Were there any LD supporters who voted Leave?

[optionalrationale]

I am a "natural" Labour supporter and former party member. I supported Labour Leave in the EU Ref and will be voting Conservative for the first time in my life in the GE. I wondered if there were any LD Leavers. I know this might be rare but I wondered if there were any at all. Or is LD Leaver an impossible combination.

And yet in Germany, there was 90% - 96% support for Hitler's actions. Most definitely 'the will of the people'. There is a reason why modern Germany has banned them.

So it's a bit rich trying to play the Jewish card. Ask yourself, how would you have voted (assuming you could be bothered, of course!)

And by the way, like most people, I don't bother to vote in Elections to the EU Parliament because the body has virtually no power.

Here is just one example.
www.politico.eu/article/budget-vote-leads-to-france-vs-parliament-fight-over-strasbourg/

MEPs have voted several times to end the charade and waste of moving the parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg every fourth week. Has it happened? Has it fuck. France fiercely protects having Strasbourg as the seat of parliament because of the financial boost to the local economy

So you vote for a parliament that does not even have the power to decide where it sits.

Turning out to vote in such a mockery of democracy would suggest that I bought into it. I do not.

Not turning out to vote just shows that you can't be arsed.

Today 08:54 Peregrina
"Not turning out to vote just shows that you can't be arsed."

At last we agree on something. I CBA to vote for a meaningless talking shop with zero power and zero accountability. I register my disdain for the institution by execising my democratic freedom to abstain from voting.

If you don't wish to vote for any of the available candidates, a political gesture that is far more effective than not bothering to get out of bed and to the polling station is to deliberately spoil your ballot.

I agree that those who don't vote, when they have the right and the opportunity to do so, forfeit their right to having their opinions taken seriously.

You are Russell brand and I claim my £5. Silent non participation is the laziest and least credible way of 'protesting' against an institution you don't like but if it makes you feel better that's clearly your choice. Spot of cognitive dissonance going on here perhaps.

This is why I asked the question about did you vote in the EU elections. The answer is either as above, "can't be bothered" with justifications as to why not, or more usually silence.

Never have I heard a positive response, yes I do because........, and I think ....xxx could be improved, it would be better for yyy...... etc.

I am not the only one who CBA to propagate this joke of a "parliament"

Voter turnout at European Parliament elections has fallen consecutively at each election since they started in 1979, and has been under 50% since 1999. Voter turnout in 2014 stood at 42.54% of all European voters.

Although the European Parliament has legislative power that the Council and Commission do not possess, it does not formally possess legislative initiative

Whoop-di-doo..

I am not interested in who else doesn't turn out. All those others haven't started a thread going on and on about how undemocratic they think it is when they think that by some process of telepathy or whatever, staying at home will be interpreted as being a protest, and not taken at face value - you can't be bothered. So it doesn't matter or you are happy with the status quo.

Figmentofmyimagination
"You are Russell brand and I claim my £5."
I am not. But congratulations on your £5 win.

"Silent non participation is the laziest and least credible way of 'protesting' against an institution you don't like"

Yes...the 400 million Indians who used silent, non-violent, no-participation to bring out the independence of India should have listened to you instead of Gandhi.

It is interesting that my "laziness" is shared by 60% of European voters..
Vote for me! I want you taxes to pay for me to sit in Parliament that does not possess legislative initiative

I am a LD member who voted to leave. And I will happily vote for them in the election. (Super-safe seat though, aggghhhhrrrrr). But my membership is based partly on 'mostly agreeing with them' and partly on 'it's just good for democracy to have the Lib Dems involved'. I am not/was not passionately leave or remain - but I did hate being told that remain was the only way a sane, thinking person could vote.

It's a lot easier to sit at home winding people up on internet forums than getting off your arse and out of your pjs and going to cast a vote ;)

Silent non-violent protest, is not the same as staying in bed because you can't be bothered. As you would know, if you ever did protest properly.

I've been on non-violent protests many times in my life. 100,000 marching to Parliament Square make a statement. 100,000 having a lie in don't.

Today 09:17 Peregrina
"I am not interested in who else doesn't turn out. All those others haven't started a thread going on and on about how undemocratic they think it is when they think that by some process of telepathy or whatever, staying at home will be interpreted as being a protest, and not taken at face value - you can't be bothered. So it doesn't matter or you are happy with the status quo."

In that case, Peregrina, you will be delightedto learn that I was very, very active in registering my unhappiness with the status quo in the weeks leading up to the Referendum - including being one of the voices from the left proving you can oppose EU membership and not be afraid of accusations of "racist, old, stupid" from Remain.

You will be further delighted to know I actually helped mobilise the Leave vote in my area including getting one group of voters to the polling station with 2 mins to spare before polls closed. Every little helps.

So I can be arsed when it matters

Today 09:20 UnderneaththeArchers
"I am a LD member who voted to leave"

Thanks for posting.

Glad to see you can be bothered sometimes, OR.
Me likewise - I will be exercising my democratic right this and every time. I always vote, because I think it was a hard won right. I don't sometimes vote.

A better question would have been why do did the 4% of UKIP voters vote for Remain?

Today 09:23 Mistigri
"It's a lot easier to sit at home winding people up on internet forums than getting off your arse and out of your pjs and going to cast a vote ;)"

We know how to get people off their arses and out of their pjs when it matters, Mistigri. June 23, 2016
right backatcha

Peregrina
"Why do did the 4% of UKIP voters vote for Remain?"

I don't know Peregrina, Why do did the 4% of UKIP voters vote for Remain?

Was it cos they do did finally listened to Peregrina and DannyTheMNChampionoftheEU and see the divine light that emanates from Junkers?

Today 09:38 Peregrina
"I will be exercising my democratic right this and every time. I always vote, because I think it was a hard won right. I don't sometimes vote"

Wait Peregrina. Do did you sometimes vote and do did you sometimes not vote? I thought you do did always vote. But then you say you do did only sometimes vote.

Yes, OK pull someone up for a typo. I missed my vocation - I should have worked for the Grauniad! You are really scraping the barrel, aren't you?

I have always voted right back from 1970. Even with the Police Commissioner vote which I thought was a complete waste of time and I had had (that's legitimate use of had, not a typo) no information on the candidates. One of my friends spoilt her ballot by turning the paper over and filling the sheet with the reasons why she too thought the whole ballot was a waste of time.

You can't say you always, vote. Only sometimes. That's your right, but I doubt whether you are impressing anyone by your diatribes.

I know the thread has moved on a lot, I was out all of yesterday, but a point Wrongtrouser was making:
I completely agree that we need to avoid saying "all leavers/remainers say xyz" about the other side. I know that not all leavers are racist, you know that not all remainers say that all leavers are racist etc etc etc.

That said, if I question the intelligence of a particular leave politician/voter, I hope that no-one thinks I am extending that insult to all leavers. Because I'm not. Saying stupid things makes someone sound stupid, regardless of how they voted.

optional: Seriously?
First you compared yourself to a Jew in Nazi Germany, now you're Ghandi? Because not voting in the EU elections is completely analogous to what they suffered?

You disenfranchised yourself. Please continue your brave resistance against The Man and have another lie in on June 8th.

Er hello never "compared myself" to the Jews or to Gandhi. I said pasaiv3 resistance and nonviolent non cooperation are legitimate forms of protest in a free society.

I did and do purposely disenfranchise myself (like 60% of EU citizens) in the elections for the EU parliament because it is a waste of space and, according to unlike any other democratic "parliamentc in the world, does not possess legislative initiative by design

Rest assured I will be voting in the GE to ensure that this indeed is the Brexit Election

You won't be voting to ensure that this is the Brexit election. You will be voting for one candidate, in one constituency. You hope that you will get in a candidate supporting a party which will deliver Brexit for you.
Let's hope that May doesn't do another screeching U-turn on you.

It does not formally possess legislative initiative, but in practice does have the de facto right of legislative initiative, and holds many powers over the council. I don't think it is undemocratic for civil servants to be heavily involved in drafting legislation: getting the detailed wording and legality right to achieve the desired aim of the legislation whilst reducing as many unforeseen consequences as possible is a job for experienced experts, in my opinion.

I agree that the Eu is very complex, and far from perfect. With representing so many people, it will always be a balancing act between democracy and flexibility.

Ironically, negotiating the best Brexit deal for the UK would be much easier if the EU was less democratic!