This morning, whilst waiting for the train i spoke to a candidate from the local election - a Lib Dem who had not won incidentally. He noted that UKIP getting such a large margin was merely a "protest vote".
What struck me about such thinking is that it essentially puts forward the thesis that people who voted UKIP don't really want to withdraw from the European Union, they're just saying they do to annoy people.
I wonder as a result how much the Government will try to use this line, and then just steamroller ahead with pro-EU policies? After all, the eurosceptics, ranging from those wanting withdrawal to those wanting looser integration, were clearly in the ascendancy in the UK last night.
This poses a problem for the pro-EU Government. It will want to ignore the majority vierw on Europe, but it needs a means to do that. As such I would thing it will continue to push that the votes for anti-EU parties was just a protest, and that all they need to do is explain the EU better and everyone will fall in line again.
In other words, the proles are stupid and we need to re-educate them. I could be wrong of course.
17 comments:
Well, it has been the case that our politicians only like to talk about the majority view when coincidience has it that the majority and the politician agree (take Harriet's Court of Public Opinion, which delivered quite a damning verdict last night).
Isn't it funny how all Pro-EU groups have excuses at the ready to explain away poor polling results? Shows how well practised they are at that.
Whatever the result the outcome would be the same.
Even a 100% UKIP or No2EU vote would simply be interpreted as the public saying "we need to reform the EU parliament", or - as you point out - the public need 're-educating'.
That is why the public treat the EU and these sham elections with contempt.
Hey, it worked for Ireland and Lisbon.
The 're-education' mantra sounds remarkably like how the Irish government viewed their voters before the Lisbon Treaty vote, and look where that got them.
Mind you, the Irish eurosceptics are in for a hammering this time now that Ireland's economy has almost entirely collapsed and they badly need help.
My vote for UKIP was not a protest vote, I voted many years ago for us to remain in an economic Common Market, I do not want us to join a political European federation.
In other words, the proles are stupid and we need to re-educate them. I could be wrong of course
I'm waiting for them to say that about the BNP voters, OH! And that BNP voter's are stupid, don't know what the BNP are really about,etc, etc,yawn!
I REALLY hope the lefties have many sleepless nights now we have BNP MEP's.
ROFPML ;o)
The EU is much like the Borg.
Resistance is futile.
@T England
The election of two MEPs for the BNP is utterly meaningless.
Why attack the Proles? Proland is now part of the EU...
The election of two MEPs for the BNP is utterly meaningless
I know but it's just SO much fun winding up the lefties & knowing how much the lefties are suffering, I couldn't be happier ;o)
This is going to last for AGES & ages & ages.
BOY! I'm one happy Tory :o)
I think you are wrong about the BNP's victories being meaningless. Which other party makes the establishment so angry? Which other party forces the main 3 parties to start thinking about changing their policies to tackle them?
We are now racing towards economic collapse. The only reason it hasn't happened yet is because the BoE is buying our debt from foreigners. Foreign money is fleeing the country. When we do hit the buffers I fear the BNP will benefit, as the main stream considers them meaningless, which means they won't be blamed.
T England... How many times must it be said - BNP ARE LEFTIES. Yes, with a racist tagline, but they're still socialists to the core.
When the protest vote is greater than the vore for the government party, doesn't that mean the government lost?
T England... How many times must it be said - BNP ARE LEFTIES.
How many times have I got to say I don't care?
When I talk about lefties I know exactly who I'm talking about, lentil crunching, limp wristed, polictically correct, human rights loving, anti facist types ;o)
I call the BNP right wing, OK with you is it?
I think Farage's response was interesting. He said that it was an amazing result “considering we haven't had a proper debate on the European question in recent weeks”.
Not only is he correct, but it struck me that here in Scotland, we've never had a proper debate on the European question; we've been too preoccupied with gaining our very own European Regional Assembly over the last 20 years to realise what it really is, and that it's just a cypher for the Commission. That's why an absurd party that's in favour of ever closer union while shouting “independence!” (and whose leader is as guilty of troughing as the worst of them, incidentally) gained 30% of the vote and UKIP - the only real independence movement in the country - was nowhere.
Very frustrating, but they'll learn eventually.
This 'prole' is utterly pissed off with this 'the great and the good know what's best for me' bollocks. Sooner or later I, and many others, are going to go from being pissed off to being very cross indeed. I wonder if that's why modern lamposts have no bar to rest the ladder against? No matter. There's always a way.
They don't get it do they?
I voted UKIP because I believe our future is better if we're out of Europe.
Which part of that don't they understand?
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