse, since UKIP came convincingly top of the polls and have three MEPs. I only hope that they follow the UKIP pattern of not bothering to show up for any debates or votes.

Seeking Votes

[(Anonymous)]

In our ward (Eastern Region) the only candidate who made a serious attempt to argue his case was the Lib Dem MEP. UKIP sent us a poster for display and the Conservatives produced a couple of bland leaflets. I did not find out who else was standing until I read the ballot paper.

The District Council election was even worse. Each candidate made a statement to the local paper but otherwise we had no information at all.

No wonder turnout is so low.

Southernwood

Re: Seeking Votes

[liv]

I agree, I do feel that very few politicians of any colour have taken the election even slightly seriously. I did actually get canvassed by the Greens; with everyone else, I had to go out of my way to find out who was standing and even with digging I couldn't find any actual Europe-relevant policies. To be fair I did get some sensible information about the local elections, but unfortunately couldn't vote in them because I am still registered at my old address where there was no election.

[marymac]

I am quite scared by UKIP, particularly as as soon as they started campaigning in Belfast attacks on migrant families went up 100%. It's like the paramilitaries took the swing in political rhetoric as licence.

My voting was done at 8am, sans polling card and with heated debate ongoing as to why exactly the mural in the school hall had a purple kid in it. My polling station is lovely, my polling options...ugh.

[liv]

I'm scared by UKIP, too. Some of them are, no doubt, opportunists rather than actively racist, but it's already scary to have people in power who are prepared to use racism to further their political careers. Because you're absolutely right that people will take xenophobic political rhetoric as licence. I'm amazed that UKIP are getting anywhere at all in the regions, considering that their whole agenda is incredibly England-centric.

[marymac]

I have no idea whatsoever - I mean, they got three council seats which given that any time I've mentioned them on Twitter I've immediately had a torrent of sectarian abuse from their supporters...

I don't know, England-centricity aside they do play beautifully into the mindset of certain sectors here, but it was hardly a niche unfilled already.

[green_knight]

I could not vote for Europe because my council was supposed to send me a special registration form which I was supposed to chase if it didn't arrive last month (apparently this is the standard procedure for that particular form), but nobody told me it existed, so I turned up with my polling card and was told I could only vote in local elections and my inquiries about Europe were met with a resounding shrug and 'you're European, of course you can't vote' attitude.

I feel disenfranchised. And also bloody damn furious.

[liv]

Get even angrier: it's not just you, it's systematic.

[jack]

This is shameful :( Do you know what the form was supposed to be? A quick google just says "eu citizens can vote in eu elections" without any description of the extra hoops you have to jump through :(

I'm also shocked at the election officials :( I had no idea whether EU citizens could vote in the UK for EU elections -- I just assumed they obviously could, because that's how constituencies usually work. (If anything, I'd say that's MORE obvious than voting in local elections.) I don't get how someone manning a polling station could not know that, or not care that someone wasn't able to vote.