Do we know yet if Nigel ('Nigel' ) Farage is Prime Minister of Europe?

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Is he finally going to get us to sign up to Schengen, do you think?

[Classic Jorge]

Europe, Europe Endless :music:

[Luis Anaconda]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

called Nigel Farage?

How peculiar.

[Berni]

expect dutifully to vote for them have dared to vote UKIP instead. :hehe:

[Luis Anaconda]

Do you remember when we spelt Romania with a u. Better days

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

but now it turns out they're all dirty racists :hehe:

[Berni]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Everything would be fine if we could vote by mobile phone.

[Berni]

Yes. We should obviously put voting in the hands of people who can't be arsed walking a few hundred yards to a polling booth. That's a great plan. Can't see that being a problem at all.

And obviously there'd be no voter fraud or anything.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Those postal votes have gone awfully well, haven't they?

[Snin]

[Luis Anaconda]

Can't believe the candidates for London, North, were actually N Chamberlain and O Mosley

[Snin]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/07/article-1138752-002AEA8A00000258-323_468x337.jpg
and
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110325180958/muppet/images/3/3d/TMS-Statler%26Waldorf-BalconyBox.jpg

[Classic Jorge]

At the very least you should be able to abstain and have your abstention counted, rather than lump it in with people who either a) can't work it out or b) spoil they ballots

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Berni]

as to how to improve it beyond this meaningless gesture"?

That'll be handy.

[Classic Jorge]

..the candidates from within the democratic process.

The whole 'my dad fought and died for your right to vote' argument is pretty pointless when there's nobody to vote for, I had nobody to vote for yesterday but I would have liked to have said that rather than just not gone.

[Classic Jorge]

...to change, from within the democratic process.

Surely that's better than what you have at the moment.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

to represent you. Or not, if you don't see fit to do so.

If you want to tell the world how much you don't like any of the candidates, write a blog :shrug:

[Ashberto]

[Classic Jorge]

Jesus, you conservatives, the slightest bit of change and your jowls start going

[Snin]

[Ashberto]

as before the Blair government?

Are you some sort of Guardian reader?

[Snin]

get your own soapbox, a gun, a bomb whatever..and start some campaigning imo

[Berni]

as a whole.

Is there a candidate who represents all my views? Of course not. But I try to find the one who comes closest and put up with the bits I don't like. People used to get that, but now everyone's so arrogant and solipsistic that they think that, unless they find someone to exactly reflect their precious self-image, they won't bother.

"This electoral process doesn't make me feel special enough, so I'm taking my ball home!"

Boo-f**king-hoo. It's just childishness.

Pull yourself together.

[Classic Jorge]

...demand for those parties.

The democratic system in this country is royally f**ked, it makes no sense to be able to postal vote and not to be able to do it on line - which, if done properly, could reduce voter fraud massively.

The reason the system hasn't changed is because it suits the major parties this way.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

xenophobia and racism. Those dirty Romanians are going to come and steal the lead off your roof! (They might not be entirely wrong there, tbh.)

[Berni]

mainstream party in one (and probably two) national elections?

Just because you don't like this particular manifestation of non-mainstream politics doesn't make it any less valid a democratic statement.

[Berni]

Coming over here, stealing the jobs of our thieves. Grrrrrr!

[Luis Anaconda]

then everyone else to look poncey and bang on about having "beliefs" not realising that, politics aside, running a country may take a little more than posturing and relies on pragmatism and compromise to actually get something done

[Classic Jorge]

A third of the country never votes in a general election, locals struggle to hit 40% most of the time and Europeans hardly ever top 25%.

The system is f**ked and we need to find out why, rather than making lazy, childish points about things because they threaten the status quo.

[Classic Jorge]

I don't see the harm in it, all I see is a massive amount of potential advantages

[Ashberto]

He couldn't do it, as it turned out, but that wasn't the point.

Does this make me a racist?

[Berni]

fault of the thick/ignorant/lazy/ambivalent/arrogant c**ts who choose not to vote.

Frankly, I'm of the opinion that a self-selecting electorate is an excellent plan. It leaves the field clear for those of us who can be bothered, understand the imperfect nature of democracy and actually give a ****.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Luis Anaconda]

I just wanted to vent some anger and getting involved in a argument with certain people would be very counter-productive

[Berni]

simple and don't threaten our jobs. When they do threaten our jobs we aren't in favour of them. Just human nature.

[Classic Jorge]

[Berni]

I didn't vote in the European elections because I choose not to validate the EU's wafer-thin veneer of democracy with my vote.

I - not that it's any of your business, of course - voted Tory. I have many issues with the Conservative Party, but they offer the best option as far as I'm concerned.

[Classic Jorge]

Who would you have voted for if there wasn't a tory?

Also, if you didn't want to dignify yerp with a vote and wanted to register your discontent would abstention not have been a better way to do it?

I think this is a decent apolitical idea and one which would improve politics as a whole, at the very least it would make people who feel excluded from the process feel included.

[Snin]

the whole point of revolution old bean..didnt you learn anything from russian and china revolution ? these cnuts wont just giveup power to the people from the ballot box..the are not stupid. Its kill them or live on your knees comrade

[Peter]

[Berni]

It's like any other choice. If you go shopping and they don't have Heinz Ketchup, do you cut your nose off to spite your face and refuse to buy Daddies' on principle? Of course not. You buy Daddies' and then complain that it's not as nice as Heinz, hoping that the shop will have Heinz next time you go.

Democracy is no different.

[Classic Jorge]

[Classic Jorge]

So what would have been the next best thing for you?

Would you still have spoiled the ballot for yerp if you had the option of none of the above?

[Berni]

Just seems like something to make effete, indecisive timewasters feel less ineffectual to me.

[Berni]

had to vote UKIP.

However, I didn't have to because market forces dictate that, where there is a need for a broad-based centre-right party, then *bingo* one will appear.

Your problem is that your political views have become so extreme and niche that you've essentially talked yourself out of the democratic process.

[Peter]

Or where politicans would rather leave the decision to the vitriol and ignorance of the general public.

[Classic Jorge]

So essentially the two left most parties are Labour and the Lib Dems.

The point about turnout figures still stands though, if we want more people involved in the process then we need to start splitting up that disengagement into different sectors to solve the problem.

I find it very odd that, for someone who clearly takes voting so seriously, you don't want a better democratic process.

[Ashberto]

feel threatened and describe them as 'ghastly racists'. It's also why there's so litle difference betweem the middle-class tories who basically approve of cheap imported labour and who hate the indigenous working class, and middle-class lefties who basically approve of cheap imported labour and who hate the indigenous working class.

Meanwhile, elements of that indigenous working class, having no mainstream party looking after their percieved interests, unsurprisingly consider voting for UKIP.

[Berni]

I think low voter turnout generally speaks of broad contentment with our lot. It's countries that are in the **** or have wars, impending or recent revolution or similar turmoil where you get high voter turnout.

If people in this country were really discontent, more of them would vote. The fact that they don't tells me the system works. Simple, really.

[Classic Jorge]

[redgunamo]

[Peter]