2 ms·

In the UK there is virtually no coverage of the European parliament. It's not televised on any channel, you don't hear coverage on the radio or read it in the p

In the UK there is virtually no coverage of the European parliament. It's not televised on any channel, you don't hear coverage on the radio or read it in the papers like the UK parliament. People don't know who their who their elected representative is. It's really no surprise that people think they have no representation, despite the UK having significant influence.

misnome 10y ago
Well, when asked to vote for representation "The People" elect Nigel Farage who campaigns purely on a platform of "I will do nothing except vote against everything", which I believe his record supports. It's voting for non-representation.
- SixSigma 10y ago
  As Daniel Hannan [1] (Conservative MEP for 17 years) says : "Uniquely, we have managed to create a system that is anti-democratic - you only get to go there when you have lost an election. Only when, like: Chris Patten, Neil Kinnock, and Jean-Claude Junkers, you have been expressly rejected by voters are you invited to sit as an MEP" [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Hannan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Hannan [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJcuKfcxo9w#t=6m50s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJcuKfcxo9w#t=6m50s
  - tormeh 10y ago
    Which is because you can always have more power by becoming a leader of a member state than a leader of some part of the EU machine. Becoming a MEP or commissioner/MEP is not exactly a move towards power. Therefore it's usually a path taken by those whose time in the national spotlight have passed or those who have had to adjust their ambitions. It's not anti-democratic that the players for the lower-rang positions are of lower rang.
- teamonkey 10y ago
  Well yes, but I don't think people even realise that there are actually representatives from the UK there who don't do nothing. There was a Scottish MEP who made an impassioned speech in contrast to Farage's nonsense. a) I only saw it due to it showing up in my relatively pro-EU Facebook echo chamber; b) I'd never heard of him before.
tonyedgecombe 10y ago
There is plenty of coverage, it's nearly all negative rather than factual though. My biggest worry now is we are likely to go through a difficult period in the UK and all those politicians and journalists that told us our problems are the fault of those foreigners will continue to do so.

misnome 10y ago

Well, when asked to vote for representation "The People" elect Nigel Farage who campaigns purely on a platform of "I will do nothing except vote against everything", which I believe his record supports. It's voting for non-representation.

SixSigma 10y ago
As Daniel Hannan [1] (Conservative MEP for 17 years) says : "Uniquely, we have managed to create a system that is anti-democratic - you only get to go there when you have lost an election. Only when, like: Chris Patten, Neil Kinnock, and Jean-Claude Junkers, you have been expressly rejected by voters are you invited to sit as an MEP" [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Hannan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Hannan [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJcuKfcxo9w#t=6m50s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJcuKfcxo9w#t=6m50s
- tormeh 10y ago
  Which is because you can always have more power by becoming a leader of a member state than a leader of some part of the EU machine. Becoming a MEP or commissioner/MEP is not exactly a move towards power. Therefore it's usually a path taken by those whose time in the national spotlight have passed or those who have had to adjust their ambitions. It's not anti-democratic that the players for the lower-rang positions are of lower rang.
teamonkey 10y ago
Well yes, but I don't think people even realise that there are actually representatives from the UK there who don't do nothing. There was a Scottish MEP who made an impassioned speech in contrast to Farage's nonsense. a) I only saw it due to it showing up in my relatively pro-EU Facebook echo chamber; b) I'd never heard of him before.

tonyedgecombe 10y ago

There is plenty of coverage, it's nearly all negative rather than factual though. My biggest worry now is we are likely to go through a difficult period in the UK and all those politicians and journalists that told us our problems are the fault of those foreigners will continue to do so.