Via the BBC:
The BNP [British National Party] has gained its first MEP in what is shaping up to be an historic Labour defeat in the Euro elections.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham said the BNP win was a “sad moment”. The BNP candidate said it was the “first step to freedom” from EU “dictatorship”.
Labour could be on course to dip below 20% of the vote in what Harriet Harman has called a “very dismal” night.
Ouch.
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> “first step to freedom” from EU “dictatorship”
Anyone know what Tony Benn’s reaction was?
Seed planted by Tom Round — 08 June 2009 @ 15:56
It looks like the death of Social Democracy in Europe.
The question is whether in the UK general election in 2010 will the Tories win big, or will there be a hung parliament?
The BNP won two seats simply because everyone is attacking it. You got to remember for a party like that, any press is good press for it to thrive.
Seed planted by Suaprazzodi — 08 June 2009 @ 18:13
Apparently the BNP’s voters simply turned out in greater numbers than the rest of the electorate. See “PR Didn’t Help the BNP. Apathy Did”.
Seed planted by Bob Richard — 08 June 2009 @ 20:36
I don’t know that European social democracy is about to die. It is not very long since the US Democrats were regarded as a dying party and the media was nattering about the permanent Republican majority. Those predictions would seem to be have been a tad exaggerated. Moreover, parties like the German Christian Democrats are themselves heavily committed to the European social model.
The difficulties now faced by the British Labour Party are not really an indictment of social democracy, if anything, they are a rejection of New Labour’s abandonment of the European social model in favour of the strange amalgam of militarism, privatisation and social control practised by the Blair government and of the somewhat less than proportional system used to elect MEPs in Britain.
Seed planted by Alan — 08 June 2009 @ 20:37