You guys are such a needy country. That's why you once conquered so much of the world. You want to be noticed. But it seems you realized mainland Europe does not really care about you and now you want to make us care with your referendum. Better forget about that and save us all time and trouble. Thanks.
As a last resort I could, but not until they'd explored every other option. That said, Farron is clearly positioning himself for a leadership bid at some point and a poor showing in the Euro elections might see a challenge to Clegg. The Lib Dems without an Orange Booker in charge is a completely different matter.
He's 'protecting the fatherland', is he??? Yeah, that reminds me of something... I can't think what though.
Meanwhile, back in the land of that nice Mister Putin... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...o-disrupt-gas-supplies-to-europe-9253397.html Vladimir Putin has warned Europe that the flow of Russian gas supplies to the continent could be disrupted if Ukraine does not pay the huge amount it owes Russia in unpaid gas bills. Since pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovich was overthrown two months ago and replaced with a pro EU leadership in Ukraine, Russia has nearly doubled the gas price it charges to the country, removing the large subsidies it previously offered. In a letter to the leaders of 18 European countries, Putin made clear unless a solution could be brokered soon, his patience would run out over Kiev's $2.2 billion gas debt to Russia. Putin said Russian exporter Gazprom would demand advance payment for gas supplies to Ukraine and “in the event of further violation of the conditions of payment will completely or partially cease gas deliveries”. Putin pointed out that this could have knock-on effects for European Union countries, much of whose Russian gas flows in pipelines across Ukraine. “We fully realise that this increases the risk of (Ukraine) siphoning off natural gas passing through Ukraine's territory and heading to European consumers,” the letter said. Poor Vlad... How sad and sorry we should all feel for him, having to cut off gas supplies to people in Western Europe but, he doesn't WANT to do it... he has no CHOICE!
Clegg represents the right-wing of the LD party like you said the orange bookers. Many left wing people joined the LD in 2010 because of their anti-Iraq war stand and social liberalism. I think many of them felt betrayed and stunned when clegg joined forces with the Tories. Hence the hemmorage of support from the LD since 2010. Wasn't clegg a Tory growing up???
EU created Jobbik,not the opposite. HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION please, you read it. http://www.hrw.org/tag/human-rights-european-union
Including this bit y'mean? In the face of a political and economic crisis affecting the European Union and many of its member states, protection of human rights is rarely a priority – especially when those negatively affected were marginalized or unpopular groups, such as Roma, migrants, and asylum seekers So the answer to an organisation that fails to stand up to anti-Roma thugs, (among other things), is this guy??? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobbik Jobbik, the Movement for a Better Hungary (Hungarian: Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom), commonly known as Jobbik (pronounced [ˈjobːik]), is a Hungarian radical nationalist[3][4] political party. The party describes itself as "a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party", whose "fundamental purpose" was the protection of "Hungarian values and interests."[12] Jobbik has been described as fascist,[13] neo-fascist,[14] Neo-Nazi,[15] extremist,[16] racist,[17] anti-Semitic,[18][19] anti-Roma[20] and homophobic.[21] Clearly, irony's very popular in Hungary
It has been claimed that he was a member of the Cambridge University Conservative party. Clegg says he can't remember this, so that pretty much confirms he was. That said, people can change their political views, especially early in their lives - Heseltine started out as a Liberal, and Churchill actaully declared he hated the Tory party early in his political career before defecting to the Liberals. Oswald Mosely changed his allegiances numerous times, but that was more likely opportunism than allegiance.
Oh I agree Mussolini was leftist before he was a fascist. But he is more of a natural Tory then a true leftist. He has hurt the LD irrevocably. Many people thought the LD were a legit left-wing alternative to labour hence the flocking to them in 2010. LD need to go back to being a legit left wing party and root out the orange bookers from within them. Because labour has abdicated it's responsibility to the working class and have sold out. They have gone so far right it's troubling.
I disagree there are many far-right people out there all around the world this guy included. To say they are not around or are socks is to ignore the threat. They must be combated.
No, I mean that specific poster is probably a sock. One our regulars I'd imagine, although it's hard to be sure of course.
I stumbled across it in an SZ article about this year's European elections. While we see parties with anti-eu platforms gaining ground in various states we dont see that development in Spain. All parties are pro EU despite crisis and austerity. Spain's PP and PSOE even outbid each other in which way more competences should be given to Brussels. People down there consider their own political classes to be currupt and inept. Even minor left or right parties say yes to EU, euro but maybe want to fight overregulation etc. Seperatists in Catalonia or the Basques are pro EU in the hope of EU transfering power from Madrid to the regional level. The only clear anti-eu and fascist party "La España en Marcha" is without any chance. Nonetheless Spain is expected to see the lowest voter turnout in its democratic history.
Oh gotcha. I never asked you your opinion on the rightward movement of the Labour Party since 1994. Did you think it was necessary and now it has gone too far. That it had alienated much of labour working class base or that now that Blair/brown or gone labour can go back to its roots.
Well when unemployment hovers at 20+% people just don't believe that voting or politicalinstitutions will better their lives.
I'm very much 'old labour' but, obviously, we've got to actually BE in power to achieve anything and that was difficult in the past with the bulk of the press against us. Even supposedly 'left-wing' papers like the grauniad were more liberal democrat than what I'd think of as socialist. So I've always voted labour but that's mostly because there's no real alternative? In any case, even though Blair's government was right-wing on many social issues they did quite a lot for pensioners, the low-paid, the NHS, schools, etc. so it's a matter of swings and roundabouts, isn't it. The fact it all went tits up because of the banking crisis is, in a sense, irrelevant because that would have happened if the tories had been in power too. Like I say... it's a matter of alternatives. As you suggest, now Blair has gone, (rather more than Brown who was against most of the more idiotic right-wing stuff anyway, IMO), we can hopefully get back to more of our core values with Miliband who, with any luck, has got enough of his old man's values in him to make a difference, as opposed to his brother who seemed quite comfortable with Blair and his cronies, including the disastrous Iraq débâcle.
Would you want Labour to return to its 1983 election manifesto roots. Michael Foot was quite bold, courageous and brave with the platform that year. Sure they got wiped out but that is more dignifying that what Blair or NL ever gave Britain.
Well, that would be fighting old battles, wouldn't it. Some of it was good, some was just 'OK' and some of it was counterproductive and would have proven to be ineffective.
True what I meant was should labour return to its traditional socialist roots or stick with its third way neoliberal NL addenda . The 29% showing in 2010 was dismal and I thing miliband wants to take the party in a new direction a middle path in between the far left and right wing of NL.
I'm sorry, but they did some vitally important work while in power. Could they have done more? Undoubtedly, but their achievements were not insignificant. http://kittysjones.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/labours-achievements-lest-we-forget/ There's no way Labour will be reverting to open socialism, or anything close to it, any time soon. The market simply wouldn't allow it, and the press get jittery over anything resembling left wing. I think Miliband is very much from the John Smith school of Labour (right of Kinnock, left of Blair) and you will see a gradual move to reach out leftwards while trying to maintain the centre. An attempt to widen Labour's base rather than shift it. The 29% was largely a result of people jumping to the Lib Dems - that won't be happening again any time soon.