So who should those of us living in England vote for tomorrow? I intend to vote Green – it seems to me that in England that is the best way to give a positive expression to the discontent with mainstream parties. I particularly hope that those who have the opportunity to vote for Rupert Read in the East of England will do so. Their support for renationalizing the railways would be enough for me, but actually I find myself in agreement with the large majority of their platform. I reproduce here an article from the ever excellent Peter Tatchell.
The Greens – not UKIP – are the real alternative to the political Establishment
By Peter Tatchell
Each of the three Establishment parties has succeeded in alienating its core vote. Labour over Iraq and the casino banking culture that flourished during its tenure in office. The Tories over Europe and equal marriage. And the Lib Dems over tuition fees and propping up of one of the most anti-egalitarian governments of modern times. All have been tainted by the scandal over MPs expenses. As a result, participation in mainstream politics is declining further than ever.
The UK’s first-past-the-post voting system is said to produce strong governments, avoiding what many perceive as the grubby infighting that dominates politics on the continent. But it isn’t working anymore. Millions of votes don’t count in rock solid safe seats and supporters of small parties are unrepresented or under-represented in parliament.
Many voters damn the political elite with the familiar refrain: “They’re all the same.” This is fairly true with regard to the big three parties: Labour, Tory and Lib Dem. There is very little difference between them these days. They all embrace, to marginally varying degrees, neo liberal economics.
Many people are, however, desperate for an alternative but they fear their voice will not be heard.
The European elections this Thursday offer a chance for something different. Because they use a system of proportional representation (PR), we have an opportunity to vote for what we believe in, without fearing that our votes will be wasted. PR is sometimes a mixed blessing. It was PR that allowed UKIP a foot in the door at the last Euro poll, and in this election it looks like the anti-EU party will win more seats than anyone thought possible for a new party 15 or even 10 years ago.
Nigel Farage entered the European Parliament in 1999. This was also the year that Caroline Lucas was elected as one of the UK’s first two Green MEPs (the other was Jean Lambert). She went on to become the first Green MP at Westminster. A parliamentary seat still evades Farage and his party.
UKIP supporters want to withdraw from the EU. They fantasise about plucky Britain standing alone against the world. UKIP stirs this nostalgia for ‘Great Britain’ and excites fear about immigrants and refugees. It has filled some of the void created by the discredited mainstream politics and, in particular, by the weakness of the orthodox left.
But for people who believe in social justice and equality, and who want action to thwart climate destruction and to protect the precious environment on which all life depends, the Greens – not UKIP – are the real alternative to the big three parties.
The Green vote is seen by some people as a protest vote, and there is no reason why it shouldn’t be. It is a vote against Labour’s failure to defend working class people and its initiation of the part privatisation of education and health care. It is a vote against the Lib Dem’s abandonment of principle in favour of power. It is a vote against Tory austerity which makes ordinary people pay for the economic crisis created by reckless bankers. It is most certainly a vote against the homophobia, xenophobia and climate change denial of UKIP.
But in this election, voting Green it is also a vote for something. The Greens are a party that offers an imaginative, alternative positive vision of how our future could look. This is fairly unique, given the broad political consensus between the stale, grey Tories, Labour and Lib Dems.
Unlike the three Establishment parties and UKIP, the Greens advocate decisive EU action to close tax avoidance loopholes and tax havens, tax empty homes and financial transactions, cap banker’s bonuses, axe nuclear weapons, prioritise energy conservation to cut household bills and to introduce rent controls, a living wage and free education.
http://www.reasonstovotegreen.org.ukAs a veteran of nearly 50 years of political campaigns, I look toward 22 May with a strange mixture of hope and fear. Fear that the hate-mongers of UKIP are poised to advance and to challenge some of the gains in minority rights and human rights, with the aid of their far right allies in the European Parliament. But also hope that the Greens may eclipse the Lib Dems; including the election of new Green MEPs such as Peter Cranie in North West England and Rupert Read in the East of England. Both lost narrowly last time. A tiny swing to the Greens will get them elected and, in the North West, will have the added bonus of probably surpassing the British National Party vote and thereby blocking the re-election of BNP leader Nick Griffin.
Make sure you vote: Show UKIP and the three Establishment parties the red card. Give the Greens a chance.
Anon
Everyone knows there’s voting fraud in the UK. It’s well documented. There’s voting fraud nearly everywhere.
I’m disputing your funnily folded paper and length of count conspiracies, which are frankly, bollocks.
Anon, “I have to give it to him – he has shown a degree of energy and perseverance that can only come from one with absolute belief and conviction. None of the media-trained clowns of the main parties could have given what Farage has. If he can survive the Labour postal vote and the highly suspect three-day count then they will have been well and truly rumbled.”
Yes he has absolute belief and conviction of all his lies about immigrants. I hate racists, from people like Farage who tries to give racism a human face, to people like you, who vote for his peculiar type of racism. Farage used to call people from the West Indies niggers but seems to have stopped doing that in recent years. I too have just voted. There was no Green candidate at local level. What choice is there? Labour, Tory, UKIP, LibDem. I voted for Buchanan. And Green for the European election. I noticed that UKIP has split its name into two words UK IP presumably for when Scotland leaves the Union. Then it will probably be launched as the Independence Party to try and fool people into believing that it is not what it is.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?redir_esc=&client=ms-android-samsung&hl=en-GB&safe=images&oe=utf-8&q=ukip%20paper%20ballot%20folded&source=android-browser-type&qsubts=1400764638569
Looks like it’s not just me who has noticed the oddly placed fold. Electoral Commision now investigating the matter.
John Goss
I’m sure you know a thing or two about racism what with the garbage you post about the Joos all day long, but I don’t believe Farage is a racist.
“Farage used to call people from the West Indies niggers but seems to have stopped doing that in recent years”
I hadn’t heard this. Could you provide some evidence for the claim?
Herbie
“Everyone knows there’s voting fraud in the UK. It’s well documented.”
But you were quick to call me a conspiracy theorist when I mentioned Labour postal vote fraud.
John Goss
“I noticed that UKIP has split its name into two words UK IP”
That’s to make space for the post in the middle of the sign.
Britain should be part of the EU because it is part of Europe, earns some 689plus billions per annum in the EU. Despite that, any of the countries who appoint Commissioners is instrumental in undermining democracy within the EU, as their unelected agendas and vested interest clients are instrumental for the EU’s policies as carried out.
The cabal of well paid hand raisers has no powers to change this, sadly and the accountants cowtow to those who let them play with numbers.
Just spoiled my ballot, it feels better than voting for the minority party oligarchs.
The Gray family presumably will have nothing to do with the EU elections. What a travesty A) The ECHR for not allowing the extradition of Ubani and B) ‘Take Care Now’ for bringing him in to work here as an out-of-hours doctor.
>
Dr Daniel Ubani: No UK extradition over patient death
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-27518271
>
‘Take Care Now (TCN) has been taken over by Harmoni and is now trading as Suffolk Integrated Healthcare.
Harmoni is the UK’s leading provider of primary care services, looking after over 8 million patients across the country.’
http://www.takecarenow.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Care_Now
>
In November we acquire healthcare provider, Harmoni, in a move designed to improve unscheduled NHS care and reduce waiting times, as well as pressure on NHS acute services.
http://www.careuk.com/who-are-we/our-history
>
Who is Care UK?
‘And Care UK has contracts worth another £102.6million. Its chairman John Nash was made a peer after boosting Tory coffers by £247,250.’
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fury-tory-party-donors-handed-3123469
“John Goss
I’m sure you know a thing or two about racism what with the garbage you post about the Joos all day long, but I don’t believe Farage is a racist.
“Farage used to call people from the West Indies niggers but seems to have stopped doing that in recent years”
I hadn’t heard this. Could you provide some evidence for the claim?”
Try this link Anon from The Guardian.
“Whatever the explanation, the fact that Farage met Deavin after the BNP man’s expulsion was enough to alarm some UKIP members – especially as Farage, who earns his living as a City commodity-broker, is a man who often used words such as “nigger” and “nig-nog” in the pub after committee meetings.”
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/oct/13/race.world
Now I’ve provided a link it is time for you to apologise for calling me a racist or find the evidence to prove your claim. You’re like Farage if you have no facts you make them up, like he did with the grossly exaggerated predictions of Romanian immigrants to the UK. So what’s your answer?
Is there a new Anon posting here (different avatar to previous of that name) or is this Mk3, Mk4 etc. of the original?
“you post about the Joos all day”
KLAXON: Only Zionist trolls spell ‘Jews’ that way.
@Kempe
‘Japan had two atomic bombs dropped on them but they seemed to have recovered.’
Are you really this callous, or are you just trying to wind people up?
John Goss
“Farage used to call people from the West Indies niggers but seems to have stopped doing that in recent years”
I now understand what you are referring to. The alleged incident in which Farage was alleged to been overheard saying “We will never win the nigger vote”. Alleged to have been overheard by one Professor Alan Sked, the man who never misses an opportunity to smear the party he helped found. It wouldn’t stand up in court.
“Britain should be part of the EU because it is part of Europe”
You don’t make a very convincing case, Nevermind. And Britain is quite capable of earning money outside the EU.
If UKIP supporters are defeated by unfolding a piece of paper, that’s only to be expected, I guess.
No I think I’ll vote for the Green lizard after all.
Building lots of new houses on green fields is not very green,is it?
It’s cold and wet in the Highlands and a very low turnout.
Scotland has 6 seats in the European Parliament. The 2009 result was …
2 x SNP (29.1%)
2 x Labour (20.8%)
1 x Conservative (16.8%)
1 x Liberal (11.5%)
The Conservatives and Liberals will lose support which will mostly be transferred to SNP and UKIP. Therefore the very likely result is ….
EITHER
2 x SNP
2 x Labour
1 x Conservative
1 x UKIP
OR
3 x SNP
2 x Labour
1 x Conservative
Scots who haven’t voted/decided yet might like to consider that the low turnout increases the power of their ‘X’ to decide between the above scenarios.
It wouldn’t stand up in court because Farage would not go to court. He threatened to sue but Sked says, reported only a couple of days ago, but he never did.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2632201/Farage-used-N-word-dismiss-black-vote-New-race-row-hits-Ukip-claims-founder.html
So where is your evidence of my racism?
Also I think you’re wrong about the fold in the ballot paper. I could quite clearly see UK IP down the bottom, where it should be. Are there any differences from region to region. It is probably just a coincidence that Farage is using as an excuse.
Here’s another for ‘Anon’.
Written by Aaronovitch about Peres who is leaving office in July. Good riddance.
An ode to Shimon.
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/thread/1400768542.html
~~
Should we open a book on the identity of ‘Anon’? Perhaps a sweepstake instead.
” Are you really this callous, or are you just trying to wind people up? ”
Just pointing out that it didn’t hinder Japan’s pst war economic and political development and result it in being “fucked up” eighty years later.
Should we open a book on the identity of ‘Anon’?
Nigel Farage?
In small part of the Borders, confusion, runnning a local council bye-election for a deceased (Tory) councillor’s seat on the same day, though probably still the wisest most economical way to do it, result one ballot paper to be marked with an X and another to be be marked numerically 1, [2], [3 …]. I do hope in the council election, ballots marked with a solitary X will be counted as a single number 1, as despite the (reportedly patchy) efforts of polling station staff to explain and point this out and keeping the different polls physically apart, with separation, different booths, boxes etc for the different ballots, there will be and has been – particularly amongst the elderly – a certain amount of confusion.
Looks like this ‘Anon’ is the once-banned Anon, we all know and loathe. Zionist online storm-trooper tools are supporting the UKIP extremists -how surprising, plus a conspiracy, Farage has been mugged by the media; the poor dear, not Farage: Anon, she/he/it is raving as usual and that claim is as improbable as it is untrue. Who’d have thought those ante-deluvian throwback elements of studied hate would have common ground? Most of us probably, and any with knowledge of Zionism’s history knows absolutely it nurtures and lies with the foulest of partners. But UKIPs racist and supremacist tones though almost similar and as abhorrent, are nothing to the unmitigated evils that define Zionism.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoOFyqHCUAAeCPN.jpg LOL
‘Just spoiled my ballot, it feels better …….’
I did the same Nevermind. With the stubby little pencil that needed sharpening which was tied to a bit of string, I put a cross against every one of the 17 names and across the middle of the paper wrote ‘Democracy in the UK and in the EU is illusory’.
The whole set up including the battered tin ballot box looked as if they had come from the set of ‘Dad’s Army’ and were probably of that vintage.
Mary 22 May, 2014 – 6:02 pm
I remember doing something similar in the General Election a few years ago. There were no other voters in our village hall at the time and the prolonged sound of my pencil scratching was amplified and echoed in the otherwise silent room. I was greeted by hostile and suspicious glares from the two supervisors when I left the booth. I responded by giving them a cheery smile and rubbing my hands together to signify a job well done.
Yes A Node. A dispiriting experience. Do they do that on purpose to diminish us even more?
Earlier this year Tory controlled Surrey County Council closed fire stations and cut the number of crews. (Same as Boris did in London).
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/fire-union-gears-up-legal-6697366
Yet the councillors led by the chief trougher David Hodge have voted themselves large increases in their allowances. This is in addition to employing side kicks to help them such is their workload, not!
County council in Private Eye’s ‘Rotten Boroughs’ over pay rises
May 16, 2014
“Despite having to find savings of £72m this year, county councillors vote themselves and their leaders a big fat pay increase,” the satirical news magazine said
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-county-council-pay-rises-7132319
How do the firemen feel reading about that greedy behaviour?. They are such willing and brave horses and just one of them is equal to ten of the troughers at County Hall. Apart from their duties, they have car washing days for charity. They also did sterling work in the Surrey floods.
What a bunch! Tory dominated with a smattering of LDs and a few UKIPs have crept in I see.
http://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=ALPHA&VW=LIST&PIC=0
I have voted ‘Green’ in the past and I know that my mother toyed with the idea of doing so this time. But I just want to stick two fingers up at the two-and-a-half main parties, the Beeb, David Aaronovich, Paxman, David Bumblebee and every other useless, cosseted, parasitic tosser who has been telling me what to think for as long as I can remember. U.K.I.P. does that and they got my vote.
Kempe – adulterers are condemned by Judaism and Christianity before Islam. However, the earlier fiths had different definition of adultery. For example, in Judaism, adultery means having sex with a Jewish married women – the rest of all sex out of marriage is kosher.
Both Jesus and St. Paul never married because they both believed a woman is born in sin.
In Islam every act of sex is adultery – even among lesbians and gays.
Rabbi Baruch Efrati, a teacher at Yishva community school in the West Bank, believes Jews around the world should be happy at turning Europe into a Muslim majority region.
“With the help of G-d, the Gentile (non-Jewish) will adopt a healthier life with a lot of modesty and integrity, and not like the hypocritical Christianity which appears pure but is fundamentally corrupt,”said rabbi – reported by Israeli daily YNet News on November 11, 2012.
http://rehmat1.com/2013/01/02/rabbi-islamization-of-europe-is-good-for-jews/
How long do we have to wait to find out that your spoiled votes brought the establishment crashing down?