atoz wrote:I always vote in elections, no matter how dispiriting it sometimes can be, since people in the past fought, and in some cases, gave their lives for the right to vote.
Indeed. I do have some sympathy with those who scribble on ballot papers containing only unacceptable candidates, but not turning out seems a shame.
But those predecessors who fought and risked/suffered death for our freedom wasn't enough to stop 17.whatever million voting to surrender other freedoms in 2016, so maybe the right to vote isn't important to them either? That might be why they're happy to vote for anti-democrat authoritarians like Farage.
atoz wrote:The media seems intent on agreeing with Farage and his motley crew that it's just about Brexit- in the words of panto, oh no it isn't (anyone for the reply? lol). There are other issues other than Brexit- in particular climate change, which Farage of course has no interest in. Obviously he doesn't live in or near an area that is vulnerable to flooding. He's supposed to be one of the laziest MEPs there is- no surprise there then.
He even claimed in the past that climate change was a scam...doh
Amen. It's ridiculous to vote for The Brexit Party for at least two huge reasons: 1. They won't tell you what their policies are until after the vote - it's a complete pig in a poke and probably a bait-and-switch con trick; 2. Brexit is mainly an MP power because it's primarily a national matter, which is why Tusk (ministerial council president) has been leading rather than Juncker (commission president) or Tajani (EP Speaker) - MEPs have minimal effect on this except that the commission president is chosen by the largest party in parliament... but the Brexit Party and its allies are only contesting about half the seats up for election and have refused to nominate a candidate for president!
Some may think that nationalism has been on the rise since the last elections so they might get a majority, but it's worth remembering that the nationalist MEPs don't work together and are currently split between Farage's group, May's allies (which include some nationalists like the Flemish N-VA and the Polish "Law and Justice" and "Right Wing of the Republic"), and another group containing Salvini, as well as a few like Orban who are currently on their own, previously part of the main conservative group (which Cameron took UK Conservatives out of).
atoz wrote:But what's the betting he claims for every expense going..which of course won't be cycling expenses- lol. [...]
I suspect no-one would be willing to take that bet! Farage has a long history of claiming nearly as much as possible, although generally claiming some as his EFDD party's expenses (which are then claimed from the EU anyway) to avoid his personal expenses appearing near the top of the list of UK claimants:
2009,
2014,
2016,
2017 and I'm sure there's more.