EU results as they come in.

[Beorn]

Stick all relevant information about tonight's results in this thread.

[Beorn]

I was just watching the precursory show to tonight's results on the BBC, and apparently the rumours of the centre left/left having a very bad election is growing.

Apparently, Labour in the South East of England is registering as low as sixth in some areas.

Tonight is going to be interesting.

[British and Proud]

Info taken from The BNP Chronicle (http://www.bnp-chronicle.com/2009/06/british-national-party-european.html):


20:05 Unrepentant British Nationalist said...
Just finished watching the first programme on BBC 2, and allegedly somebody 'whispered' in the reporter from the Mancester count's ear that the BNP hadn't done as well as expected.

20:15 Unrepentant British Nationalist said...
Nigel Farage also stated that, certainly in the South East, the folded ballot papers had cost them. Labour rumoured to be 5th or 6th in Eastern Region.

20:20 BNP-Chronicle said:
Nigel Farage predicts that the folded ballots saga has cost the party tens of thousands of votes.

20:22 BNP-Chronicle said:
Turnout is at a record low of 43%. Sky news predicts that UKIP rather than the BNP will take the last London seat.

20:30 Cygnet said:
Q, What do you call a communist UKIP'er?

A, a Red Herring.

Also came across this: http://www.labourlist.org/european_election_results

European election results; UPDATE: Griffin likely to be in in NW; BNP confident in Yorks; Labour to win in overall in NW?

[British and Proud]

From another website:

CHESHIRE WEST RESULTS


Con 27,522

UKIP 14,089

Lab 12,530

LD 9,817

Greens 6,292

BNP 4,789

[Beorn]

North East

Labour 1 seat with 147, 338 votes.
Conservatives 1 seat with 116, 911 votes.
Liberal Democrats 1 seat with 103, 644 votes.

[SwordoftheVistula]

This was posted elsewhere earlier, but I'll add it into this thread:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8084281.stm

The party of the right-wing Dutch MP, Geert Wilders, has come second in the country's elections for the European Parliament, partial results indicate.

Mr Wilders, who is facing prosecution over anti-Islamic statements, said his Freedom Party (PVV) would get four of the 25 Dutch seats in the parliament.

With more than 92% of votes counted, the ruling Christian Democrats are top.

The partial results in the Netherlands also showed gains for two staunchly pro-EU parties - the social-liberal D66 and Green Left. Each is on course to send three MEPs to Brussels.

The Christian Democrats' governing coalition partner, the Labour Party (PvdA), was the biggest loser - its share of the Dutch vote fell nearly 10% percentage points to about 14%.

[SwordoftheVistula]

North East

Labour 1 seat with 147, 338 votes.
Conservatives 1 seat with 116, 911 votes.
Liberal Democrats 1 seat with 103, 644 votes.

Looking at those results compared with 2004:

Labour loses over 1/3 of its support
Marginal increases for the Conservatives
Marginal decrease for the Lib Dems
UKIP increases vote by over 1/5, far from predictions of collapse
BNP increases vote by over 1/4, in spite of strong showing from UKIP
Green Party increases, but not as much as UKIP

[SwordoftheVistula]

This looks like an updated version of an article posted elsewhere on the forum:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090607/ap_on_re_eu/european_elections

BRUSSELS – Initial results and exit polls show conservatives racing toward victory in some of Europe's largest economies.

Voters are punishing left-leaning parties in European Parliament elections Sunday in France, Germany and elsewhere in the 27-nation bloc.

First projections by the EU show center-right parties will have the most seats — between 263 and 273 — in the 736-member parliament.

Center-left parties are expected to get between 155 to 165 seats.

Projections show Germany's Social Democrats heading to their worst showing in a nationwide election since World War II. France's Interior Ministry says partial results show the governing conservatives in the lead.

The French results put the Socialists in a distant second and the Europe Ecologie environmentalist party a close third.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Conservatives raced toward victory in some of Europe's largest economies Sunday as exit polls showed voters punishing left-leaning parties in European Parliament elections in France, Germany and elsewhere.

Some right-leaning parties suggested the results vindicated their reluctance to spend more on company bailouts and fiscal stimulus amid the global economic crisis.

Projections showed Germany's Social Democrats heading to their worst showing in a nationwide election since World War II. Four months before a German national election, the outcome boosted conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel's hopes of ending the tense left-right "grand coalition" that has led the European Union's most populous nation since 2005.

"We are the force that is acting level-headedly and correctly in this financial and economic crisis," said Volker Kauder, the leader of Merkel's party in the German parliament.

Exit polls suggested France's governing conservative party scored a resounding victory with 28.3 percent of the vote, followed by the opposition Socialist Party with 17.5 percent.

French Socialists said their defeat signaled a need to rethink left-wing policies to unseat Sarkozy.

"Everything is indicating a very good result," French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said minutes after polls closed, attributing the result to the government's handling of its stint as rotating president of the European Union. The Socialists blamed their poor showing on the divisions that have fractured the party in the past several elections.

An EU estimate showed that only 43 percent of 375 million eligible voters cast ballots in European Parliament elections, a record low.

Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and five other EU nations cast ballots in the last three days, while the rest of the 27-nation bloc voted Sunday. Results for most countries were expected later in the day.

The EU parliament has evolved over five decades from a consultative legislature to one with the power to vote on or amend two-thirds of all EU laws. Lawmakers get five-year terms in the 736-seat parliament, and residents vote for lawmakers from their own countries.

Opinion surveys and exit polls showed right-leaning governments edging the opposition in Italy and Belgium as well as Germany and France. Conservative opposition parties were tied or ahead in Britain and Spain, opinion polls showed.

The leader of the Socialist grouping in the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, told party faithful in Brussels via video link from Berlin that "tonight is a very difficult evening for Socialists in many nations in Europe."

Schulz said the party would "continue to fight for social democracy in Europe."

Many Socialists across Europe ran campaigns that slammed center-right leaders for failing to rein in financial markets and spend enough to stimulate the economy.

Graham Watson, leader of the center-right Liberal Democrat grouping, said early results suggested a rejection of the Socialist approach.

"People don't want a return to socialism and that's why the majority here will be a center-right majority," he said.

Exit polls also showed gains for far-right groups and other fringe parties due to record low turnout.

Near final results showed Austria's main rightist party gaining strongly while the ruling Social Democrats lost substantial ground. The big winner in Austria was the rightist Freedom Party, which more than doubled its strength over the 2004 elections to 13.1 percent of the vote. It campaigned on an anti-Islam platform.

In the Netherlands, exit polls predicted Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic party would win more than 15 percent of the country's votes, bruising a ruling alliance of Conservatives and Socialists.

Fringe groups could use the EU parliament as a platform for their extreme views but were not expected to affect the assembly's increasingly influential lawmaking on issues ranging from climate change to cell-phone roaming charges.

The parliament can also amend the EU budget — euro120 billion ($170 billion) this year — and approves candidates for the European Commission, the EU administration and the board of the European Central Bank.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's Freedom People's Party held a two-digit lead over his main center-left rival in the most recent polling despite a deep recession and a scandal over allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old model.

In Britain, dissident Labour legislators said a plot to oust Prime Minister Gordon Brown could accelerate after the party's expected dismal results in the European elections are announced.

Opponents say the Labour leader has been so tainted by the economic crisis and a scandal over lawmakers' expenses that the opposition Conservatives are virtually guaranteed to win the next national election, which must be called by June 2010.

Exit polls in Bulgaria showed the governing Socialist-led coalition facing defeat and the country's right-wing opposition party winning most of the votes.

In contrast, Greece's governing conservatives were headed for defeat in the wake of corruption scandals and with a sharply slowing economy, exit polls showed. The Communists and a new environmental party, meanwhile, were expected to make a strong showing.

Advance polls also favored the left-leaning party in Portugal.

In Spain, where the recession has driven unemployment to 17.4 percent, Europe's highest, a close race was expected between the ruling Socialists and the conservative opposition.

Poland's governing pro-business Civic Platform party was expected to claim around half of the country's 50 seats, followed by the conservative nationalist Law and Justice party — a shift to the right for Poland at the European parliament.

In Hungary, where the governing Socialist Party raised taxes and cut social programs, the main center-right opposition party, Fidesz, was slated to win at least 15 of 22 seats. Jobbik, a far-right party accused of racism and anti-Semitism, was expected to win one or two.

In Sweden, the Green Party was expected to increase its support dramatically. The Pirate Party, which advocates shortening the duration of copyright protection, was expected to get one or two seats for the first time.

[Beorn]

East of England

Conservative 3 seats with 500, 331 votes.
UKIP 2 seats with 313, 921 votes.
Liberal Democrats 1 seat with 221, 235 votes.
Labour 1 seat with 167, 833 votes.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Looks about the same as the other result: Labour down 1/3, BNP up 1/4, marginal increase for Conservatives and marginal decrease for Lib Dems, gains for smaller parties

[Beorn]

Yorkshire and the Humber

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">299,802</td> <td headers="votes">24.5
(-0.2)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">230,009</td> <td headers="votes">18.8
(-7.5)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">213,750</td> <td headers="votes">17.4
(+2.9)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">161,552</td> <td headers="votes">13.2
(-2.4)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="BNP pid txtl">British National Party</td> <td headers="votes net">120,139</td> <td headers="votes">9.8
(+1.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td></tr></tbody></table>

The first seat of the night. :D

[Beorn]

Wales

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">145,193</td> <td headers="votes">21.2
(+1.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">138,852</td> <td headers="votes">20.3
(-12.2)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="PC pid txtl">Plaid Cymru</td> <td headers="votes net">126,702</td> <td headers="votes">18.5
(+1.1)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">87,585</td> <td headers="votes">12.8
(+2.3)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td></tr></tbody></table>
No seat for the BNP, but they did show an increase of 2.5%. Labour down by -12.2%.

[chap]

"Whatever their colour, whatever their race, whatever their religion, they are welcome to stay here with us"

Nick Griffin on Sky News, on immigrants being able to stay if they are loyal to Britain - are the BNP voters here OK with that?

[Beorn]

"Whatever their colour, whatever their race, whatever their religion, they are welcome to stay here with us"

One of Nick Griffin's more sane appearances on telly then, but I'd agree with that sentiment.
If a contributing member of these nations, who so happens to be non-White, then why not? It's the non-Whites changing whole demographics of England; leeching off of our benefit systems; supporting complete alien religions and cultures, wishing to incorporate theirs into my nation that I am sure he is wanting to be repatriated.

But let's not beat around the bush, the BNP have had to tidy themselves up here, but who else is there to vote for with my interests at heart?

[Loki]

"Whatever their colour, whatever their race, whatever their religion, they are welcome to stay here with us"

Nick Griffin on Sky News, on immigrants being able to stay if they are loyal to Britain - are the BNP voters here OK with that?

Do you think the BNP would get more votes if Griffin said on telly that he'd deport all non-whites? What he is, is being clever about it. Words are cheap, and as we know from Labour -- policies and promises can change on a whim once you are elected.

[chap]

I realise he is saying what is politically expedient not to say, legal, but still it's statements like that which non-BNP voters would feel do not add up.

[Loki]

I realise he is saying what is politically expedient not to say, legal, but still it's statements like that which non-BNP voters would feel do not add up.

Well, Labour and the Tories' statements rarely add up, in fact their lies are very transparent. Yet people vote for them. I guess Griffin got a few clues there.

[Jamt]

SD did not make it to Brussels. Probably because the new Piratpartiet took some potential votes from them.

[Beorn]

London

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">479,037</td> <td headers="votes">27.4
(+0.6)</td> <td headers="meps total">3</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">372,590</td> <td headers="votes">21.3
(-3.5)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">240,156</td> <td headers="votes">13.7
(-1.6)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="GRN pid txtl">Green Party</td> <td headers="votes net">190,589</td> <td headers="votes">10.9
(+2.5)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">188,440</td> <td headers="votes">10.8
(-1.6)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td></tr></tbody></table>

BNP received 86, 420 votes and registered a 0.9% rise.

[Beorn]

East Midland

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">370,275</td> <td headers="votes">30.2
(+3.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">206,945</td> <td headers="votes">16.9
(-4.1)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">201,984</td> <td headers="votes">16.4
(-9.6)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">151,428</td> <td headers="votes">12.3
(-0.6)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td></tr></tbody></table>
BNP up 2.1%

[Beorn]

European elections 2009: BNP wins first seat in Yorkshire and the Humber (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5472045/European-elections-2009-BNP-wins-first-seat-in-Yorkshire-and-the-Humber.html)




The far right party's Andrew Bronstook the last of the six seats up for grabs, sending shock waves through the mainstream political parties.
Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP, said that the presence of his party in Brussels would "transform British politics". He added that Britain had become a "bankrupt slum" under Labour.

"The party is going to go on and grow very rapidly," he said.
"We're going to be major contenders in a number of places in the next general election and the next wave of council elections - we're going to do very well indeed."
Brons is a veteran of far-Right politics. As a teenager he joined the neo-Nazi British National Socialist party.
He stood five times for the National Front in the 1970s after a brief spell as its leader, which ended in internal quarrels.

The 61-year-old was fined £50 by Leeds magistrates in 1984 for using insulting words and behaviour after a confrontation with police.
Last year he retired as a politics and government teacher at Harrogate College, and re-entered active politics.
He is "implacably opposed" to the UK's membership of the European Union and intends to "expose the activities and corruption of the EU to strengthen Britain's case for withdrawal", the BNP said.

The election of a BNP Euro MP is a significant blow to Gordon Brown. The BNP took the seat from Labour, which saw its share of the vote in the region drop by 8 per cent on the last European elections in 2004.
Labour supporters and MPs will be disgusted that it is under a Labour government that the BNP have made their biggest breakthrough.
Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, said: "It is a sad moment. There are concerns about immigration. The Government have to get a response to those concerns.

"We have got to understand why people have voted for the BNP. We should redouble our determination to take them on and take them out of British politics."
Mark Francois, the Tory Europe spokesman, said: "It's a disappointing night for British politics."

[Beorn]

South West

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">468,742</td> <td headers="votes">30.2
(-1.3)</td> <td headers="meps total">3</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">341,845</td> <td headers="votes">22.1
(-0.5)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">266,253</td> <td headers="votes">17.2
(-1.2)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="GRN pid txtl">Green Party</td> <td headers="votes net">144,179</td> <td headers="votes">9.3
(+2.1)</td> <td headers="meps total">0</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">118,716</td> <td headers="votes">7.7
(-6.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">0</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td></tr></tbody></table>

BNP rise by +0.9%

[Beorn]

South East

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">812,288</td> <td headers="votes">34.8
(-0.4)</td> <td headers="meps total">4</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">440,002</td> <td headers="votes">18.8
(-0.7)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">330,340</td> <td headers="votes">14.1
(-1.2)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="GRN pid txtl">Green Party</td> <td headers="votes net">271,506</td> <td headers="votes">11.6
(+3.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">192,592</td> <td headers="votes">8.2
(-5.4)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td></tr></tbody></table>

BNP rise by +1.4%

[~°2012°~]

European elections 2009: BNP wins first seat in Yorkshire and the Humber


Congratulations BNP

[Angantyr]

Congratulations BNP

Add my congratulations to the BNP from a frog across the pond.

[Beorn]

West Midland

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">396,847</td> <td headers="votes">28.1
(+0.7)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">300,471</td> <td headers="votes">21.3
(+3.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">240,201</td> <td headers="votes">17.0
(-6.4)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">170,246</td> <td headers="votes">12.0
(-1.7)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td></tr></tbody></table>

BNP rise by +1.1%

[Treffie]

Wales

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">145,193</td> <td headers="votes">21.2
(+1.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">138,852</td> <td headers="votes">20.3
(-12.2)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="PC pid txtl">Plaid Cymru</td> <td headers="votes net">126,702</td> <td headers="votes">18.5
(+1.1)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">87,585</td> <td headers="votes">12.8
(+2.3)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td></tr></tbody></table>
No seat for the BNP, but they did show an increase of 2.5%. Labour down by -12.2%.

It's not exactly the result that I could have wished for but it's a step in the right direction. Wales is usually a Labour stronghold so this is an amazing result.

[Treffie]

South West

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">468,742</td> <td headers="votes">30.2
(-1.3)</td> <td headers="meps total">3</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">341,845</td> <td headers="votes">22.1
(-0.5)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">266,253</td> <td headers="votes">17.2
(-1.2)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="GRN pid txtl">Green Party</td> <td headers="votes net">144,179</td> <td headers="votes">9.3
(+2.1)</td> <td headers="meps total">0</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">118,716</td> <td headers="votes">7.7
(-6.8)</td> <td headers="meps total">0</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td></tr></tbody></table>

BNP rise by +0.9%

Mebyon Kernyw (Cornish Nationalist) knocked Labour into 6th place in Cornwall!

[Beorn]

North West

<table summary="Results in full" id="euroresults" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="right"><td headers="party" class="CON pid txtl">Conservative</td> <td headers="votes net">423,174</td> <td headers="votes">25.6
(+1.5)</td> <td headers="meps total">3</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LAB pid txtl">Labour</td> <td headers="votes net">336,831</td> <td headers="votes">20.4
(-6.9)</td> <td headers="meps total">2</td> <td headers="meps gain2">-1</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="UKIP pid txtl">UK Independence Party</td> <td headers="votes net">261,740</td> <td headers="votes">15.8
(+3.7)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="LD pid txtl">Liberal Democrats</td> <td headers="votes net">235,639</td> <td headers="votes">14.3
(-1.6)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">0</td> </tr> <tr class="right"> <td headers="party" class="BNP pid txtl">British National Party</td> <td headers="votes net">132,094</td> <td headers="votes">8.0
(+1.6)</td> <td headers="meps total">1</td> <td headers="meps gain2">+1</td></tr></tbody></table>


BNP rise +1.6% and gain a seat.


FUCK YEAH!!!!! :thumbs up

[SwordoftheVistula]

Looks like 2 seats for the BNP then, since the NW was their best chance followed by West Midlands and Yorkshire. Not bad at all, as this gives the party more legitimacy, and since they got elected it more than one area they can't call it a 'fluke' that Griffin got elected.

[Treffie]

The BBC
It's a sad night for British democracy

Oh just f*** off you bunch of lefties!

*rant over*

[Beorn]

LOL! I'd been laughing at every improper mention of the BNP all night.

My favourite was the almost culture affirming statement made by some Conservative representative that this was a shameful night for British politics and that the British people must be cowering in their seats with the threat of fascism so close to our shores.

:rotfl:

Define 'fascism' and we suddenly see the many faces it has had on these isles since the end of the war.

[sturmwalkure]

Does anyone know how the Vlaams Belang did in Belgium?

[Beorn]

Does anyone know how the Vlaams Belang did in Belgium?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/euro/09/flash/html/eu.stm

[Beorn]

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8088501.stm)BNP chief rejects 'racist' tag (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/BNP%20chief%20rejects%20%27racist%27%20tag)

I never knew the Labour party had a policy of voluntary repatriation.

[sturmwalkure]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/euro/09/flash/html/eu.stm

Wow so no seats. :( Such a shame...

[Loyalist]

LOL! I'd been laughing at every improper mention of the BNP all night.

My favourite was the almost culture affirming statement made by some Conservative representative that this was a shameful night for British politics and that the British people must be cowering in their seats with the threat of fascism so close to our shores.

:rotfl:

Define 'fascism' and we suddenly see the many faces it has had on these isles since the end of the war.

Here's another gem:


Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "On D-Day, Britain sent an army to Europe to stop the Nazis getting to Britain.

"It is an absolute insult to the memories to those who fought that 65 years later Britain is now sending Nazis to Europe to represent us."

Source (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/European-Elections-BNP-Party-Leader-Nick-Griffin-Stopped-From-Entering-Count-At-Manchester-Town-Hall/Article/200906115298144?lpos=Politics_Carousel_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15298144_European_Elections_BNP_Party_ Leader_Nick_Griffin_Stopped_From_Entering_Count_At _Manchester_Town_Hall)

[SwordoftheVistula]

This seems like a pretty good summary, although it was published before Griffin's seat was announced:

The Vlaams Belang lost votes to a more moderate conservative/nationalist party, as did the French National Front and the Polish, Latvian, and Bulgarian nationalist parties:

http://euobserver.com/9/28263

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Across Europe, the far right is on the march, claiming increased numbers of seats in ten different member states. However, in Belgium, France and Poland, the far right saw some significant losses as well.

In total, the far right is up eight seats on the 2004 European elections.

While the far right across Europe made significant gains, in France, Jean Marie Le Pen's Front National lost four seats (Photo: Wikipedia)

In Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the UK, the far right made moderate to significant advances.

However, the extreme right saw sharp declines in Belgium, and France, and were completely wiped out in Poland.

"The far right growth is a really bad sign, and this is clearly linked to the economic crash," Gerry Gable, the editor of Searchlight, a long-standing anti-fascist monthly magazine out of the UK, where the British National Party elected its first-ever MEP, told EUobserver.

"This is the entirely predictable result of the social fall-out of the financial crisis," he added. "It's a particularly worrying trend, especially in Austria and the Netherlands."

The Netherlands leads the way with four seats for the anti-immigrant and anti-Islam Freedom Party of the platinum blond Geert Wilders, the producer of the notorious Muslim-baiting film short Fitna.

Austria as well delivered two seats to the identically named Freedom Party, up one seat from 2004 and winning 13.4 percent of the vote.

The BVO of the late Joerg Haider, a breakaway from the FPO, however was denied any representation in the European Parliament, although it did manage to win the support of 4.6 percent of voters.

Together, Austria's far right won a clean 18 percent.

Hungary too returned three MEPs from the Movement for the Better Hungary, or Jobbik, on some 15 percent of the vote. The group is the founder of the Hungarian Guard, a paramilitary outfit whose uniforms recall the Nazi youth organisations from Europe's darkest days.

In Denmark, the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party, which nevertheless rejects the far-right label, gained an extra seat, up from one.

Finland also delivered up its first hard-right deputy, from the Perussuomalaiset, or True Finns, a nationalist and staunchly anti-EU grouping. The group's win at the EU level follows on from its successes in domestic elections. In the 2003 parliamentary elections, the party won three seats and in 2007, it won five.

The Greater Romania Party won two seats, up from nil in 2007. Prior to the country's entry into the European Union, the party did however have representation in the form of five 'observer' MEPs. In 2007 however, they lost all MEPs.

Greece's Popular Orthodox Rally, or LAOS grouping, led by right-wing journalist Georgios Karatzaferis, doubled its representation from one to two MEPs, with around seven percent of the vote.

Italy's anti-immigrant Northern League also doubled its representation, but from four to eight MEPs. However, the fate of the far right in Italy is difficult to measure, as the two other hard-right parties, the self-styled 'post-fascist' National Alliance of Gianfanco Fini, and the neo-fascist Social Alternative of Alessandra Mussolini, merged with Forza Italia in Silvio Berlusconi's the People of Freedom party earlier this year.

France's National Front however, lost four seats, down from seven, while the hard-right sovereignist Movement for France of Philippe de Villiers, now branded Libertas under the umbrella of Irish centrist eurosceptic Declan Ganley, also dropped two seats down to one.

"The Front National in France has taken a beating, largely as a result of the governing party taking on some of their rhetoric and Le Pen himself has just gone on too long and accumulated too many convictions," said Mr Gable. "But the key is the party pulling itself apart in different directions."

"It's a similar story in Belgium, where the Vlaams Belang is losing backing to the Lijst Dedecker, but when they begin to pull apart, that's when they start to suffer."

The Flemish separatist Vlaams Belang lost one seat and now has only two in the house, while the right-wing populist Lijst Dedecker gained one. Together however, their combined roughly 15 percent of the vote does not match the Vlaams Belangs' 23 percent of 2004.

Poland saw the biggest drop in the far-right vote, however, which returned 16 right-of-the-right MEPs last time around. This year, not a single one has been elected from either the League of Polish Families or the Self-Defence party.

Mr Gable attributed this to the hard conservatism of the mainstream parties.

"The collapse of the far right is just a sign of how right wing the governing parties have been."

Bulgaria's extremist anti-minority National Union Attack, or Ataka party, also dropped down one seat to two, and Latvia's For Fatherland and Freedom (LNNK) lost three.

Finally, while results from the UK have been late to arrive, early projections suggest the British National Party will have at least one seat, from the Yorkshire and Humber region.

The candidate, Andrew Brons, "is a really nasty character and a long-time Nazi activist that has a conviction for an assault on a Black policeman," said the Searchlight editor.

"He really is the true face of the BNP."

"It's very disappointing that they've taken any seats in the UK, and there's still the Northwest and Midlands constituencies to come in and it could be very close there as well."

[sturmwalkure]

I wonder when the real change is gonna come, I am somewhat disheartened by the results... my attitude seems to change from day to day, some days I feel like all hope is lost (today is such a day) and some days I feel there is a chance we can take our nations back but today I hang my head... this just isn't good enough. Now if I heard far-right wins by a landslide, or even a margin all across Europe I'd be more optimistic but we lost once again... :(

[Treffie]

I wonder when the real change is gonna come, I am somewhat disheartened by the results... my attitude seems to change from day to day, some days I feel like all hope is lost (

One step at a time. ;)

[Freomæg]

Great news all round. I'm a little disappointed by the huge success of UKIP, but I recognise that it's a step in the right direction. People will jump "right" in increments, and UKIP was the next increment. Next election, when UKIP have done nothing to help Britain, the jump might be from UKIP to BNP.

What is heartwarming is the success of other anti-Islamic/immigration parties across Europe, such as Wilders' Freedom party. Seems almost the whole of Europe is moving in the correct direction.

[Beorn]

I wonder when the real change is gonna come, I am somewhat disheartened by the results... my attitude seems to change from day to day, some days I feel like all hope is lost (today is such a day) and some days I feel there is a chance we can take our nations back but today I hang my head... this just isn't good enough. Now if I heard far-right wins by a landslide, or even a margin all across Europe I'd be more optimistic but we lost once again... :(


One step at a time. ;)


Rome wasn't built in a day, and nor did it decline in a day.

[Vulpix]

Disappointing :grumpy::

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/6563/resultatetieuvalet.png

Less than 4% = no EU seat for SD :(.

[Phlegethon]

People will jump "right" in increments


With a background of over two decades in campaigning I can assure you they jump right in excrements instead.


Less than 4% = no EU seat for SD :(.

Hey, now that we get Swedish "Pirates" in Strasbourg it is about time for the reactivation of the Nordiska Rikspartiet, even if it is just for good ol' Phlegethon's comic relief.

Here's parliamentary democracy for you, a three and a half feet long ballot, 31 parties, and all of them crap. The DVU, in comparison the least evil on the list, scored a whopping 0.4% of the vote. Well, all too familiar, even Dita von Teese's dancing could not save the German contribution to the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year. ;)

German results (http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/de/europawahlen/EU_BUND_09/ergebnisse/bundesergebnisse/b_tabelle_99.html)

Send me live ammo now; I shall be trying out Plan B!

[SwordoftheVistula]

With a background of over two decades in campaigning I can assure you they jump right in excrements instead.



Hey, now that we get Swedish "Pirates" in Strasbourg it is about time for the reactivation of the Nordiska Rikspartiet, even if it is just for good ol' Phlegethon's comic relief.

Here's parliamentary democracy for you, a three and a half feet long ballot, 31 parties, and all of them crap. The DVU, in comparison the least evil on the list, scored a whopping 0.4% of the vote. Well, all too familiar, even Dita von Teese's dancing could not save the German contribution to the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year. ;)

German results (http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/de/europawahlen/EU_BUND_09/ergebnisse/bundesergebnisse/b_tabelle_99.html)

Send me live ammo now; I shall be trying out Plan B!

Ouch, trounced by the pirates again:

PIRATEN 229.117 0,9
DVU 111.631 0,4

Maybe next election they can merge

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/2/c/9/2c987b6fbc0c8d9222d2fff569e2dbc6.jpg

[finironcross]

43% voter turnout in combined Europe. That means the whole system is illegitimate and should be dismantled.

[The Lawspeaker]

Congratulations for the people(s) of Britain and the BNP.
It was a great day for democracy and next time they will do even better.

[SwordoftheVistula]

43% voter turnout in combined Europe. That means the whole system is illegitimate and should be dismantled.

That doesn't seem that low, it's almost half. Also, the people who don't vote are even less informed than the ones who do vote. If the system is reformed, it should be to remove from eligibility large portions of the electorate which tend to be lazy/disinterested in politics.

[finironcross]

Democracy doesn't work. It thwarts the development of our people. It brings the incapable into power. It's a sham and in fact, a criminal enterprise. The... nameless ones push for democracy because it allows them to bribe and manipulate people into doing their bidding. The State becomes a goal in itself to these mafiosos.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Democracy doesn't work. It thwarts the development of our people. It brings the incapable into power. It's a sham and in fact, a criminal enterprise. The... nameless ones push for democracy because it allows them to bribe and manipulate people into doing their bidding. The State becomes a goal in itself to these mafiosos.

It can act as a check on the elites getting too much power though. The trick is to figure out which groups of people are less open to bribing and manipulation and only allow these to vote

[finironcross]

It can act as a check on the elites getting too much power though. The trick is to figure out which groups of people are less open to bribing and manipulation and only allow these to vote

No, it does the opposite. It allows them unlimited power without any responsibility. It's a sick system. Democrazy can only work locally - in your city, town or hamlet and even there, great checks and balances would be required. The average person is not capable and should not be required to keep up with national interests. That should be left to the National Leaders who ae not voted in.

[Brännvin]

Disappointing :grumpy::

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/6563/resultatetieuvalet.png

Less than 4% = no EU seat for SD :(.

Well, less than 1/4 of Swedes voted yesterday not different from the last. I take it as something positive in any way, it means that the majority population does not care about the EU at all, also noted in the participation record against adopting the Euro in 2003.

Remember the last national elections in 2006, it was a record participation when the Swedish population was fed up with the Social Democrats.

The important are the national elections on next year when there will be possibly another record of participation.

One step at a time, to make you less sad today, here's an illustration I found comparing the SD election results of 2002 and 2006, wait to 2010. ;)

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/4379/sdmunicipalmap20022006xj4.png

[SwordoftheVistula]

No, it does the opposite. It allows them unlimited power without any responsibility.

Direct democracy seems to work better than leaders. For example, many states here have passed laws by direct democracy (voter initiatives) against illegal aliens, gay marriage, and unfair taxes.


that should be left to the National Leaders who ae not voted in.

That's what the EU has: The EU parliament this thread is about is mainly a consultative body, with the unelected Commission having the most power.


The average person is not capable and should not be required to keep up with national interests.

This is true, so just restrict the vote to those more inclined to do so, for example male landowners above age 25.

[Phlegethon]

Ouch, trounced by the pirates again:

PIRATEN 229.117 0,9
DVU 111.631 0,4

Maybe next election they can merge

They can merge with Geert Wilders and become the Buttpirate Party.

[Phlegethon]

That doesn't seem that low, it's almost half.

Judge by European standards, not by American ones!

And keep in mind that there are also European countries in which casting your vote is mandatory.

[Lars]

http://bayimg.com/image/naapiaacl.jpg
Soc. Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne)
V Liberals (Venstre)
SF Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti)
DF Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti)
Kons. Conservative People's Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti)
Folk. People's Movement against the EU (Folkebevægelsen mod EU)
Rad. Social Liberal Party (Det Radikale Venstre)
Juni June Movement (JuniBevægelsen)
Lib. Al. Liberal Alliance (Liberal Alliance )

Morten Messerschmidt from Danish People's Party received the most votes of all the candidates. 263.000 voted for him.

Votes cast 2,414,482/4,056,862

Pretty sweet that one out of ten voted for him.

[The Lawspeaker]

Judge by European standards, not by American ones!

And keep in mind that there are also European countries in which casting your vote is mandatory.
Like Belgium.

[Phlegethon]

This is true, so just restrict the vote to those more inclined to do so, for example male landowners above age 25.

In most European countries this would leave out at least 95% of the population, especially those who pay most of the taxes. Such a system was common in Europe until the late 18th century. Then the bastille got stormed, the guillotine was invented and things changed quite a bit since then.

[finironcross]

Things changed, indeed. We are now enjoying the fruits of those changes. The impending, and with current demographical figures, inevitable destruction of our entire heritage. Democracy has been good on us. A veritable sonnenschein ;)

[The Lawspeaker]

Things changed, indeed. We are now enjoying the fruits of those changes. The impending, and with current demographical figures, inevitable destruction of our entire heritage. Democracy has been good on us. A veritable sonnenschein ;)
That has nothing to do with democracy. But all the more with the lack of it.
This is because your system got slowly implemented, friend: a small group of unelected men who rule everything and our democracy is a joke.

(And no.. I am not laughing)

[finironcross]

But it has everything to do with democracy. This perverse, un-European system has stunted our growth in every possible way. It will continue to do so until nothing literally grows any more. The regular Volk gain nothing from democracy, only a select group of undesirables fatten in this condition of the nation. Democracy, specifically unrestricted democracy, is a sign of degeneracy.

[The Lawspeaker]

Perverse un-European. Are you sure you are Finnish ?
Democracy was invented in Europe- it is thus a purely European system and also the problems that we suffer from now caused by foreigners imported by a small group of men: leftists and big industrialists that were in need of cheap labor and seeking to destabilize society.

We don't have a democracy. We have a plutocracy that is mixed with some weird socialism. Possibly one of the most perverse systems ever created: bread and games.
If we would have democracy we could end this present situation.

[Phlegethon]

Like Belgium.

And Greece.

[Raskolnikov]

Perverse un-European. Are you sure you are Finnish ?
Democracy was invented in Europe- it is thus a purely European system and also the problems that we suffer from now caused by foreigners imported by a small group of men: leftists and big industrialists that were in need of cheap labor and seeking to destabilize society.

We don't have a democracy. We have a plutocracy that is mixed with some weird socialism. Possibly one of the most perverse systems ever created: bread and games.
If we would have democracy we could end this present situation.
It's a liberal, constitutional republic, and if not that, one's country is controlled by one (like Africans are) or part of a greater liberal republican structure (European Union).


Plutocracy just implies wealth is bad (it's not)
Socialism just implies poverty is bad (it's not)
Democracy was an elitist institution of Athenians.
Liberal republicanism is precisely the system by which merchants can rule amock. That's why economic liberalism and political liberalism cannot be divided, and why Judaic/Radical Reformist and direct mercantile republics preceded them


Mercantile republics

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_080.jpg/220px-Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_080.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_080.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_080.jpg)
Giovan Battista Tiepolo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovan_Battista_Tiepolo), Neptune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune_%28mythology%29) offers the wealth of the sea to Venice, 1748–50. This painting is an allegory of the power of the Republic of Venice.


In Europe new republics appeared in the late Middle Ages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages) when a number of small states embraced republican systems of government. These were generally small, but wealthy, trading states, like the Italian city-states (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_city-states) and the Hanseatic League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League), in which the merchant class had risen to prominence. Knud Haakonssen has noted that, by the Renaissance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Renaissance), Europe was divided with those states controlled by a landed elite being monarchies and those controlled by a commercial elite being republics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Haakonssen_12-1">[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-Haakonssen-12)</sup>
Across Europe a wealthy merchant class developed in the important trading cities. Despite their wealth they had little power in the feudal system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism) dominated by the rural land owners, and across Europe began to advocate for their own privileges and powers. The more centralized states, such as France (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France) and England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England), granted limited city charters.
In the more loosely governed Holy Roman Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire), 51 of the largest towns became free imperial cities (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_imperial_city). While still under the dominion of the Holy Roman Emperor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Emperor) most power was held locally and many adopted republican forms of government.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Finer_1999._pg._950-955_26-0">[27] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-Finer_1999._pg._950-955-26)</sup> The same rights to imperial immediacy were secured by the major trading cities of Switzerland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland). The towns and villages of alpine Switzerland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland) had, courtesy of geography, also been largely excluded from central control. Unlike Italy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy) and Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany), much of the rural area was thus not controlled by feudal barons, but by independent farmers who also used communal forms of government. When the Habsburgs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habsburgs) tried to reassert control over the region both rural farmers and town merchants joined the rebellion. The Swiss (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_people) were victorious, and the Swiss Confederacy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Confederacy) was proclaimed, and Switzerland has retained a republican form of government to the present.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[28] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-27)</sup>
Italy was the most densely populated area of Europe, and also one with the weakest central government. Many of the towns thus gained considerable independence and adopted commune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_commune) forms of government. Completely free of feudal control, the Italian city-states expanded, gaining control of the rural hinterland.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Finer_1999._pg._950-955_26-1">[27] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-Finer_1999._pg._950-955-26)</sup> The two most powerful were the Republic of Venice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Venice) and its rival the Republic of Genoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Genoa). Each were large trading ports, and further expanded by using naval power to control large parts of the Mediterranean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean). It was in Italy that an ideology advocating for republics first developed. Writers such as Bartholomew of Lucca (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_of_Lucca), Brunetto Latini (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunetto_Latini), Marsilius of Padua (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsilius_of_Padua), and Leonardo Bruni (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_Bruni) saw the medieval city-states as heirs to the legacy of Greece and Rome.
Two Northern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern) Russian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia) cities with powerful merchant class — Novgorod (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novgorod_Republic) and Pskov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pskov_Republic) — also adopted republican forms of government in 12th and 13th centuries, respectively, which ended when the republics were conquered by Moscow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow) at the end 15th - beginning of 16th century.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[29] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-28)</sup>
The dominant form of government for these early republics was control by a limited council of elite patricians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrician_%28ancient_Rome%29). In those areas that held elections, property qualifications or guild membership limited both who could vote and who could run. In many states no direct elections were held and council members were hereditary or appointed by the existing council. This left the great majority of the population without political power, and riots and revolts by the lower classes were common. The late Middle Ages saw more than 200 such risings in the towns of the Holy Roman Empire.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[30] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-29)</sup> Similar revolts occurred in Italy, notably the Ciompi Revolt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciompi_Revolt) in Florence.
[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Republic&action=edit&section=7)] Protestant republics

While the classical writers had been the primary ideological source for the republics of Italy, in Northern Europe, the Protestant Reformation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation) would be used as justification for establishing new republics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[31] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-30)</sup> Most important was Calvinist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinist) theology, which developed in the Swiss Confederacy, one of the largest and most powerful of the medieval republics. John Calvin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin) did not call for the abolition of monarchy, but he advanced the doctrine that the faithful had the right to overthrow irreligious monarchs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[32] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-31)</sup> Calvinism also espoused a fierce egalitarianism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egalitarianism) and an opposition to hierarchy. Advocacy for republics appeared in the writings of the Huguenots (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenots) during the French Wars of Religion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Wars_of_Religion).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[33] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-32)</sup>
Calvinism played an important role in the republican revolts in England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England) and the Netherlands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands). Like the city-states of Italy and the Hanseatic League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League), both were important trading centres, with a large merchant class prospering from the trade with the New World. Large parts of the population of both areas also embraced Calvinism. The Dutch Revolt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Revolt), beginning in 1568, saw the Dutch Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic) reject the rule of Habsburg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habsburg) Spain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain) in a conflict that lasted until 1648.
In 1641 the English Civil War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War) began. Spearheaded by the Puritans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans) and funded by the merchants of London (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London), the revolt was a success, and King Charles I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England) was executed. In England James Harrington (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrington_%28author%29), Algernon Sydney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algernon_Sydney), and John Milton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Milton) became some of the first writers to argue for rejecting monarchy and embracing a republican form of government. The English Commonwealth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Commonwealth) was short lived, and the monarchy soon restored. The Dutch Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic) continued in name until 1795, but by the mid-18th century the stadholder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadholder) had become a de facto monarch. Calvinists were also some of the earliest settlers of the British and Dutch colonies of North America (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America).
[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Republic&action=edit&section=8)] Liberal republics

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Place_de_la_R%C3%A9publique_-_Marianne.jpg/220px-Place_de_la_R%C3%A9publique_-_Marianne.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Place_de_la_R%C3%A9publique_-_Marianne.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Place_de_la_R%C3%A9publique_-_Marianne.jpg)
An allegory of the Republic in Paris


Along with these initial republican revolts, early modern Europe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_modern_Europe) also saw a great increase in monarchial power. The era of absolute monarchy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_monarchy) replaced the limited and decentralized monarchies that had existed in most of the Middle Ages. It also saw a reaction against the total control of the monarch as a series of writers created the ideology known as liberalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism).
Most of these Enlightenment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment) thinkers were far more interested in ideas of constitutional monarchy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy) than in republics. The Cromwell regime had discredited republicanism, and most thinkers felt that republics ended in either anarchy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchy) or tyranny (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[34] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-33)</sup> Thus philosophers like Voltaire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire) opposed absolutism while at the same time being strongly pro-monarchy.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Septinsular_republic_flag1800-1807.jpg/200px-Septinsular_republic_flag1800-1807.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Septinsular_republic_flag1800-1807.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Septinsular_republic_flag1800-1807.jpg)
Septinsular Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septinsular_Republic) flag from the early 1800s


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Upprop_f%C3%B6r_republik_1848.jpg/200px-Upprop_f%C3%B6r_republik_1848.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Upprop_f%C3%B6r_republik_1848.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Upprop_f%C3%B6r_republik_1848.jpg)
A revolutionary Republican hand-written bill from the Stockholm riots during the Revolutions of 1848 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1848), reading: "Dethrone Oscar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_I_of_Sweden) he is not fit to be a king rather the Republic! The Reform! down with the Royal house, long live Aftonbladet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftonbladet)! death to the king / Republic Republic the people. Brunkeberg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunkeberg) this evening". The writer's identity is unknown.


Jean-Jacques Rousseau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau) and Montesquieu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Secondat,_baron_de_Montesquieu) praised republics, and looked on the city-states of Greece as a model. However, both also felt that a nation-state like France, with 20 million people, would be impossible to govern as a republic. Rousseau described his ideal political structure of small self-governing communes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commune). Montesquieu felt that a city-state should ideally be a republic, but maintained that a limited monarchy was better suited to a large nation.
The American Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution) began as a rejection only of the authority of British parliament (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_parliament) over the colonies, not of the monarchy. The failure of the British monarch to protect the colonies from what they considered the infringement of their rights to representative government (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_Englishmen), the monarch's branding of those requesting redress as traitors, and his support for sending combat troops to demonstrate authority resulted in widespread perception of the British monarchy as tyrannical (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny). With the Declaration of Independence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence) the leaders of the revolt firmly rejected the monarchy and embraced republicanism. The leaders of the revolution were well versed in the writings of the French liberal thinkers, and also in history of the classical republics. John Adams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams) had notably written a book on republics throughout history. In addition, the widely distributed and popularly read-aloud tract Common Sense (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense), by Thomas Paine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine), succinctly and eloquently laid out the case for republican ideals and independence to the larger public. The Constitution of the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States) ratified in 1789 created a relatively strong federal republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_republic) to replace the relatively weak confederation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation) under the first attempt at a national government with the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation_and_Perpetual_Union) ratified in 1783. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, called the United States Bill of Rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights), guaranteed certain natural rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_rights) fundamental to republican ideals that justified the Revolution.
The French Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution) was also not republican at its outset. Only after the Flight to Varennes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_to_Varennes) removed most of the remaining sympathy for the king was a republic declared and Louis XVI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France) sent to the guillotine. The stunning success of France in the French Revolutionary Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolutionary_Wars) saw republics spread by force of arms across much of Europe as a series of client republics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_client_republic) were set up across the continent. The rise of Napoleon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon) saw the end of the First French Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_French_Republic), and his eventual defeat allowed the victorious monarchies to put an end to many of the oldest republics on the continent, including Venice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice), Genoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa), and the Dutch.
Outside of Europe another group of republics was created as the Napoleonic Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars) allowed the states of Latin America (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America) to gain their independence. Liberal ideology had only a limited impact on these new republics. The main impetus was the local European descended Creole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_class) population in conflict with the Peninsulares (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsulares) governors sent from overseas. The majority of the population in most of Latin America was of either African (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African) or Amerindian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amerindian) decent, and the Creole elite had little interest in giving these groups power and broad-based popular sovereignty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_sovereignty). Simón Bolívar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar) was both the main instigator of the revolts and one of its most important theorists was sympathetic to liberal ideals, but felt that Latin America lacked the social cohesion for such a system to function and advocated autocracy as necessary.
In Mexico (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico) this autocracy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocracy) briefly took the form of a monarchy in the First Mexican Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Mexican_Empire). Due to the Peninsular War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsular_War), the Portuguese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal) court was relocated to Brazil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil) in 1808. Brazil gained independence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence) as a monarchy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy) on September 7, 1822, and the Empire of Brazil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Brazil) lasted until 1889. In the other states various forms of autocratic republic existed until most were liberalized at the end of the 20th century.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[35] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic#cite_note-34)</sup>
The Second French Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_French_Republic) was created in 1848, and the Third French Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_French_Republic) in 1871. Spain briefly became the First Spanish Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Spanish_Republic), but the monarchy was soon restored. By the start of the 20th century France and Switzerland remained the only republics in Europe. Before World War I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I), the Portuguese Republic, established by the revolution of October 5, 1910, was the first of the 20th century. This would encourage new republics in the aftermath of the war, when several of the largest European empires collapsed. The German Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Empire), Austro-Hungarian Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_Empire), Russian Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire), and Ottoman Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire) were then replaced by republics. New states gained independence during this turmoil, and many of these, such as Ireland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republic), Poland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic), Finland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland) and Czechoslovakia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia), chose republican forms of government. In 1931, the Second Spanish Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Spanish_Republic) (1931–1939) turned into a civil war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War) would be the prelude of World War II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II).
Republican ideas were spreading, especially in Asia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia). The United States began to have considerable influence in East Asia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia) in the later part of the 19th century, with Protestant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant) missionaries playing a central role. The liberal and republican writers of the west also exerted influence. These combined with native Confucian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucian) inspired political philosophy that had long argued that the populace had the right to reject unjust government that had lost the Mandate of Heaven (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandate_of_Heaven).
Two short lived republics were proclaimed in East Asia, the Republic of Formosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Formosa) and the First Philippine Republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Philippine_Republic). China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China) had seen considerable anti-Qing sentiment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Qing_sentiment), and a number of protest movements developed calling for constitutional monarchy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy). The most important leader of these efforts was Sun Yat-sen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen), whose Three Principles of the People (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Principles_of_the_People) combined American, European, and Chinese ideas. The Republic of China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China) was proclaimed on January 1, 1912.

[poiuytrewq0987]

In contrast, Greece's governing conservatives were headed for defeat in the wake of corruption scandals and with a sharply slowing economy, exit polls showed. The Communists and a new environmental party, meanwhile, were expected to make a strong showing.

Only in Greece. :D

[AussieScott]

Now the Far right parties have to learn how to capitalise and not make the same mistakes for the next elections, and not let the conservative party or which ever main party in power to drown them out.

This all happened in Australia back in 1990's with the rise of "ONE NATION" with Pauline Hanson. She was a fish and Chip shop owner, yet she was honest, but not articulate enough and situational aware enough to dodge the Liberal plant advising her in the Party. Yes, the conservatives will put plants in if they can, so far right parties must be aware, as plants set up events for adverse media set ups.

In the state of Qld her party for the fist run turn out pulled 20% of the vote and this absolutely shocked mainstream politicians and the media. Old Johnny Howard the crafty bugger invented the preference system of voting, which puts the major parties to an advantage, so when the Federal election came nationally 23% voted for "ONE NATION" yet it was a poor result due to preferences.

Lesson teach your voters how to vote correctly on the preferential vote etc... I'm pretty sure this system has been adopted in the EU. Please correct me if I'm wrong. In fact I think it's the same in the USA too.

The conservative party or main stream party in power will adopt policies from the far right to win back votes, as is evident in the French election. So the Far right must make it clear these policies would not of occurred with out them via the media, internet blogging, word of mouth individually and via small business is key. You need dirt teams to dig up the true intentions of the main parties etc... if possible.

Now this might be hard, but the far right/anti immigrant parties need to form together, it's possible for parties to accommodate a left and right faction in a party with party politics via democracy. Sometimes it's more beneficial to hold a position you do not hold to heart, yet to advance the cause the party discipline must be maintained. The more votes the more influence, and growth the far right will have by being united.

I see the BNP has learned. Bummer about France.

Australia has Katters party yet they are not far right, probably more right than right of centre, yet national constitutional patriots/With a mix of old union Labor so it should be interesting in Australia as Queensland has an election next year and the Federal the year after. The cycle repeats itself and hopefully this time the patriots get it right. What I find interesting is 1 in 4 Queenslanders intend voting for Katters party, 20% of the vote in the bag already, with one internet site and little news coverage.

Things are looking up in my opinion.

[SwordoftheVistula]

the preferential vote etc... I'm pretty sure this system has been adopted in the EU. Please correct me if I'm wrong. In fact I think it's the same in the USA too.

It's not in place in the US, UK, or Canada. They tried to put it in place in the UK recently, but it got voted down in a referendum.



I see the BNP has learned. Bummer about France.

Not really. The BNP has completely self-destructed since the last Euro elections in 2009, losing most of their seats either to defections, gerrymandering, or losing elections. The French National Front, on the other hand, appears likely to make it past the first round of Presidential elections like they did in 2002.

[AussieScott]

It's not in place in the US, UK, or Canada. They tried to put it in place in the UK recently, but it got voted down in a referendum.



Not really. The BNP has completely self-destructed since the last Euro elections in 2009, losing most of their seats either to defections, gerrymandering, or losing elections. The French National Front, on the other hand, appears likely to make it past the first round of Presidential elections like they did in 2002.

Cool, the preference vote is such a scam.

Hope the FNF do extremely well.