EU Elections 2014; time to finally vote for the BEST MEP candidates?

[Isitmebut]

To most people in the UK the European Elections in May 2014 will either be a big yawn, a chance to protest about Europe, or chance to protest about UK domestic policies – and if recent turnout figures of 38% in 2004 and 35% in 2009 are a guide, it will be apathy that determines your constituencies MEP’s.

But how many people are aware that they may get a say in our membership of the E.U. - and that whether we stay ‘in’ or ‘out’ of the EU - they are sending their regional representatives to Brussels on huge salaries and expenses, averaging around £182,000 a year.

Indeed, one senior UK MEP who shall remain nameless, but is still in office, told the Observer in May 2009 that he had already claimed close to £2 million just in expenses, way back then.

So what I have trouble getting my head around, is just how expensive the protest vote can be, not just in monetary terms, but also in the quality of muppet, of any political party, we send over to Europe to represent out interests.

So while I ‘get it’ that in the past, a EU membership protest vote usually meant that the town fruitcake could get the taxpayers jolly to heckle a foreign bureaucrat, or two, on your behalf, but to but to reiterate the point, and a similar shock could await the independence referendum in Scotland, what happens if there was a surprise ‘yes’ vote and we are being represented by a bigger bunch of half wits, on far bigger remuneration packages, than the usual suspects in Westminster?

So IF/WHEN an E.U. Referendum is guaranteed by law, on every practical level, isn’t it far better to have VOTED for the best MEP candidate within a constituency, to PROMOTE the interests/views of that constituency, REGARDLESS of which UK political ‘tribal’ colours they wear – rather than take pot luck that around 37% of the voters get it right?

Remember no one party can wave their expensive MEP magic wand and GUARANTEE that the UK leaves Europe, as only a parliamentary majority in the house of commons of 326 seats, against the ‘never will leave’ political party’s, could even BEGIN the process of changing the necessary laws.

Isitmebut the EU has morphed from a useful Common Market of several large industrial trading nations to an ever larger expensive and inefficient Federation of Europe, that needs to change to be internationally competitive.

But whether it changes or not, ‘the people’ have to be trusted to have their say, and the only practical way I can see that EVER happening, is via an all party politically binding Referendum in 2017.

What are your thoughts?

[claig]

'Ukip is clearly full of Conservative rejects and as we fire 'em, you hire 'em'

Well we are not going to take Yeo. You can keep him. He is one of yours.

Maybe UKIP made the mistake of believing that the Conservative party had checked their "fruitcakes" out. It is clear that all of these ex-Conservatives need closer checking because it is almost starting to look as if it is a deliberate Tory tactic to embarrass UKIP.

[Isitmebut]

"Deliberate Tory tactic".

There should be a new TV series 'Everyone blames David', but frankly you don't need any help finding embarrassing candidates on your own.

Rule of thumb, if you get a Tory reject, check for any wrong doing AFTER they joined e.g. court convictions, as that tends to give you a clue - as a racist twat clearly isn't coming through at the interviews - sez you.

[Spinflight]

What could anyone blame his Lordship for when he has never accepted responsibility for anything? 16th century churches under water in Somerset? Blame an invisible gas! Food banks doing a roaring trade? Blame the scrounging single mothers! Caught telling lies about his renegotiation with the EU? No-one he can possibly blame for that one so complete silence so far...

He can't even summon up the moral courage to join his second in command in a debate with Nigel! Just a debate mind you, a bit of talking and reasoned discussion. You know the stuff, Greeks invented it apparently.

Frankly it's a bit rich claiming that the tories have fired anyone ( even when caught with their hands in the till ) when the members he despises as swivel eyed loons are resigning in their droves.

Even those who accidentally fall penis first into all manner of strange situations receive his full support.

I'm sure the Reverend David Silvester would have received his full support if the national press had picked up on things he had been saying for years as a tory.

No-one noticed though... Till he joined UKIP.

Frankly if the old, failed, parties spent as much time screening their own candidates for duplicity, scumbaggery, theft and graft as they did scrutinising ordinary members of the public then the country might not be in quite such a mess.

[Isitmebut]

Yeah, yeah, Councillor Lugoda ‘woz innocent’ and Ukip have no past and present record of dodgy people at the front of their party seeking election yet Mr Farage clearly thought so.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/01/nigel-farage-ukpi-mep-purge_n_2788981.html
“Nigel Farage has hinted he will purge Ukip’s MEPs ahead of the 2014 elections to the European Parliament, which he hopes to win.”

“We’ll be getting ready for our selection process for the European elections in 2014, which I hope will be an improved selection process on what happened last time round,” Farage said”


Wythenshaw has just happened, and the candidate and backer of Ukips ‘different’ moral crusade on politics already slipped the net?
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2554783/UKIP-mans-chief-backer-porn-star-called-Lord-Lust-Nigel-Farages-pledge-weed-Walter-Mittys.html

And here are a few more Ukip prepared earlier

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/6545334/Disgraced-ex-Ukip-MEP-Tom-Wise-jailed-for-two-years-for-expenses-fraud.html

www.politics.ie/forum/eu/182557-ex-ukip-mep-nikki-sinclair-arrested-expenses-fraud-charges.html

www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/may/24/mps-expenses-ukip-nigel-farage
And ‘the daddy’ of EU MEP expenses claims at over £2 million, a Mr Farage, in charge of the MEP selection to weed out dodgy characters; a fox in charge of the expenses chicken hut?


Roll on the April MEP elections when Ukip sweeps the board, I can't wait to see what new 'characters' we send to to represent us in Europe on fantastic several year remuneration packages - we'll at least get a laugh to show for our blown taxpayers money.

[Spinflight]

???

A story from 2005? You want me to dig out new labour, tory and lib dem scumbaggery and filth from the last couple of years alone?


"He finally admitted the fraud last week, changing his plea to guilty part-way through his trial for false accounting just as the party leader, Nigel Farage, was due to give evidence against him."

Doesn't sound like the usual tory coverup to me.. He was ejected and hung out to dry.

Nikki Sinclaire was cleared as I recall, and Nigel's expenses are no more than average for a Euro MEP leader....

I think he's worth every penny, especially compared to the nameless, faceless, non-entities who rubber stamp everything that the EU throws at them whilst claiming similar sums.

yougov.co.uk/news/2013/06/04/conservatives-overtake-labour-sleaze/

"58% of Britons – including almost a quarter (24%) of Conservative voters – now agree with the statement, “The Conservatives these days give the impression of being very sleazy and disreputable”"


Even sleazier than labour eh? The tories must have been burning the midnight oil to break that record....

[Isitmebut]

Oh dear…I give you Ukip MEP’s actual deeds, you give me a poll OF JUST THE TORIES AND LABOUR, back in June 2013 when there was a lobbying problem with Tory MP Mercer who had to fall on his sword and stand down, I believe at the next election?

This Farage poll was this year, probably before he called Ukips 2010 manifesto “drivel”, so even LESS ‘substance’ to be seen now.

"Have voters fallen out of love with Nigel Farage? Collapse in ratings for UKIP leader who is seen as 'more style than substance'

• Net satisfaction falls from peak of 11% in May to -13% in November

• Pollsters say the more voters see politicians, the less they like them

UKIP cemented poll lead over Lib Dems and eyes victory in Euro elections

• 46% say Farage is 'more style than substance', 16% say 'good in a crisis'

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2525968/Have-voters-fallen-love-Nigel-Farage-Collapse-ratings-UKIP-leader-seen-style-substance.html