EU Election Results, Live Thread

European Parliament ^

[Fitzy_888]

EU NIGHTMARE: Why the Bullies in Brussels are TERRIFIED!!!
Dr. Steve Turley
https://youtu.be/QT8yl52uZVA

[BillyBoy]

Looks like the vote was pretty much anti-status quo (on both the left and right) in the UK, not surprising since Parliament deadlocked on every single Brexit proposal.

I find it amusing that the Lib Dems are doing much better without Nick Clegg than when he was supposedly the "most popular" party leader. I have no idea if they've veered left or right lately. When Tony Blair was in power, they tried to position themselves as the progressive left-wing alternative, when Cameron was in power they joined the "Conservative" government so who knows? It would be hard to run to the left of that kook Corbyn and I doubt they will pick up any disgruntled conservatives.

On side note, shouldn't the "Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy" coalition (all the anti-EU parties that agree with Brexit) refuse to take their seats out of "principle" like the secessionist parties in Scotland and Ireland do when they win seats in the UK Parliament? Seems a bit hypocritical... "we MUST get out of the EU... but I'm not giving us my job there and cushy salary!"

[Cronos]

And donate their salaries to charity. But they don’t do that. I wonder why...

[gleeaikin]

Germans have adopted Green energy strategies with considerable enthusiasm, including farmers who have fields filled with solar panels and plant between the rows. In our own country this could make sense for certain crops to grow in very sunny country which could benefit from some intermittent shade.

[gleeaikin]

The greens in my area are split between those who support Palestinians, Venezuela, Cuba, and Putin, and those who think Soviet socialism is a failed system and support strong green energy activities as helping small business people and creating US jobs.

[nathanbedford]

I have seen a (very) few fields given over to solar panels but none with the interstices cultivated. The barn roofs, however, are replete with solar panels because they were subsidized. The windmills in the North Sea are a disaster with difficulties transmitting the electricity created in between massive maintenance break down problems. The coal plants have to be kept up because the solar and wind are unreliable and come off-peak hours.

In a spasm of green virtue posturing the atomic plants are being shut down with the result that many of us get our electricity from atomic plants with the same risk if the wind is blowing here from France but at greatly increased cost-electricity in Germany is the highest in Europe.

The enthusiasm for solar it seems to me is purely a function of subsidies coupled with an unremitting green propaganda campaign.

When solar panels are ready, yes get them in the Southwest America but we have not yet solved the attendant problems as I understand them of battery etc. nor have we made them economically viable, reliable or endurable.

[a little elbow grease]

Yep.

[Impy]

Me either.

Farage quit as UKIP leader after the referendum (big mistake given that he pulled Brett Favre later on).

Eventually Gerard Batten became the new leader, he hired Robinson as an adviser. Robinson is viewed as “racist” against Muslims. Farage denounced Batten as being “obsessed” with Islam and left UKIP after failing to get Batten removed as leader, most UKIP MEPs followed him. He later formed the Brexit Party, UKIP is now a marginalized minor party.

Despite this Robinson ran for EU Parliament not as a member of the UKIP ticket but as an Independent, a move that made no sense unless they wouldn’t have him, (and not having him after essentially becoming the Tommy Robinson party by embracing him would have made no sense). As an independent he had no prospects of coming close to winning enough votes to be elected, 2% is what you should have expected.

[Impy]

Clegg was only ever “popular” because he was a third option who’s party hadn’t been in power and thus hadn’t pissed anybody off. I think Nutter Green Leader in Canada, Elizabeth May, is popular for the same reason.

I’d say on everything expect for Europe, Lib Dems are clearly to the right of Labour and always were expect maybe under Blair when they tacked left and anti-war in an effort to win votes from the empty political space when Blair moved Labour to the center (taking their territory).

They seem to me to be the natural home for non-commie Labourites (non commie Labour in the 80’s formed the Social Democrats which joined the Liberals to form the Lib Dems) who can’t stomach Corbyn (who is trying to have it both ways on Brexit to keep the Labour Leave vote which is significant) AND pro-EU One Nation Cuckservatives too (not much difference between those “Tories” and the Lib Dems anyway). Both Corybn and Brexit (Tory civil war) should be a godsend to them.

Up till now I was surprised they weren’t doing better. I wondered why those disgruntled Labour (and a couple Tories too) MPS tried to form their own stupid party (which just flopped big time and is now talking merger) with the same platform rather than just joining them.

As for anti-EU MEPs, no I think they should fight the power from the inside. Not taking their seats in Westminster has done jack for Sinn Fein, if they took their seats now it might be enough to vote down the government. Their salaries are a drop in the bucket.

Sinn Fein is the only party not to take their seats in Parliament BTW, The Scottish Nationalist Party damn well does.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Yeah it was a mess. I don't know who Tommy was running against though. He could've been splitting a vote from a good person. Tommy's name should've pulled in more I would think.

Tommy made mistakes that seems clear.

[dfwgator]

Just because someone is passionate about an issue, doesn’t make them a good politician.

[gleeaikin]

Energy storage is definitely a problem still to be solved/perfected. Of course it would be nice if they did not have to be dependent on energy from Russia.

[Impy]

For EU elections they use regional constituencies. Robinson ran in North West England, which elects 8 members. They use party list proportional representation, you vote for the party and if they get say 50%, they’d get 4 seats.

To have gotten elected as an Indie, Robinson would have needed at least about 8% they said. Doesn’t look like not running with UKIP made a difference though, UKIP got 3.6% and Robinson alone got 2.2% so enough combined they wouldn’t have cut it.

It’s unfortunate that Brexit Party and UKIP couldn’t reconcile.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Interesting thank you