European elections

Another election is upon us here in the UK. That is the universal problem with democracy. We are about to go to the polls to elect representatives to the European Parliament. Not just in the UK but all over Europe too.

So what are we voting for? That is a very good question - to which I have no answer. I would like to fill this Blog with an erudite exposition about the whole thing. How many elected representatives (MEP's) are there? How many from each country? how does the voting work? The list is endless and I have no idea except on one. And that is that the election is one of proportional representation. That is it. And I am one of the better informed of these isles.

Alarmed yet? No? 

The turnout in these elections is notoriously low. Which troubles me somewhat. I don't think the population of the UK realises how powerful the European parliament is over our own elected representatives. With the power it possesses we should be sure of who we are sending to represent us.

Now from time to time you may have read me being quite disparaging about the UKIP party here in the UK. There is a good reason, in fact many good reasons and you only have to read the manifesto and website to realise this. They are generally speaking crackpots. Sorry to be blunt but there it is. 

Dodgy pic on purpose

They are led by a Nigel Farage. He is an eloquent and dare i say it amusing speaker. I think he speaks honestly of his beliefs, no Nigel Farage is not the problem with this party. I have only seen 3 other members of this group. One claimed all this flooding that we experienced this winter was divine payback for gay marriage. The second made a name for himself by describing women that did not clean to his standards as "sluts"! My latest brush with UKIP was on a news program where a pretty preposterous propaganda poster was being  aggressively defended by a UKIP patron. And I do mean aggressively. It was rather reminiscent of the bad old days of the British National Party who were/are a farcical bunch of right wing enthusiasts.

Preposterous advert!

This is where we should be suspicious of UKIP. We only see Nigel Farrage. Where ever he pops up the local candidates of the "traditional" parties gets some airtime but from UKIP just our Nigel. Why are we only seeing him and why am I the only one worried about it? 

If the pollsters are to be believed UKIP are going to sweep the board. How can we let this happen? Why should we let such a shallow, barmy and, as importantly, a single issue party into our legislature? 

I occasionally despair of my country folk. Democracy has a lot to answer for.

Let me lay it out to you though. I have never liked the European commission really. In no particular order - it wields too much unrepresented power. It is unable to form a coherent foreign policy. It creates barmy and poorly constructed policy (Common agricultural policy and fishing quota's). On the upside most people find the single market a bonus even if we lost duty free.

Let us not forget what happens when Europeans cannot sit down around a table and talk (WWI &II). And perhaps a European government that runs around the world like a headless chicken is preferable to all the old imperialist ideals that have done so much for Africa. 

A visionary!

Europe is too diverse, culturally and ethnically, to allow a centralised government too much power. There is just too much cultural identity borne in each member state. There has to be devolvement. 

The single market and freedom of movement for it's citizens is not only of economic benefit but also of a cultural one. Surely the more we bump up against our neighbours the better we come to understand them. 

So if you want to vote but don't want to vote for the usual suspects vote Monster Raving Loony Party. Honestly their manifesto contains more substance than UKIP and is marginally funnier! It 's just a shame they are not putting up candidates.

Barking!