Who are you voting for in the European Elections? (Great Britain only)

[Anarcho-Socialist]

Poll question: Who are you voting for in the European Elections? (Great Britain only)

If others, please write in below.

[LeftishBrit]

1. Green first, LibDem second

We do have one Green Euro-MP, Caroline Lucas. Mainly trying to push the RW parties a bit down in the list.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Second?

This is a closed party list. You only get one vote.

[LeftishBrit]

19. You are right - I somehow assumed we were using STV because some other places are

Shows how most of my attention has been going to the County Council elections.

So it will just be Green.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

10. I would have thought it would be better to vote for one of the big three

I'm currently in the West Midlands and BNP is heavily targeting this area. So if I voted for Lib Dem or Libertas, a party that has no way in hell of getting as much attention as Tory and Labour, it gives the BNP a chance to get in the European Parliament.

I do not want that right-wing party representing the UK. I'm tempted to go the Schroeder/Chirac route (voting against a right-wing party just to keep them out of power, Schroeder vs Stoiber and Chirac vs Le Pen).

The Conservatives have NOT won me over by any means but they're the only one of the three to actually outline their policies in the leaflets they sent me. Labour sent me a leaflet attacking both Conservatives and Labour and warning me not to let BNP in power, no policies outlined. Lib Dems sent me a leaflet telling me NOT TO VOTE BNP (actually on both sides of the leaflet) and nothing about their policies.

I will always be a Dem in the US as it's been a 28 year alliance with the Democratic Party. I've only lived here for three years but no one has convinced me fully. It's the same with Ireland, I am not sure who to support (I'm not a resident of Ireland but I'm a citizen of Ireland). If one of the parties turn out to be a pro-choice party I will fully back them (as it's a big issue in Ireland).

[non sociopath skin]

2. I'm minded to give the Greens the benefit of the doubt this time round.

I'll be voting Labour in the local (Parish) council election as the local Lib Dems are a shower.

The Skin

[ikri]

3. Greens

Hadn't expected them to stand in my area but there's a candidate here.

I don't agree with all of their policies, but I agree with them a hell of a lot more than I do with any of the other parties right now.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

6. yes they seem to be standing everywhere, as are many other smaller parties

I'm somewhat spoiled for choice when I wasn't back in 2004 . I voted Lib Dems back then on the basis of their EU policy.

Although now I feel saddened to see the EU move away from a social democratic Europe to a neoliberal one, as such I'm susceptible to the arguments of the Greens and No2EU. My vote will go to one of these two.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Lib Dems

I do agree with their European policies more than the Greens, though I'd contemplate a vote for the Greens too. I did do an online 'vote-matching' quiz, which said that for European policies, Labour was actually a closer match for me than the Lib Dems; I could contemplate voting for them too, but I wouldn't mind 'sending a message' to New Labour by not voting for them, at the moment.

[T_i_B]

7. It's like this for me

At County Council level I will be voting one way based on local issues.

At European level there's a lot more choice and different issues to be voting on. For instance the expenses isssue is not one I'm really considering at local level. However, at European level the Brussels gravy train does need to be reformed IMHO.

There's more then one party I've been looking at for the Euro elections but you can rest assured that none of the ones I've been looking at are big parties.

[D-Notice]

8. I was ging to vote for the Green Party

but their positions on science and health issues have put me off completely, so Lib Dems

[non sociopath skin]

11. Links, please?

The Skin

[D-Notice]

17. Here you go

Science and the European Elections and Our Guardian Piece: Science and the European Elections both from The Lay Scientist.

See also http://holfordwatch.info/2009/06/01/green-party-health-policy/">Holford Watch and numerous articles on Science Punk for related work.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

9. I don't like the Tory party

But I really do not want BNP in power so I'm voting Tory. I like the idea of Libertas and neither the Lib Dems and Labour have won me over and the Tory newsletter was outlining their policies, not attacking the other party.

My husband's family are Tory (grandfather was a Tory MP who served in Thatcher's cabinet). I have had much discussion with him and this is my begrudging vote for Tory. Next time it may not be Tory, and I might vote for someone else.

[non sociopath skin]

12. This knocks the Tory Party off my list of possibles

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=191x27172

The Skin

[FunkyLeprechaun]

13. Hmm...

What do you suggest? I'm now indecisive! :)

I don't like Labour (Brown's struggling to keep his cabinet together) because of their recent policies towards the economy and the war. I'm closer to the Lib Dems than the Tory, but would they really have much influence?

Right now the BNP is targeting the West Midlands. I've already caught their ads on tv and seen some BNP groupies around here. I'm disgusted with their policies and I would like to vote for one of the big parties in order to prevent BNP from having an MP.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. There are going to be 6 West Midlands seats

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Midlands_%28European_Parliament_constituency%29

So, to stop the BNP getting one, and based on the results from last time, we need 3 out of 4 of the following to happen:
Tories get more than 3 times the BNP vote (that gets them 3 seats)
Labour gets more than 2 times BNP (getting the 2 seats)
UKIP more than BNP (1 seat)
Lib Dem more than BNP (1 seat)

If all of the above happened, you'd get 7 'winners' in front of the BNP; so you can afford to have one of them not happen. If the BNP gets, say, 10%, then that's 30% Con, 20% Lab, 10% UKIP and 10% LD as targets. Or 10% for the Greens.

Take your pick, and try to think how things are likely to have changed from 2004.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

15. That's why I was thinking of going Tory

Just for this election. None of the parties have swayed me. If the tory party is stronger next time I might go for Lib Dem then.

What do you think? My husband's family is Tory and they would love me to vote Tory obviously! His father ran for a seat in Cardiff (he lost) and his grandfather was the only MP from Cardiff North-West.

[LeftishBrit]

20. I think voting Tory is never the answer to anything!

Though I rarely pay as much attention to the Europaean parliament as I probably should, I would say that the fact that our Conservative Party is in the same party group as Berlusconi's party - plus, as The Skin points out, the Polish right-wingers - is a good reason in itself not to vote for them in this case.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

21. I didn't seem to get that the 3 years I've been here

However, I wish the local elections had a debate American-style so I had a better understanding of their policies instead of voting for a singular party. I know that you have the PM's questions but there are people in the process who aren't involved in those debates.

I don't like how Labour handled the economy (and Brown's losing his grip on the cabinet) and the Lib Dems, no matter how cute Clegg is, seem to be a wash. Although, for me, it was tempting to go for a smaller party, it was best to vote for a major party here in Staffordshire in order to neuter BNP.

I loved how simple the voting process was, just x the one you want. Which is why I found it funny that UKIP was complaining about a fold in the ballots http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8084086.stm .

Wish it was so simple in 2000.

[T_i_B]

22. The trouble for UKIP...

...is that they are down the bottom of the ballot paper on Euro elections, and with the oversize ballot paper that could make a difference.

Mind you, Labour were right next to them near the bottom so they could be hit by this themselves.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

23. My ballot seemed very easy to unfold

As it wasn't folded initially. When the poll worker handed it to me, she folded it beforehand.

It was a very different process compared to the American elections where I have to be in a secure booth with a curtain behind me!

I'm sad no one really convinced me this time as I love American politics and the ability to try to get individuals involved in the electoral process. I actually asked my husband to see about getting a couple of signs for my collection, but he said no.

I feel there is an apathy towards the election process here. I asked one of my friends last night if she voted, and she said, "No."

[LeftishBrit]

24. The Euro- and Council elections generally attract far less interest here than general elections

Turnout historically tends to be much better in British general elections than American presidential elections, though as we've gone down and you've gone up, we seem to be meeting in the middle at around 65% turnout.

But 30% or so is quite typical for Council and Euro-elections. There was an ironic cartoon some years back, of a man telling a pollster: "I'd rather not discuss the Euro-election - I haven't been too well and my doctor has advised me not to get too excited". The irony, of course, is that practically no one except strong Euro-sceptics seems to get particularly excited about Euro-elections.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

25. How is the general election?

Does it try to get individuals involved in the process besides working at the polling centers? I've been on the lookout for political buttons here (or ribbons/badges as you call them here) but no such thing. Are these only for people who actually run for office here?

So far my collection consists of the leaflets that's come through my door! If I had run into people on the street I would have stopped just for the leaflets. I've been collecting political things for over 20 years and often try to get foreign-related politics for my collection and so far I only have the British and French coverage of the American election!

I am so pleased to see that people here seem to love Obama! :-D

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. Buttons aren't so common, but for a general election, posters in windows

or lawn signs do make an appearance (not as much as in the US, though). I'd normally have expected to see a few of them around for these county/Euro elections, but I can't think I've seen one here this time - it has been a pretty quiet election. And in a general election, you'd expect people going door to door to talk to you - either to persuade you to switch your vote, or as a 'get out the vote' effort.

[LeftishBrit]

27. I've seen a few posters in windows for the County Council elections...

and one Green activist neighbour put a poster for the Greens for Euro *and* Council elections.

We get many more in General Elections though.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

28. Oh goody, looking forward to that!

Is it the prime minister who calls the general election or when is it normally?

I'm learning all about the processes here!

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. The PM can call it anytime he wants

with a notice of about 4 weeks. And there's a maximum of 5 years from the last election, so there has to be one within the next year.

All elections since 1979 have been in May or June, but they don't have to be - sometimes the voters are held to be in a better mood when spring has arrived (if the government reckons it will win), or it's the maximum 5 years since the last one (if they think they'll lose), so it has tended to stay in late spring. Also, the local and European elections are at times fixed by law in May or June (I think they actually passed an extra law this year to get the local elections this year onto the same week as the Europe-wide ones), and if any part of the country is having a local election (which is pretty much every year, at one level or another), then they've usually aimed to have the GE on the same day.

Elections are traditionally held on Thursdays, though I think I've heard the only law concerning the day is 'never on a Sunday' - and maybe Saturday too.

[T_i_B]

30. Politics works differently over here

As I understand it, in the American system if you want to become a Democrat you simply register as "Democrat" when you register to vote.

Here in the UK, if you wish to join the Labour party for instance you have to contact the party yourself and pay your subscription fees. Also, UK political parties tens to be quite centralised, which is part of the reason why British politics is such a mess in my opinion. All too often the top brass of the main parties don't trust their own grassroots and don't give them any responsibility.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

16. "Tory newsletter was outlining their policies"

Really? They actually have policies? I got one from them and it was full of political clichés without any substance.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

18. That's what I got too

Then I got the Labour and Lib Dem leaflets. The Labour leaflet seemed to attack both the Tory and Lib Dems and not really outlining their successes during this Brown Era. The Lib Dem leaflet was basically an all out attack on the BNP.

I'm still learning about politics here. I will probably change my mind in the future. I've kept all the leaflets and hopefully in the future I will get to compare leaflets to see if they have improved or gotten worse.

BTW I'm in Staffordshire, so I am not sure how different your leaflets are to mine.