European Elections

andy

As part of the "London" MEP region, we send 8 MEPs to Brussels (one less than last time) Currently, the MEPs are: * Jean Lambert Green * Charles Tannock Conservative * Syed Kamall Conservative * Robert Evans Labour * Baroness Sarah Ludford Liberal Democrat * Claude Moraes Labour * Gerard Batten UK Independence * John Bowis OBE Conservative * Mary Honeyball Labour Their official biogs are here: <http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/public/geoSearch/search.do?country=GB&language=EN>; You get one vote and MEP's seats are awarded to parties on a proportional basis. These are the candidates on the London lists: <http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/european-elections/candidates#london>; <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8039873.stm#london>; Polling stations are open all day tomorrow. If there's a low turnout that will disproportionately reward fringe parties. Some of the fringe party candidates for London are covered here: <http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2009/05/london_european_election_candidates.php>;

David

A low turn out may disproportionately reward fringe parties but the flip side is that it's mostly the dominant parties fault. I understand but feel at odds with this recent method of voting encouragement. I saw the Christian Party's mobile Gospel party on an open top double decker bus rolling down Upper Street on Saturday. Felt like I was in one of John Dorian's surreal daydreams in an episode of Scrubs.

andy

It's not an encouragement either way. It's just a fact.

staplejack

Anyone else not received a polling card? You can turn up and vote without one (my polling station is at St Aidans on Stapleton Hall Road) so long as you are on the electoral register (ie if you pay council tax).

But the lack of cards might lead to an even lower turnout.

Arthur Scargill on the London list??

markpack

Good point about people not needing their polling card to vote, though electoral register and council tax records aren't linked by the way.

PS Postal votes can also be returned until 10pm on Thursday. They can be dropped off at a polling station on the day.

andy

Also note, voting for Bob Crow of No2Eu will not reduce the number of tube strikes, even though he is also head of the RMT because he has said he won't take up his seat. And how do you choose, were you that way inclined, between Scargill and Crow?

David

@Andy - Fact, schmact.

andy

@d: what am i supposed to do with that comment? Now - Scargill or Crow? Pick an angry red-faced union man.

David

@Andy - nothing. Just saying yes its a fact. I still think you stated it as an encouragement to vote.

unaesthetic

so there are at least 4 out-and-out anti-euro parties: ukip, libertas, no2eu, the bnp and the uk democrats. that should split the vote somewhat, no?

who the hell are the jury team?

and is anybody else's stomach turned by the "christian party"?

David

The Christian Party bus sound system had far too much treble and not enough bass, surely reason enough to not vote for them.

staplejack

The greens were the only ones to button-hole outside the polling station this morning. They claimed to be checking voter registration numbers (a little tricky as no cards had been sent out in my neck of the woods at least). Surely the guy was just there to subliminally influence as the last party people see before voting.

Much like a shelf wobbler on the tinned fruit aisle in Tescos, I suspect.

nick_m

@David - since when did encouraging people to vote become a bad thing? Surely it's the basis of the democracy we live in? Ask Aung San Suu Kyi.

graeme

The wee guy from the Greens collecting numbers, I asked him what for, and he said "so you don't receive telephone calls from either us or any of the other parties". What's that about?

Didn't give him my number, but I too thought it was all a bit subliminal (like the Lib's "Morning!" flyer in the letterbox this morning).

Colette

They do it because they have a list of people who have pledged to vote for them, they collect the poll numbers of those who have voted, and if any of the people on their list haven't voted by a certain time (mid-afternoon, say, but I really don't know), they then call them up or knock on their door to encourage/remind them to go and vote. I have a feeling they share this info with all the other parties, and they take it in turns to stand out there, but I could be wrong about that last bit.

graeme

Thanks Collette, that would make sense. He did fail to mention the bit about "If you have pledged to vote for someone", and instead left it hanging as if to say if I didn't give my number I would be harangued by a variety of spAds.

I think they do take it in turns. He was relieved by another candidate as I left the polling station.

markpack

If there is a teller for more than one party at a polling station, then the information is usually shared between them (e.g. you tell them your polling number, one of them doesn't quite hear you but then gets it from another teller rather than voters being asked to tell lots of people the same thing).

But if a party doesn't have any tellers on a polling station, the information isn't shared with them.

David

@Nick-M - I'm not against encouragement to vote, I've just been put off this particular 'disproportionately benefiting fringe parties' angle. Not the _Fact_ itself, mostly due to mainstream parties sitting on TV couches disingeniously suggesting that low turn out simply equals the BNP coming to power. No mention of the other fringe parties, just the BNP. Calculated scaremongering.

andy

Well, by the end of the day, when there have been three BNP MEPs elected, you'll have made your point. Whatever that point is.

David

More carrot less stick. Some positive reasons to get voting, not negative ones to force a vote.

Glyn

Unfortunately when you unravel the ballot paper, the first thing you see is the BNP logo right at the top.

Quite a lot of people in at about 7.30 this morning, so maybe turnout will be higher than usual Euro elections.

David

Well, if BNP do get in we can blame not only low turn out but the alphabet as well.

staplejack

<a href="http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2009/06/ukip-fury-over-folded-ballot-papers.html">Looks like there's trouble at the other end of the ballot paper too ... </a>

Mine was folded 3 times, but even so I still managed to read it...

Liz

Mine was folded several times but I just kept unfolding it UNTIL IT WAS FULLY UNFOLDED. Good god, other people are alarming sometimes.

graeme

Was difficult to tell when the paper was fully unfolded. The last lot of names, the independents - I didn't see them until I'd already voted.

Folding it 4 times was a bit overkill, and can see why some parties/people are hacked off if they are not 'above the fold'.

eg, if you don't see 'UKIP' and think, oh that's weird, maybe they're not standing, I best vote Conservative instead...

If all the names are printed on one flat unfolded ballot paper, there can be no complaints. Why is it folded in the first place? Maybe the returning officers were bored?

David

So folding ballot papers disproportionately rewards the mainstream parties. I just don't know what to trust any more.

andy

I've been thinking about rise of fringe parties in the election.

Part of it, surely, is that European votes seem so utterly free of consequence compared to a general election.

No-one knows what MEPs do, or if they have any power, or if the balance of parties really changes anything. So you're sort of sending a vote out into the void.

As a result, because people don't see the bad (or good) consequences of their vote, they're less likely to take that right seriously and vote for bananas fringe parties.

It's a bit like messing about in class when you've got a supply teacher.

David

Although there's a very real chance of the messing about continuing when the full time teacher returns.