You may not agree with it, you may wish to see Great Britain leave the Union, but putting your head in the sand and pretending that June 4th isn’t happening will only expose your backside – the election will still happen, and you will have lost your chance to influence who represents you at the directly elected Pan-European assembly.
The European Parliament makes decisions from the food on your plate to the hours that you work. Amongst its MEPs are such stellar stars as Dan Hannan. If you are unaware of the influence that people like Dan have on the English parliamentary scene, then I suggest you join the two million others who have watched this video, and support a man who has the old fashioned courage and honesty to speak his mind to our pathetic Prime Minister.
If you are an expatriate living in Europe, it may be the only elected representative at that level you have. It is because of the European Union that you are able to live and work in Europe with ease. If you don’t know who your MEP is, or what he does – go here .
I have blogged before about the disgraceful situation of the disenfranchised expatriates. Many of us have lost our vote in the UK. In France alone, out of an estimated 260,000 potential British voters, only 23,611 actually managed to vote in the last British election. It is an offence not to register to vote if you live in the UK, the Electoral Commission estimates that 3.7 million people—8 per cent. of the population—are missing from the electoral register in England and Wales. Yet if you move abroad, for work, or to follow your family, you can find that you are disenfranchised at the stroke of a pen. You will not be disenfranchised from the European elections.
Unless of course, you haven’t bothered to register. In France you should have registered by December 31st last year. If you didn’t bother, or you didn’t know how, don’t waste June 4th. Use it as an opportunity to put things right before the next election. You will have to take your passport and some form of proof of where you now live – a utility bill for instance – to your local town hall. If the local language is a problem for you, get together in a group, 20, 30, 40 of you, and march down there together – someone will speak enough of the local language to explain that you want to register for voting. Make it a day out, get involved.
I believe that in the past decade the Government have encouraged a gradual erosion of the trust that the electorate have in the ballot box with its repeated tinkering with the electoral system and its electoral gimmicks
The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust said: “Public confidence in the electoral process in the UK was the lowest in Western Europe in 1997.”
Whether you support the idea of the European Union or not, the truth of the matter is that it is now the only champion you have if you don’t wish to see a Totalitarian Britain . The best way to disagree with EU Policies is by electing representatives who support your view point – not by boycotting the election.
Anna is the landlady of the Raccoon Arms. She lives in the Monbazillac area of South West France and still takes a keen interest in British politics.
{ 21 comments }
hear hear!! I’m so fed up of reading people saying they are going to spoil their ballot slip as a protest!!
“public confidence in the electoral process in the uk was the lowest
in western europe in 1997″
The british public is very appathetic about voting, i don’t know why,
is it because the non-voters are comfy and don’t have anything to complain about, don’t feel anything should change ?
do they think all MP’s are doing a good job ?
Because you seldom hear an MP appologise or admit when a decision
about something hasn’t had the desired affect, does this make people
feel ‘if i ignore them they will go away’ – exactly as you are saying.
I’ve never felt this way, i’ve always sent my veiws through the post to various MP’s. I’ve always voted even though i think, rightly or wrongly, that most MP’s are corrupt and don’t have my best interests at heart.
I’m not sure what makes me keep an eye on government and others
not.
Well, I’m going to disagree
I am not even registered to vote in the UK because it is an act of defiance, punishable by a
Old Holborn, i don’t think they are scared by a low turn out at the polls, i think they see it as a message that they can do what ever they
like, with no one noticing or caring.
Why else would they think they can get away with such ridiculous expense claims.
Whether you support the idea of the European Union or not, the truth of the matter is that it is now the only champion you have if you don
Good to see you back Ms Raccoon.
I do get irrated by those who say that they can’t be bothered to vote yet happily text in to the various reality programmes with gusto.
I always vote – it may be a protest [Natural Law and UKIP] or tactical [Lib Dem] or because I was stupid enough to believe them [Labour/Tory].
I don’t think I’ve ever voted for the winning candidate but hey-ho.
One vote every 4-5 years is hardly democracy at work!
The vote, these days, has very little significance except if you live in a marginal seat/ward. Whereupon you will be blessed by visits from party leaders of all descriptions.
The managerial class of politicians have this all worked out for them now and act accordingly. You are not only disenfranchised by not signing up to vote or by not voting – you are disenfranchised by a system that discriminates in favour of a two party selection system.
A virtually uncontested race to lead the labour party, is another example of why people can’t help but feel disenfranchised.
Did any one really vote for Gordon, let alone the electorate.
Has any one else achieved a promotion by sulking for 10 years . . .
I followed Ms Raccoon’s link to take a look at the MEPs from my area and a rum-looking bunch they are; beady-eyed, slightly deranged and with smiles not entirely spontaneous. In fact, they look exactly like MPs in our own Parliament.
I usually vote for whoever lives in a house with a plain and simple number and avoid like the plague any candidate who lives at “The Grange”, “Kevanbev” or indeed “Duncanvassin”.
And, like Plato, I have never voted for the winning candidate.
You’re lucky they haven’t all run away with their interior designer Gloria!
I’m in Gibraltar from 1st June to 9th June and I have arranged a postal vote. There is no way I’m missing voting in this election.
Good point, Ms Raccoon, good point! Perhaps I should watch out for design-savvy candidates who have named their houses “Neutral Shade”, “Accent Colour” or “Blank Canvas” ….?
Gloria, my address is Farqham Hall
Vote for me?
We have already voted on your behalf Mr Chalcedon. Many thanks
Old Holborn – my address is Beau-Larks, so of course I will vote for you!
Shall be up bright an early that day to give Labour a swift kick in the nuts.
Nowadays, the mainstream parties are too hampered with political correctness to be effective and truly represent the British people. In my view, we need to leave this godforsaken EU and restore our national indepedence without foreign intereference on any level. In this respect, we can tackle the undermining effects of mass-immigration and multiculturism upon the indigenuous British people and resort to a more protectionist approach regarding our economy and foreign aid/affairs. Protectionism has been made into a dirty word by corrupt and self-serving politicans who lack any balls to speak their real mind!!!!
Leigh – protectionism is the last thing we need. What we do need is to stop giving so much away for “free”. ( That might be what you mean by protectionism?)
This EU election could be far more important than the UK general election (if we have one).
I’ll be taking the next day off work so I can stay up all night with some beer while the results come in and laugh myself till I’m sick.
dont let liebour or cons destroy any more of our once and proud country make a stand now vote bnp june 4th
I got my voting form in the post this morning. Suggestions on a postcard please. (Oh – that’s the same as voting, isn’t it. Silly me.)
Studseal ………….. I don’t think the bnp have got enough able-bodied, literate and numerate candidates and voters to get in this time. They are all sat pissed-up in pubs – trying to get their police-mates to fill in all their benefit-forms for them.
The voters who have said they would vote bnp for the past ten years have also had a change of heart since they found out that Browneye is more likely to keep their benefits at today’s levels despite saying he would de-benefit any alcoholics and drug-addicts who wouldn’t go into rehab………….
Enoch sent me a message through my Spiritualist friend the other night …………. He said he would rather people vote Cameron than bnp ……… and save their votes …………. and he was a leading authority on all this once. So same sh*te ………… just a different label on it.