[Just for fun] EU elections poll

[GBA rocks]

The final debate just finished.

Votes are not public and poll closes 10 days from now. (just after the actual elections)

I chose a "Vote the PRESIDENT" approach to avoid listing tens of options and because there's no way the president won't be one of those five. So even if you're going to vote a party not affiliated to one of the main groups, you may vote for one of the candidates here. Or not ("Other").

Have fun.

 

[DinohScene]

Not voting.
To lazy and cba to waste fuel for a worthless vote anyway.

Good luck I guess for those that are going to vote.

 

[Hells Malice]

I vote Other.

Hells Malice for president.

 

[emigre]

I voted yesterday via postal voting. I voted Labour.

It looks pretty close between the EPP and PES and whoever wins out will determine the Commission Presidency. The larger grouping will have the Presidency whilst the second largest will have the High Representative post.

 

[Satangel]

Voted Guy because he seems to be the guy that fits my wishes the most
Also, he's from Belgium, which is my country

 

[FAST6191]

Too much effort to figure out which peeps to vote for so I would vote randomly, if it is random it is pretty pointless so then why not stay at home watching woodwork or metalwork videos would be my logic.

 

[Satangel]

Too much effort to figure out which peeps to vote for so I would vote randomly, if it is random it is pretty pointless so then why not stay at home watching woodwork or metalwork videos would be my logic.

No election tests in the UK?
I haven't even searched for 1 in Belgium and I already know 3 by heart. You can't miss it if you keep up with the news in your country, surely you can find one?
That's what I do at least, and I follow it, very simple, 10 minutes of work.

 

[FAST6191]

Every time I went looking it seems most politicos had a fairly weak understanding of science, tech, IP law and the like -- other things are important but they tend to be protected by inertia. Those that might not have embarrassed themselves too hard tended not to be electable courtesy of statistics and voting systems, or if they did manage it the probabilities of them being able to enact something were not great. Likewise I am not sure a ten minute summary works for me if I was going in for the informed decision bit -- that would involve reading manifestos, relating things back to the relevant legal systems and movements within them (does not matter if a politico has a silly idea if EU law will prevent it from ever happening sort of thing).

In a decade or two enough might have died off or retired for me to bother, though the concept of the career politician would be truly established by that point, but until then it seems pretty pointless for me.

 

[GBA rocks]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/22/uk-eu-election-netherlands-idUKKBN0E224820140522

Good.
And this is after the worst crisis ever.
Makes one wonder how UKIP will fare.

 

[GBA rocks]

 

[GBA rocks]

Turnout: 43% (172M voters, 400M eligible, 500M population)
Eurosceptic forces: roughly 140 seats
not Eurosceptic forces: roughly 610 seats

probable President of the Commission: Juncker or Schulz depending on alliances

 

[emigre]

British electorate, what the fuck were you thinking?

 

[WiiCube_2013]

I don't vote and honestly, don't care about it.

 

[GBA rocks]

British electorate, what the fuck were you thinking?

Maybe it's just post-crisis herpes...who knows if by 2019 they'll still be around (with these numbers at least)...in some countries post-crisis populists are already on a descending curve (in Netherlands and Italy, 6th and 4th economies in the Union, populists got their ass kicked against predictions).

 

[emigre]

Maybe it's just post-crisis herpes...who knows if by 2019 they'll still be around (with these numbers at least)...in some countries post-crisis populists are already on a descending curve (in Netherlands and Italy, 6th and 4th economies in the Union, populists got their ass kicked against predictions).

It is interesting that there's been an anti-integration narrative surrounding the EU in the last decade. I'd say it started around the failure of EU constitution referendums and the subsequent Lisbon treaty.

My opinion is there's a lack of clarity or vision in what the EU is or what's to be. Does it wish to be s purely economic based institution or something more? The creation of the High Commissioner post in 2010 evoked an aspiration for the EU to become a global political player but that hasn't really gone anyway particularly substantive. In doesn't help there isn't a figure who lead the organisation. When the Maastrict Treaty was signed in 1992, there was Jacques Delors who really was excellent, he understand what he wanted and developed innovative ideals. He believed with economic union, there should be social union hence the Social charter which codified worker's rights and helped increased the scope of the Union into something resembling a form of responsible capitalism. Today we have Von Rumpny and Barroso who are less than stellar in all honesty.

I'd also say this coupled with a number of member states going through an inane period of feeling 'insecure' from how the world is changing, not necessarily the EU but non-EU immigration, and the apathy at modern politicians. This has helped the nutters alternative parties has they're able to benefit from this insecurity. France looks like a great example of this.

Than again what do I know? I'm a dirty softy southern liberal social democratic type who doesn't over idealises the past.

 

[GBA rocks]

People (or better, 1/4 of them) needed to express their generic feeling of unrest in some way, at least the first time since the crisis they were asked about Europe. They did it in the most diverse ways, be it on the right (UKIP, Front Nationale,..), left (Tsipras), supposedly post ideologic (Five Star), localists, and so on.

Even pro-EU parties (the other 3/4) had to sprinkle a pinch of Euroscepticism here and there in their campaigns, in the form of "EU is the way but it needs to change" kinda statements, to help people cope with the crisis. In that regard, this whole narrative could actually accelerate integration: the imperative now is to go SOMEWHERE with the EU, anywhere, but at least GO. Of course there will be a fierce opposition from the 140 eurosceptic MEPs but being vastly outnumbered they'll only be able to gave speeches and not much more.

What's debatable now is if British and French people would ACTUALLY vote UKIP and FN in national elections, or if this is, again, just a way to cope (psychologically) with the crisis and send a message to Bruxelles. As I said, the honeymoon with populist parties is already starting to fade in some countries. For starters, national elections would have an higher turnout that would reduce the weight of EU-protest parties. Secondly, if the narrative is switched to a propositive and optimistic one, populist protest parties will have an harder time keeping those votes.