Election time!

[Liar]

At the end of the month, we're choosing our EU parlament delegations.

If you thought American midterms were low turnout snoozefests, you ain't seen nothin'.

I have no idea who those people are, what they think or what they do once they're in office.

At least registration was a breeze. All I had to do was sit on my fat ass and do nothing. The voting paper just plonked down in the mail today. All hail the civil register.

I'll probably go cast my token vote on some non-harmful ticket, just to keep the neo nazi number a bit lower.

 

[toubab]

At the end of the month, we're choosing our EU parlament delegations.

If you thought American midterms were low turnout snoozefests, you ain't seen nothin'.

I have no idea who those people are, what they think or what they do once they're in office.

At least registration was a breeze. All I had to do was sit on my fat ass and do nothing. The voting paper just plonked down in the mail today. All hail the civil register.

I'll probably go cast my token vote on some non-harmful ticket, just to keep the neo nazi number a bit lower.

Are you British, and if so, are you in favor of British membership in the EU? Are you in favor of the EU, period?

 

[oggbashan]

Are you British, and if so, are you in favor of British membership in the EU? Are you in favor of the EU, period?

I'm British. I'll vote on 22nd May.

I'm in favour of British membership of the EU.

But I'm NOT in favour of the undemocratic bureaucracy of the EU, nor the EU gravy train, nor the lack of accountability with no audited accounts for years.

I'm not in favour of greater political integration, nor more standardisation of policies and laws across the EU.

But I think British membership is a better way to change the EU than leaving it.

It doesn't matter what I vote. My local town is likely to have a large majority (of the few who turn out to vote) for UKIP.

 

[toubab]

I'm British. I'll vote on 22nd May.

I'm in favour of British membership of the EU.

But I'm NOT in favour of the undemocratic bureaucracy of the EU, nor the EU gravy train, nor the lack of accountability with no audited accounts for years.

I'm not in favour of greater political integration, nor more standardisation of policies and laws across the EU.

But I think British membership is a better way to change the EU than leaving it.

It doesn't matter what I vote. My local town is likely to have a large majority (of the few who turn out to vote) for UKIP.

I find your position interesting. It sounds like you don't like the EU at all, really, but you're in favor of British membership. As an outsider, by the way, I don't see how Britain can change the EU, realistically, so I find your position difficult to understand.

 

[SkAoUt]

Maybe rr with weigh in on this later at recess.

I like Guy Verhofstadt. He's got a funny haircut, goofy glasses and a gap toothed smile. Plus he's illuminati, er a member of Club de Madrid.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Guido_Verhofstadt_die_30_Martis_2012.jpg

 

[oggbashan]

I find your position interesting. It sounds like you don't like the EU at all, really, but you're in favor of British membership. As an outsider, by the way, I don't see how Britain can change the EU, realistically, so I find your position difficult to understand.

There are two major parts to the EU - the wider grouping that is all the nation members and the smaller one that is the Eurozone, using the Euro as a common currency.

The idea of the EU is good. It has prevented a lot of friction between European Countries just by existing. Many of the initatives from Europe have been beneficial, not just to those in the Eurozone but to the UK as well. My town has benefited several times from European monies and projects but many locals forget that, or choose to assume that it was the UK government's doing.

The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), those whom we will be electing on 22nd May, have very little control or influence over the bureaucracy of the EU. But the MEPs from all countries want to change that so that the EU is democratically accountable.

If they do, some of the irritations that the UK has with the EU will diminish. There are significant tensions in the organisation, not just between countries, but between the MEPs and the unelected administrators. Those tensions won't go away. The largest one is the split between those who want closer integration - a federal United States of Europe; and those who want an association of nations who are independent but working together. Many annoyed voters across Europe do not want and fear a federal Europe dominated by Germany and France.

The Eurozone's problems were self-created. The instigators of it allowed some countries to fudge the entry criteria and join the Eurozone when their economies were unsuitable. The crisis has been patched over, but the problems are still there with very high rates of youth unemployment in Spain, Greece and Italy. What is necessary to save the Eurozone is accurate unbiased reporting of the real state of each country's finances. That won't happen easily, if at all.

The EU is still evolving. IF it evolves into a democratic institution that is accountable to the voters, then there is hope for it.

But too many in the EU's power base are unwilling to be democratic. That could be dangerous and the vote on 22 May is likely to produce some very unpleasant people as MEPs. If that results in real change in the way the EU is run? That would be beneficial.

My fear is that the election results will just polarise opinions when the countries of Europe should be working together to make people's lives better.

 

[toubab]

There are two major parts to the EU - the wider grouping that is all the nation members and the smaller one that is the Eurozone, using the Euro as a common currency.

The idea of the EU is good. It has prevented a lot of friction between European Countries just by existing. Many of the initatives from Europe have been beneficial, not just to those in the Eurozone but to the UK as well. My town has benefited several times from European monies and projects but many locals forget that, or choose to assume that it was the UK government's doing.

The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), those whom we will be electing on 22nd May, have very little control or influence over the bureaucracy of the EU. But the MEPs from all countries want to change that so that the EU is democratically accountable.

If they do, some of the irritations that the UK has with the EU will diminish. There are significant tensions in the organisation, not just between countries, but between the MEPs and the unelected administrators. Those tensions won't go away. The largest one is the split between those who want closer integration - a federal United States of Europe; and those who want an association of nations who are independent but working together. Many annoyed voters across Europe do not want and fear a federal Europe dominated by Germany and France.

The Eurozone's problems were self-created. The instigators of it allowed some countries to fudge the entry criteria and join the Eurozone when their economies were unsuitable. The crisis has been patched over, but the problems are still there with very high rates of youth unemployment in Spain, Greece and Italy. What is necessary to save the Eurozone is accurate unbiased reporting of the real state of each country's finances. That won't happen easily, if at all.

The EU is still evolving. IF it evolves into a democratic institution that is accountable to the voters, then there is hope for it.

But too many in the EU's power base are unwilling to be democratic. That could be dangerous and the vote on 22 May is likely to produce some very unpleasant people as MEPs. If that results in real change in the way the EU is run? That would be beneficial.

My fear is that the election results will just polarise opinions when the countries of Europe should be working together to make people's lives better.

Very interesting. Thanks for your response, but I still don't see much chance of the UK ever having a lot of sway in the EU. I think if I were British, I'd want out.

 

[Liar]

Are you British, and if so, are you in favor of British membership in the EU? Are you in favor of the EU, period?

Swedish. And I'm in favor of the EU as a principle, but it's pretty flawed in it's executiuon. Still Europe is better off with it than without.

 

[toubab]

Swedish. And I'm in favor of the EU as a principle, but it's pretty flawed in it's executiuon. Still Europe is better off with it than without.

As an American, there's a lot I don't know about the EU, but I see a lot more drawbacks to it than positives, from what little I know. And the more countries that join, the worse it will get for Sweden, it seems to me.

 

[oggbashan]

As an American, there's a lot I don't know about the EU, but I see a lot more drawbacks to it than positives, from what little I know. And the more countries that join, the worse it will get for Sweden, it seems to me.

The Euro Bureaucrats have no idea about public relations.

There are a lot of positives to belonging, but the negatives get the publicity.