Posted on 05/28/2014 1:44:18 PM PDT by Lorianne
BY VOTING in their millions to reject the European Union, Britons have revealed what a European bunch they really are. The storming success of the UK Independence Party (UKIP)—which wants Britain to leave the EU but came first in yesterday's European Parliament election—has aligned the country with the likes of France, Denmark and Italy, where other such Eurosceptic parties did well. British voters have joined their continental neighbours in a collective howl of anguish at Brussels, globalisation and the 21st-century world in general.
Of the three established parties, the Liberal Democrats were the most obvious losers. They shed 10 of their 11 seats in the European Parliament. For a party of Europhiles who take European democracy more seriously than most, and coming after a dismal set of local election results on Thursday, it was a heavy blow.
And UKIP? Its leader, Nigel Farage, described the victory as the most extraordinary political event in the past 100 years. This was audacious hyperbole, but the scale of the win is undeniably impressive.
UKIP won 28% of the vote and became the first party, other than the Tories and Labour, to win a national British election in over a century. It picked up support across the country (improbably winning a seat in Scotland), but in particular in those places where it can give the sitting MP a run for his money in the general election campaign next year. That enables the party to confidently concentrate resources in such constituencies in the intervening months. In one, the Lincolnshire town of Boston, it won a vote share of 52%.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
I am in the UK right now, visiting family for a month. This is a big surprise to many who actually pay attention to politics. The other parties have tried to vilify or dismiss ukip for years. The anti EU sentiment is spreading. People who used to be for the EU seem to be waking up and realizing it’s not the utopia as was promised. Open borders are really doing damage. Loss of jobs and drain on the welfare system. And being ruled from afar is only good for those waiting for a big gov handout. People are fed up with it.
I wonder if this will have any influence in Scotland’s bid for independence.
I know a lot of it is directed at Poles.
And frankly from the Polish perspective it’s not a good thing, because of the brain drain. The problem with unfettered movement across borders is that it encourages the best and brightest of certain countries to leave, leaving the less able behind....what happens to those countries then?
It’s not good from the Polish perspective at all. It is they who are the majority of immigrants here. They do the jobs that Brits don’t want to do, lower the wage, and get better pay and greater benefits than they would get in Poland. It sucks for them because there really isn’t the opportunity in Poland which is why they left. But from many tax paying British opinions... they are paying too high taxes for free medical and education for foreigners, their wage standards are being lowered and their education system has too many children who do t speak English. I recently learned that there are people who are claiming tax benefits for children who live I their home countries.... Natives are mad.
Liberals deny that it's happening, and maintain that it's not their fault anyway!
Sounds like the “Tea Party” is alive and well, at least the European version of it.
Tired of liberal crap of giving away your country’s sovereignty and footing the bill of EU’s master plan.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.