European Parliament Results

[TimothyC]

So, you Europeans, you've voted for a new parliament, and I didn't see any other threads about it so, here it goes:

[Bolding mine]

Conservatives racing ahead in EU parliament voting

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN and ROBERT WIELAARD – 5 hours ago

BRUSSELS (AP) — Conservatives raced toward victory in some of Europe's largest economies Sunday as initial results and exit polls showed voters punishing left-leaning parties in European parliament elections in France, Germany and elsewhere.

Some right-leaning parties said the results vindicated their reluctance to spend more on company bailouts and fiscal stimulus amid the global economic crisis.

First projections by the European Union showed center-right parties would have the most seats — between 263 and 273 — in the 736-member parliament. Center-left parties were expected to get between 155 to 165 seats.

Right-leaning governments were ahead of the opposition in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium, while conservative opposition parties were leading in Britain and Spain.

Greece was the exception, where the governing conservatives were headed for defeat in the wake of corruption scandals and economic woes.

Germany's Social Democrats headed to their worst showing in a nationwide election since World War II. Four months before Germany holds its own national election, the outcome boosted conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel's hopes of ending the tense left-right "grand coalition" that has led the European Union's most populous nation since 2005.

"We are the force that is acting level-headedly and correctly in this financial and economic crisis," said Volker Kauder, the leader of Merkel's party in the German parliament.

France's Interior Ministry said partial results showed the governing conservatives in the lead, with the Socialists in a distant second and the Europe Ecologie environmentalist party a close third.

French Socialists said their defeat signaled a need to rethink left-wing policies if they are to have any hope of unseating President Nicolas Sarkozy.

An EU estimate showed that only 43 percent of 375 million eligible voters cast ballots in European parliament elections, a record low amid widespread disenchantment with the continentwide legislature.

The EU parliament has evolved over five decades from a consultative legislature to one with the power to vote on or amend two-thirds of all EU laws. Lawmakers get five-year terms and residents vote for lawmakers from their own countries.

Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and five other EU nations cast ballots over the last three days, while the rest of the 27-nation bloc voted Sunday.

"Tonight is a very difficult evening for Socialists in many nations in Europe," Martin Schulz, the leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament, told party faithful in Brussels via video link from Berlin. "(We will) continue to fight for social democracy in Europe."

Many Socialists ran campaigns that slammed center-right leaders for failing to rein in financial markets and spend enough to stimulate faltering economies.

Graham Watson, leader of the EU's center-right Liberal Democrat grouping, said early results suggested a rejection of the Socialist approach.

"People don't want a return to socialism and that's why the majority here will be a center-right majority," he said.

In Spain, the conservative Popular Party won two more seats than the ruling Socialists — 23 to 21 seats — with over 88 percent of the vote counted.

Exit polls also showed gains for far-right groups and other fringe parties due to record low turnout.

Near-final results showed Austria's main rightist party gaining strongly while the ruling Social Democrats lost substantial ground. The big winner in Austria was the rightist Freedom Party, which more than doubled its strength over the 2004 elections to 13.1 percent of the vote. It campaigned on an anti-Islam platform.

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic party took 17 percent of the country's votes, taking four of 25 seats.

The Hungarian far-right Jobbik party won three of 22 seats, with the main center-right opposition party, Fidesz, capturing 14 seats and the governing Socialists only four.

Jobbik describes itself as Euro-skeptic and anti-immigration and wants police to crack down on petty crimes committed by Gypsies. Critics say the party is racist and anti-Semitic.

Fringe groups could use the EU parliament as a platform for their extreme views but were not expected to affect the assembly's increasingly influential lawmaking on issues ranging from climate change to cell-phone roaming charges.

The parliament can also amend the EU budget — euro120 billion ($170 billion) this year — and approves candidates for the European Commission, the EU administration and the board of the European Central Bank.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's Freedom People's Party held a two-digit lead over his main center-left rival in the most recent polling despite a deep recession and a scandal over allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a young model. Italian results were being released Monday.

In Britain, dissident Labour legislators said a plot to oust Prime Minister Gordon Brown could accelerate after the party's expected dismal results in the European elections were announced.

Brown has been struggling with the economic crisis and a scandal over lawmakers' expenses, and the opposition Conservatives are expected to win the next national election, which must be called by June 2010.

An exit poll in Sweden showed the Pirate Party, which advocates shortening the duration of copyright protection and allowing noncommercial file-sharing, capturing 7.4 percent of the vote.

Associated Press writers Geir Moulson and Patrick McGroarty in Berlin, Angela Charlton in Paris, Harold Heckle in Madrid, Raphael Satter and David Stringer in London, Constant Brand in Brussels, Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, Ryan Lucas in Warsaw, George Jahn in Vienna, Derek Gatopoulos and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Alison Mutler in Bucarest, Romania, Keith Moore and Malin Rising in Stockholm and Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

I've seen news reports from Bloomburg et all that the BNP got a seat, and that the Swedish Pirate Party has one, maybe two.

Also - you guys had voter turn out roughly at the level the US gets for Congressional-Only Election years.

[Oskuro]

I'd complain about the electoral victory of conservatives, but I have no right to do so seeing how I chose to stay in bed most of the day and go have dinner with a girl rather than vote.

Still, my concern is that a lot of people seem to flock to the conservatives under the notion that their über economic policies will save us from the crisis. Funny, seeing as how those policies got us into it in the first place, but you can count on the populace to have goldfish-level long term memories.

[Darth Hoth]

An exit poll in Sweden showed the Pirate Party, which advocates shortening the duration of copyright protection and allowing noncommercial file-sharing, capturing 7.4 percent of the vote.

And once again, my country embarasses itself internationally . . .

[Dooey Jo]

It's even more great because the party don't even have official policies beyond that (and those policies are pretty much shared by the Greens and Lefts (but not really the Social Democrats) ), so no one really knows what they have voted for. Then again most of them probably voted for them because it's the kool thing for young people to do.

Still, my concern is that a lot of people seem to flock to the conservatives under the notion that their über economic policies will save us from the crisis. Funny, seeing as how those policies got us into it in the first place, but you can count on the populace to have goldfish-level long term memories.

I don't think they knew what happened in the first place. Hell even our media have been full of talking heads saying how the crash was because of bad regulations. I even heard the word "socialist" being used as a derogatory term, or a disproved concept, a few times.

[folti78]

The Hungarian far-right Jobbik party won three of 22 seats, with the main center-right opposition party, Fidesz, capturing 14 seats and the governing Socialists only four.

Jobbik describes itself as Euro-skeptic and anti-immigration and wants police to crack down on petty crimes committed by Gypsies. Critics say the party is racist and anti-Semitic.

Hungarian results were rather predictable. The Socialist led government* fucked up nearly everything they could since getting into power in 2002 even their own party. They already lost a local election in the city of Pécs** last may to the Fidesz rather resoundingly. Fidesz on the other hand sweeped most of the swingers and the disillusioned Socialist voters owning to the fact that they are the other mass party of the country.

The rise of the Jobbik is the result of the economic decline of the country coupled with the worsening crime and the perceived Fidesz incompetency(or empty rhetoric with a wink-wink-nudge silent cooperation with the Socialist if you like it.) as an opposition party since 2002. Not like Fidesz could do too much because the ruling coalition held numerical majority up to it's 2008 breakup and later they still acted in lock step when needed.

* the minority partner Alliance of Free Democrats(SZDSZ) ran independently but didn't got the required 5% of votes to be eligible. Good f... riddance.

** The history of Pécs under Socialist leadership between 2002 and 2009 sums up their government capabilities rather starkingly. Around 2000, Pécs was one of the better situated cities in hungary with a budget surplus. By this year they are in the red with a 35 billion HUF dept, with a slowly disintegrating infrastructure and ghettoised districts. Of course, not having an active mayor since late 2006 (when László Toller went into coma in an car accident), which resulted in internal struggles between the party's local and national level didn't helped.

[Darth Hoth]

It's even more great because the party don't even have official policies beyond that (and those policies are pretty much shared by the Greens and Lefts (but not really the Social Democrats) ), so no one really knows what they have voted for.

Well, they did say they would try to get into the Green group in the parliament, so I suppose they will follow the group line on any issue not directly concerned with their single-issue cash cow. Of course, not telling the voters that, except by circumspection in a throwaway line, is dishonest.

Then again most of them probably voted for them because it's the kool thing for young people to do.

Oh, I would say they do have quite a lot of real support among Generation Brat; after all, is it not a fun thing to be able to watch films, play games, read boks, &c, &c, without paying the owners?

[Vendetta]

I've seen news reports from Bloomburg et all that the BNP got a seat,

In Yorkshire.

They were only around 4% behind the Liberal Democrats in my area as well.

Oh, I would say they do have quite a lot of real support among Generation Brat; after all, is it not a fun thing to be able to watch films, play games, read boks, &c, &c, without paying the owners?

True, though the broader point that copyright laws are fucked in the head is worth addressing. Copyright terms should be radically shortened back to the levels they used to be at (closer to the term of patent protection, ~20 years or so).

[Teebs]

I've seen news reports from Bloomburg et all that the BNP got a seat,

In Yorkshire.

They were only around 4% behind the Liberal Democrats in my area as well.

Two seats sadly, one in Yorkshire and Humber and one in the North West.

[Darth Hoth]

Oh, I would say they do have quite a lot of real support among Generation Brat; after all, is it not a fun thing to be able to watch films, play games, read boks, &c, &c, without paying the owners?

True, though the broader point that copyright laws are fucked in the head is worth addressing. Copyright terms should be radically shortened back to the levels they used to be at (closer to the term of patent protection, ~20 years or so).

A copyright reform would make sense, but not of the "abolish the crap altogether" variety that the various pirates and freeloaders are advocating. Their arguments continue to be either stupid or mere dishonest excuses for freeloading that they do not themselves believe in.

[Crazedwraith]

I've seen news reports from Bloomburg et all that the BNP got a seat,

In Yorkshire.

They were only around 4% behind the Liberal Democrats in my area as well.

Two seats sadly, one in Yorkshire and Humber and one in the North West.

Yeah, I feel slighlty embarassed about that living in the north west. Plus I didn't vote, although that was more to do with having to go down to my university for external exams that day. So if i'd voted I'd have voted in Keele which would be a different region I'd assume.

Plus UKIP came second overall which I found quite shocking, aren't they pretty much as bad as the BNP?

[Teebs]

Yeah, I feel slighlty embarassed about that living in the north west. Plus I didn't vote, although that was more to do with having to go down to my university for external exams that day. So if i'd voted I'd have voted in Keele which would be a different region I'd assume.

You could have voted in either, assuming you're registered. For example, I'm registered in Norwich and Oxford I believe. This means I can vote in local elections in both and choose between the two for national elections. Obviously exams are a pretty good excuse not to vote although I benefitted from my polling station being literally 2 minutes walk from my room at university.

Plus UKIP came second overall which I found quite shocking, aren't they pretty much as bad as the BNP?

Not really, they're basically like a more old fashioned free-market wing of the Conservatives. They probably have a fair few racist members but their policies are very firmly non-racist and they lack the authoritarian tendencies of the BNP and have never had links to fascism (as far as I know anyway). They're not a particularly nice party, but in a different league to the BNP.

[Seggybop]

An exit poll in Sweden showed the Pirate Party, which advocates shortening the duration of copyright protection and allowing noncommercial file-sharing, capturing 7.4 percent of the vote.

And once again, my country embarasses itself internationally . . .

As I understand it, there would be no need for the Pirate Party if your mainstream alternatives had the guts to stand up to the **AA and their absurd demands. People are left only with extremes. Given that the establishment appears to be oblivious to reality, it's completely unsurprising that the Pirate Party receives a lot of support. They're certainly much more on the side of justice than the old guys, even if a lot of their support comes from guys who are only concerned about getting their stuff for free.

[Darth Hoth]

I fail to see how freeloading and blatant violations of standing law make for a better moral case than that of the copyright-owners; they, at lest, are working within the limits of the law. Never mind all the obstructionism and passive aggression that the web service providers have launched, now that they are actually obliged to provide evidence for prosecution cases. Yes, copyrights should not be lengthened further, and might well be shortened. No, the pirates are still not the "good guys".

[Vendetta]

I fail to see how freeloading and blatant violations of standing law make for a better moral case than that of the copyright-owners; they, at lest, are working within the limits of the law.

Sometimes. When they aren't suing dead people, using intimidation tactics, and generally acting in the manner of racketeers.

[NecronLord]

As a resident of the UK's North West, the Fascist Nicholas Griffin is now one of my duly elected representatives. This annoys me.

Mind, I did vote for someone else, so I at least don't feel guilty of this atrocity.

[Big Orange]

I fail to see how freeloading and blatant violations of standing law make for a better moral case than that of the copyright-owners; they, at lest, are working within the limits of the law.

Sometimes. When they aren't suing dead people, using intimidation tactics, and generally acting in the manner of racketeers.

Copyright regulations are clearly unbalanced if certain TV shows, movies, and the like that could make a profit if published are barred from being distributed at all because the music raketeers demand too much, so they are in grave need of overhauling, since the current copyright set up is now increasigly unworkable in this digital world and grinding too many projects to a halt, undoubtedly causing more profit loss than the piracy itself. American telecommunications and software have also stagnated for similar reasons, mainly due to dampening management/legal contraints rather than real technical limitations, perhaps generating profit losses in the many billions.

Anyway I voted for UKIP, because despite being pompous reactionaries they're A) not BNP, B) the Conservatives seem to be just blue New Labourites, and C) the Liberal Democrats are pro-EU, but on the other hand I'll more likely vote Liberal Democrats in the next General Election to put pressure on the Tories, since that chinless wonder Cameron is bound to disappoint like Gordon Brown and could also reduce taxes, which would only please the already rich.

[Lord of the Abyss]

I fail to see how freeloading and blatant violations of standing law make for a better moral case than that of the copyright-owners; they, at lest, are working within the limits of the law.

A shaky argument, since they to a large degree have written the laws to benefit themselves. And in general haven't behaved very morally at all.

Basically; if you have one morally dubious group that denies people what they want, acts threatening and often outright harms people ( DRM, malware, spurious lawsuits, rootkits ); and another morally dubious group that gives people what they want and often provides a better, safer product ( thanks to a lack of DRM and such ) it's not surprising if more and more people lean towards the latter. By their behavior, the pro-copyright forces have largely ceded the moral high ground.

[Rye]

As a resident of the UK's North West, the Fascist Nicholas Griffin is now one of my duly elected representatives. This annoys me.

Mind, I did vote for someone else, so I at least don't feel guilty of this atrocity.

Amen. Even though the majority vote was against the fascists, they crept through and are on a par with the Greens.

I frankly blame the media. The expenses row wad a self-fulfilling prophecy; nobody was saying that they'd lost all hope in the system and would avoid voting until the press started telling everyone that's what they should be doing. I liked the story to begin with, it was hilarious. Then the press were baying for blood and all but dismantled the government's ability to govern with snowballing righteous indignation prompting widescale political infighting and power grabs.

Additionally, with the press portraying the BNP as the scary bad guy, rather than a bunch of feckless, populist fanatics with no real world policies; they've built up a myth of competence for the far right.

I also blame the voting public for being stupid, short-sighted bastards. The old urban myths of immigrants coming and taking jobs from your kids... what-the-fuck-ever. There should be an aptitude test for voting. If you're stupid enough to vote for a fascist to protest the incumbent government, you're too stupid to vote. This mass shift to the right is really disturbing.

[NecronLord]

Plus UKIP came second overall which I found quite shocking, aren't they pretty much as bad as the BNP?

This is my way of summarising their differences:

UKIP Agenda

1. GET OUT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION!
2. Pick on those we deem of inferior race.

BNP Agenda

1. PICK ON THOSE WE DEEM OF INFERIOR RACE!
2. Get out of the European Union.

The BNP run on hatred of immigrants. UKIP runs on hatred of Eurocrats, and thus appears more moderate, and is more acceptable to the electorate.

[white_rabbit]

I can't say I'm surprised about the Yorkshire result, the BNP made progress in local elections there as well, I think Doncaster actually has a BNP mayor.

Last few years have been harsh on labour in yorkshire, I've been in a position to literally hear and watch people turn away from Labour and start to sympathise with the BNP on the basis of immigration.

I could sympathise with a nationalist party, if they weren't such a bunch of fucking morons.

The English Democrats are the UKIP lite types, and they won the local elections where my parents live.

Its thrilling when our goverment falls into crisis mode and all any of them can do is knife each other in the back.

[Jonen C]

I'd complain about the electoral victory of conservatives, but I have no right to do so seeing how I chose to stay in bed most of the day and go have dinner with a girl rather than vote.

Is that even a valid excuse? I voted, what?, three weeks ago, first opportunity.

[Dartzap]

I think Doncaster actually has a BNP mayor.

English Democrat, apperently. His first act was to axe the funding for the Gay pride march, one of the largest sources of visitors and money to Doncaster.

[Teebs]

I think Doncaster actually has a BNP mayor.

English Democrat, apperently. His first act was to axe the funding for the Gay pride march, one of the largest sources of visitors and money to Doncaster.

I think the English Democrats are essentially a BNP spinoff anyway, just get less negative publicity because they're smaller and less well known.

[hongi]

This mass shift to the right is really disturbing.

Is this really an indication of a shift to the right, or just the public giving a slap on the wrist to mainstream parties? You know how fickle the public is, I'd like to know if this trend is going to continue...it seems to me that the gains the BNP have made will disappear when they're voted out the next time elections come around.

[Psychic_Sandwich]

Is this really an indication of a shift to the right, or just the public giving a slap on the wrist to mainstream parties? You know how fickle the public is, I'd like to know if this trend is going to continue...it seems to me that they'll simply be voted out the next time elections come around.

I suspect in at least the case of Britain, it's a slap on the wrist. UKIP and the BNP both won seats in the EU parliament, but very few people would even give them the time of day in a general election. The EU election is the traditional forum of British protest voting, which is one of the reasons the minor parties always do better there than in general elections. It's not at all surprising that small parties did very well this time around; not only has the economy blown up under Labour, all three major parties are tainted by the ongoing expenses scandal, MPs, including cabinet minsters, have been forced to resign, and there are increasingly strident calls for Brown to get out. In such a toxic political climate, it's not surprising that the parties involved do worse than one might expect.