[Mr Dangermouse]

Ok well it's a long time but never too early to think about the next national election. Especially for people like me who are excited about their first ever chance to vote.

The 2009 poll came in the wake of the expenses scandal and the main victors were the Tories, who topped the overall poll and claimed a major scalp by topping the poll in Wales, the SNP, who very nearly scraped a 3rd of Scotland's 6 MEP's and easily topped the ballot, and UKIP, who finished 2nd overall.

The losers were Labour, who scraped above the LD's into third.


My ridiculously early thoughts: The Right wing will pretty much be a referendum on the EU between the Conservatives and UKIP. The left wing will flood back to Labour in their drones with only the Lib Dem base remaining and a small percentage of Left wing Eurosceptics voting UKIP. Labour will do better than expected in Scotland, and although the SNP will top the poll there will be a swing back to Labour(SNP getting a seat from the Lib Dems though). Labour will top the poll in Wales followed by Plaid and the Tories, and the BNP will lose both their seats.


So at this early stage where are you thinking of voting? For me probably Labour in the EU poll.

[Rakas21]

The pattern of voting for the MEP elections is very different to the national polling.

As i am a Tory on most issues i will probably vote for them in 2014 however i am not a euro-skeptic and as such i am tempted to vote for the Liberal Democrats.

[Thatcuber]

I will be voting BNP, they may lose one seat, but I think that is the worst case scenario, with them losing the one in yorkshire and retaining the North West seat. I think they will gain 2-3 seats, perhaps 4 if they're lucky. By 2014 the country will most likely but in such an absolute state they may even get 6-8 seats.

[meenu89]

UKIP.

[Llamageddon]

wipe my arse with the ballot paper and let them infer from that my political affiliations

[Mr Dangermouse]

(Original post by Llamageddon)
wipe my arse with the ballot paper and let them infer from that my political affiliations

Voting BNP?

[tomcol23]

Although I am a RL conservative party member, I will probably be voting UKIP

[Anon420]

My last vote was a mistake, voted Lib Dem... nick clegg and co turning out to be right plebs.

Not sure who I'm voting for this time. However I'm very interested in the Greens party and that currently stands greatly on me, but time will tell in the coming year and months to follow it.

[Morgsie]

European Elections are regarded second order.
People do vote differently to a General Election.

Lib Dems.

I follow some LD MEPs on Twitter

[chrisawhitmore]

I'll be voting UKIP, as I wish to express my contempt for an organisation willing to force long term poverty on to millions of people to save face and avoid admitting their mistakes.

If you've seen nothing, if the crimes of the EU remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you vote along national political lines. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek then I ask you to vote UKIP, and send a message that the people of Britain will not be complicit in the impoverishment of our friends and allies for no better goal than the misguided political ambitions of the Eurocrats.

[chrisawhitmore]

(Original post by Rakas21)
The pattern of voting for the MEP elections is very different to the national polling.

As i am a Tory on most issues i will probably vote for them in 2014 however i am not a euro-skeptic and as such i am tempted to vote for the Liberal Democrats.

Can I ask in what way you think the EU is working?

[Rakas21]

(Original post by chrisawhitmore)
Can I ask in what way you think the EU is working?

I quite like the Common railways policy they have proposed.

To be honest not much is at the moment and the EU needs significant reform but i do believe it has potential.

May main three grievances at the moment are..

1) CAP - Scrap it
2) CFP - Needs significant reform
3) The way the Commision and the European parliament is set up at the moment is the opposite of what it needs to be. At the moment the EP is like our HOL whereby it can only really suggest amendments, discuss it and vote yes or no. The EP needs to become like our HOC in that it suggest legislation itself and then sends it to the sovereign parliaments who can suggest the amendments and vote yes or no even if the EP passes it anyway. This way everything becomes more democratic and the member states get more of a say.

[CandyFlipper]

This one is easy, I'll vote the same as last time - UKIP. I think they'll actually come first in 2014, with the euro having collapsed between now and then. They're being proven right about the EU, simple as that.

[tehFrance]

Do I have to vote for one of the UK/Irish parties in the EU Election? I know it sounds stupid but I haven't done EU ones before... maybe it is best I vote within France instead

[Aj12]

Tempted to go for UKIP. Could easily change before the elections though. Haven't done much research so open to any party really.

[chrisawhitmore]

(Original post by Rakas21)
I quite like the Common railways policy they have proposed.

To be honest not much is at the moment and the EU needs significant reform but i do believe it has potential.

May main three grievances at the moment are..

1) CAP - Scrap it
2) CFP - Needs significant reform
3) The way the Commision and the European parliament is set up at the moment is the opposite of what it needs to be. At the moment the EP is like our HOL whereby it can only really suggest amendments, discuss it and vote yes or no. The EP needs to become like our HOC in that it suggest legislation itself and then sends it to the sovereign parliaments who can suggest the amendments and vote yes or no even if the EP passes it anyway. This way everything becomes more democratic and the member states get more of a say.

Well, based on what you have written, I would suggest that your closest group in the parliament is the European conservatives and reformists group, as they are the ones who want to stay in the EU, but to reform the commission, and to scrap the CAP and CFP.

In the UK the ECR are the Conservative party or the Ulster Unionist party in NI (I still think it would be better if MEPs were actually elected by EU group rather than national party)

[chrisawhitmore]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Do I have to vote for one of the UK/Irish parties in the EU Election? I know it sounds stupid but I haven't done EU ones before... maybe it is best I vote within France instead

Well, the votes are done in the name of national parties, which then form EU groups with like minded parties from elsewhere. The UK does actually offer a slightly different choice of EU groups to France, I'll try to break down the options by group

Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group - (The ones who want to leave)

UK-UKIP France- MPF (Phillip de Villiers' lot)

European Conservatives and Reformists- (The ones who want major reform)

UK- Conservatives, Ulster Unionist Party France- No members

The Greens-(Self explanatory really)

UK-The Green Party France- Europe Ecologie -Les Verts

European Free Alliance (represents stateless nations, usually votes with the Greens)

UK- SNP, Plaid Cymru France- Party of the Corsican nation, various other separatist movements

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe-(Usually votes for closer integration)

UK-Liberal Democrats France- CAP21, Alliance for Democracy in Europe

European People's Party (Christian Democrats, largest party, very eurofederalist)

UK- no members (Conservatives left to form ECR) France- UMP

Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (Eurofederalist)

UK- Labour France- Socialist Party

European United Left–Nordic Green Left (The communists, also quite Eurofederalist)

UK- Sinn Fein France- 'Left Front'- Communist party and Left party.