European Elections 2014

[KovalainenFanBoy]

PODEMOS (Mix of charismatic TV guy and undercover Trotskites) - 4,66%

 

lol

PODEMOS (Mix of charismatic TV guy and undercover Trotskites) - 4,66%

 

lol

[YO303]

i dont live in europe so i dont know what the situation is, are people really scared of immigration (so scared that they have to vote for far right facists cunts?)

 

Also when did immigration became a scapegoat for economic turmoil? im guessing these far right politicians are manipulating people with scare tactics? i dont know, someone educate me

[poblequadrat]

@ Spanish: I was trying to be funny, but actually that's what they are, it's basically Izquierda Anticapitalista's list, only they're hiding behind Pablo Iglesias!

 

@ Deer: there's a lot of factors, but a big one is that basically the traditional left-wing collapsed and there's nobody telling working class people that they are workers. instead, they're being told that they're the good old French/Norwegian/X-ian people - France is an extreme example of this, most of Le Pen's voters are unemployed ex-miners, disenfranchised young people and so on. mind that depending on the place the anti-immigration discourse is also directed at southern and eastern europeans, though! that's another big factor, people don't understand how their supposedly "great country" isn't doing well, so they look for shady foreign hands to blame: lazy italians/poles, fanatical muslims and bad guys in Brussels (or Berlin if you're in the South.) it's all a load of bullshit (except for the bad guys in brussels part, sadly, but i thought that's what the elections are for?)

don't know how things are up north but here immigrants are actually leaving rather than coming...

 

dunno, the results are fucking grim. at least i know i live in a staunchly left-wing city, but that's not much consolation...

[Dale]

Based on UKIP's result in the UK, I'm not happy that potentially if the UK were to have a referendum on Europe, right wing voters and UKIP supporters could pull us out of it. Britain cannot progress economically and culturally without it. Human rights and sustainable development are at the core of the European Union mentality, and the Europe 2020 shared goal of increasing renewables in each member state are awesome targets - but I think a 'little England' will consist of right wing directions away from social progress. Countries can do so much more by working together on issues like climate change - we can't go it alone in the 21st century when tackling global problems. Somehow, there needs to be a collective communication campaign that targets the anti-EU working class across the continent.

[azatoth]

Did not vote. Voting is useless, especially the European Parliament. Shits been decided in the cabinets behind locked door with all the major powerbrokers. Elections are just there to keep up the illusion alive that people have a say in how things are done.

[eugene]

yeah fcuk the ssytem and that powers that be ! we don't do what they tell us.

 

btw, check out this amazing film guys, it'll open your mind:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

[cear]

ska keller 4 president

[Silent Member]

yeah man democracy, who cares? nazi/commie/green, same politics, all of them, just a bunch of guys in an office.

[Friendly Foil]

Vote or die m8

[Silent Member]

I wish I could.

[BCM]

cunts! everyone's cunts!

[cichlisuite]

Did not vote. Voting is useless, especially the European Parliament. Shits been decided in the cabinets behind locked door with all the major powerbrokers. Elections are just there to keep up the illusion alive that people have a say in how things are done.

I hear you there. I've heard so much moaning everytime around the voting period about how this system of politics is corrupt and how the same people get to positions over and over again, that if our votes really mattered, we'd be living with completely new political programs by now. But nothing changes. Never. Those corrupt shmucks get their position regardless of how many people think they doesn't deserve it.

 

I voted though. It's better for me to think that at least I tried to change something...

[spratters]

At least if you vote you can moan about what the parties fuck up until the next vote. Not voting is just saying you don't care at all about the way you live and the world around you. It's everyone's right not to vote but it tends to be lazy people who are the majority of the non-voters.

[Guest Atom Dowry Firth]

 

Did not vote. Voting is useless, especially the European Parliament. Shits been decided in the cabinets behind locked door with all the major powerbrokers. Elections are just there to keep up the illusion alive that people have a say in how things are done.

I hear you there. I've heard so much moaning everytime around the voting period about how this system of politics is corrupt and how the same people get to positions over and over again, that if our votes really mattered, we'd be living with completely new political programs by now. But nothing changes. Never. Those corrupt shmucks get their position regardless of how many people think they doesn't deserve it.

 

I voted though. It's better for me to think that at least I tried to change something...

 

 

Have you not been keeping up to date with the news?

 

I'm feeling pretty ashamed to be human right now

[cichlisuite]

 

 

Did not vote. Voting is useless, especially the European Parliament. Shits been decided in the cabinets behind locked door with all the major powerbrokers. Elections are just there to keep up the illusion alive that people have a say in how things are done.

I hear you there. I've heard so much moaning everytime around the voting period about how this system of politics is corrupt and how the same people get to positions over and over again, that if our votes really mattered, we'd be living with completely new political programs by now. But nothing changes. Never. Those corrupt shmucks get their position regardless of how many people think they doesn't deserve it.

 

I voted though. It's better for me to think that at least I tried to change something...

 

 

Have you not been keeping up to date with the news?

 

I'm feeling pretty ashamed to be human right now

 

I was trying to make a point about how it seems that election results are fixed in advance. I don't understand what are you implying though

[chassis]

We have this absolute eejit who ran for MEP, thank fuck she didn't get in. She belongs in the 50s or something because shes borderline mental.

 

[cichlisuite]

it's not fixed and nothing is rigged. they don't have to bother. Karl rove is an idiot for thinking otherwise

I don't know who Karl rove is. Myself I don't believe the elections are rigged. I was only making an obvious premise:

if so many people (who could comprise a majority of votes) are fed up with everything, don't you think it would show up in the voting results somehow (either by boycott number or by electing an alternative program/political option)?

[poblequadrat]

 

it's not fixed and nothing is rigged. they don't have to bother. Karl rove is an idiot for thinking otherwise

I don't know who Karl rove is. Myself I don't believe the elections are rigged. I was only making an obvious premise:

if so many people (who could comprise a majority of votes) are fed up with everything, don't you think it would show up in the voting results somehow (either by boycott number or by electing an alternative program/political option)?

 

 

The thing is it does? France and Denmark are voting fascism, Catalonia is voting separatism, Greece is voting communism, the connivence of Labour parties with liberalism everywhere is making them residual... Clearly there has been a big shift in the results, especially if you look at them by country.

The problem is more the lack of propaganda apparatuses for alternative ideas, but that doesn't really have to do with parliaments themselves (the political possibilities of which are definitely limited, I agree, but they still are useful tools to a degree.)

[Friendly Foil]

 

 

it's not fixed and nothing is rigged. they don't have to bother. Karl rove is an idiot for thinking otherwise

I don't know who Karl rove is. Myself I don't believe the elections are rigged. I was only making an obvious premise:

if so many people (who could comprise a majority of votes) are fed up with everything, don't you think it would show up in the voting results somehow (either by boycott number or by electing an alternative program/political option)?

 

 

The thing is it does? France and Denmark are voting fascism, Catalonia is voting separatism, Greece is voting communism, the connivence of Labour parties with liberalism everywhere is making them residual... Clearly there has been a big shift in the results, especially if you look at them by country.

 

The result in Denmark is mostly a result of the two parties that usually score the most votes acting like total retards for the last few years. The reason many people are voting as they are, is pretty much that they see no other reasonable option, unless they hand in a blank vote of course. But then you might as well just stay at home. If A and B fails you might as well move on to C.

Or maybe the entire population of Denmark is just fascist and oh-so-racist.

 

edit: And before half of WATMM decides to go "AWAWoWOAW dumb cunt asshole", I didn't vote for these dudes. But on the other hand, I don't see it as a bit issue.

[poblequadrat]

 

 

 

it's not fixed and nothing is rigged. they don't have to bother. Karl rove is an idiot for thinking otherwise

I don't know who Karl rove is. Myself I don't believe the elections are rigged. I was only making an obvious premise:

if so many people (who could comprise a majority of votes) are fed up with everything, don't you think it would show up in the voting results somehow (either by boycott number or by electing an alternative program/political option)?

 

 

The thing is it does? France and Denmark are voting fascism, Catalonia is voting separatism, Greece is voting communism, the connivence of Labour parties with liberalism everywhere is making them residual... Clearly there has been a big shift in the results, especially if you look at them by country.

 

The result in Denmark is mostly a result of the two parties that usually score the most votes acting like total retards for the last few years. The reason many people are voting as they are, is pretty much that they see no other reasonable option, unless they hand in a blank vote of course. But then you might as well just stay at home. If A and B fails you might as well move on to C.

Or maybe the entire population of Denmark is just fascist and oh-so-racist.

 

edit: And before half of WATMM decides to go "AWAWoWOAW dumb cunt asshole", I didn't vote for these dudes. But on the other hand, I don't see it as a bit issue.

 

 

I understand that: in fact Denmark is surprising because it's pretty much the only place where the centre-left and the far-right are both strong. Usually the space for the far-right opens when people become disillusioned with Labour and they've got nobody to vote for: you see this in Britain, France, Greece. The point of my post is precisely that the results DO reflect the dissatisfaction of the people with what has been "mainstream" politics up until now. But that doesn't mean that they're using their vote in a sensible way, just that far-right sensibilities seized on that sentiment.

[Guest]

I went to the voting booth and just didn't vote anything: I seriously did not know where I should stand for. Also, I have become severely disillusioned by political parties and all the schwa they sprout out of their cavities. So I voted, but not for anyone, hoping this will incite a change of some sorts. (at the voting booth I was counting votes at (for €€€), 3 out of a 1000 people voted blank. Together we can!!!)

 

Here's something that's been bothering me though: 43.11% of the people who were eligible to vote, voted. When the majority rules, doesn't this mean that the whole outcome of this election isn't valid? Sounds logical to me. There's probably some law loophole for that though.

 

Maybe the low percentages gives the politicians the confirmation that people don't give too much about politics, or have lost faith in it. Footnote which people tend to overlook is that the power still resides with the politicians. This apathy won't change much about it, and will probably only strengthen the resolve of the people in Brussel to continue with whatever they want to do.

 

Let me be clear though, I think it's great that the European Union exists, and I support the overarching goal of unification of the Separate States .. but they rushed it and made some grave mistakes in the process. One of the biggest has to be not considering the effects of open borders, and not accounting for such a thing Nationalism (which is a big fucking mistake in its own right). That's what I get from it, but I have to admit I am not very versed on the subject.

 

Anyway, in muh country the christian democracts (5 seats with 15% of the votes) got the most seats, followed closely by the populist right/left (yes, he swings both ways) party, and the central-democrats, both with 4 seats. Both ruling parties have 3. Three parties have 2, and the Party for Animals has 1 seat. It's pretty evenly matched really. This political climate of measured diversity has reigned for the last 3/4 years or so. It's a pretty unique thing to see.

[azatoth]

 

Did not vote. Voting is useless, especially the European Parliament. Shits been decided in the cabinets behind locked door with all the major powerbrokers. Elections are just there to keep up the illusion alive that people have a say in how things are done.

great mentality, enjoy your fucktarded nationalistic EU parliament that hates its own very existence. eugene is right to mock this childish mindset. I sincerely hope many awful things come from this, and I even hope the EU is disbanded so people can realise how good they had it.

 

fucking selfish cunts that voted for ukip etc.... way to buy into anti intellectual, jingoistic murdoch sponsered propaganda. to vote for the right is completely absurd in this day and age yet sadly the whole world is lurching in that direction. I hope bad things happen and people learn from them

 

enjoy, cunts. you deserve it.

 

 

I've been able to vote, in municipal, national and European elections for over a decade and have mostly done so in the past and not a single thing has changed over that span. It's gotten worse. Same corrupt crap that have entrenched themselves in the halls of power get their place and influence. Especially in my country, it doesn't matter if it's a left or right leaning parliament and cabinet, it's all the same in the end. Nothing ever changes. When it's election time the candidates spout off the usual stump speeches that conform to their voter base, but when they get elected all that goes into the bin and they fall in line with the established way things are done.

 

The rise of the anti-EU sentiment, right-wing, anti-immigration in Europe is a symptom of that powerlessness that people feel. They buy into the populist and hateful pap these parties are peddling, not because they truly agree with it (some might) but it offers an alternative to the status quo offered by the established parties that have ushered them into a situation where there is little hope. The low voter turnout already tells a lot of how people feel about their chances to influence the politics. Young people don't feel like they can change it by voting, they've seen how it doesn't matter. It is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Which is sad.

 

I am all for the EU and European integration, but it such a cumbersome bureaucracy at the moment with every member trying to look after their own interest instead of looking what is in the interest of the European community as a whole. The ideal of the EU is lofty and worth pursuing but so far little has happened to move it towards something we can all be proud of. There is still a bunch of nationalism and patriotism rampant that hinders any progress. And frankly I feel it's a systemic failure.

 

The teleological notion that democracy as we have today in the global north is some sort of end point and beacon of civilization is in my mind wrong. It's certainly better than many alternatives, but we still haven't even thought of pushing it further and improving it. What the alternatives might be I have no idea, but as it is now it feels futile. I agree with your other post that major parties have become complacent and have a sense of hubris that they can do pretty much whatever without getting backlash, it's certainly true in my country. We've already seen what could happen when the people are pushed too far in the southern European countries and it's just a matter of time before it boils over in other countries. When people realize that they really have nothing to lose is when things get interesting. So far there are plenty of distractions that is keeping that realization at bay.

[Npoess]

 

 

 

it's not fixed and nothing is rigged. they don't have to bother. Karl rove is an idiot for thinking otherwise

I don't know who Karl rove is. Myself I don't believe the elections are rigged. I was only making an obvious premise:

if so many people (who could comprise a majority of votes) are fed up with everything, don't you think it would show up in the voting results somehow (either by boycott number or by electing an alternative program/political option)?

 

 

The thing is it does? France and Denmark are voting fascism, Catalonia is voting separatism, Greece is voting communism, the connivence of Labour parties with liberalism everywhere is making them residual... Clearly there has been a big shift in the results, especially if you look at them by country.

 

The result in Denmark is mostly a result of the two parties that usually score the most votes acting like total retards for the last few years. The reason many people are voting as they are, is pretty much that they see no other reasonable option, unless they hand in a blank vote of course. But then you might as well just stay at home. If A and B fails you might as well move on to C.

Or maybe the entire population of Denmark is just fascist and oh-so-racist.

 

edit: And before half of WATMM decides to go "AWAWoWOAW dumb cunt asshole", I didn't vote for these dudes. But on the other hand, I don't see it as a bit issue.

 

 

He is right, even though I've always been very anti-Danish People's Party, I can't even blame people who vote on them anymore. Usually I would call people who vote for Danish People's Party incredibly narrow-minded people, but honestly they (the party) are not as bad as they used to be, they've cleaned their act a lot over the years, and definitely wouldn't call them racists (anymore). In some ways they are the new social democrats here, they really appeal to the working-class, jobless and elderly.

 

But... all that being said, I still don't like them. Populist stuff most of it and their rise to power worries me. Way too far-right for my taste, but we are not talking neonazis or fascists or anything like that, just really conservative and nationalistic minded.

 

The talk is that they will most likely win the national election next time around, that might be the day I leave for the moon.

 

The current socialist government has been accused of broken election promises, which they are rightly being accused of. But wait till the Danish People's Party will become the biggest party, then we will see broken election promises on scale never seen before. It's going to be great!

 

Anyways.. politics here is hopeless. The socialist government runs a liberal policy and all the parties have incompetent leaders, it's all one big farce here, I can't even begin to explain it.

 

And it doesn't help that the thing that are being talked in the public debate is usually petty bullshit, something Danish People's Party really profit by.

[Npoess]

What I really don't understand is:

 

Why does the only continent on earth, that should have learned that far-right politics is not the way to go, not learn from past mistakes.

 

I'm not advocating political correctness, but the fact that a party like NDP can get a mandate is just disgusting. And things are not even that bad in Germany (economically), so I can't see how a reaction like this could ever be justified.

 

And even places where it is going awful, it can't be justified either.

 

Fuck you fascist Europe and narrow-minded people.