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European Elections

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
As most of you are probably aware the European elections are happening at the start of June. I’m trying to find out information about candidates’ stances, and it’s proving difficult. The BBC can tell me the names of my candidates for 2009; a MEP site will tell me who is currently representing me; I can’t find any information about what anybody stands for – currently or prospectively.

Does anyone have any idea where I can find out this information? It’s perfectly possible I’ve not been using Uncle Google correctly.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This website appears to have the voting records.

    You can find your existing MPs.

    Probably best to go to the individual MPs websites, or possibly the party websites. But it's a bit wierd, because they all seem to have a particular policy area that they're focused on, so it's almost as if they're all single-issue MEPs. The bloke I'm thinking of voting for seems to be pretty much entirely focused on the environment. I don't know if that's just the role he's been assigned though, and so the area that gives him the best record to brag about on his website. I'm like you, in that I don't know enough about how it works to know who to vote for. How often do we see the European parliament on the news? I think they pass more laws than our own government, yet we barely ever see anything about how it works or what's going on. I watched a debate programme the other day about the EU, and it was on BBC Parliament. Not even News 24 ffs.

    The other thing to consider is to go to the alliance websites, because the UK Conservatives might not be that bad, but personally I wouldn't vote for an alliance that contains that fascist, Berlusconi, for example.

    ALDE (Lib Dems)
    EPP-ED (Conservatives, UUP)
    Socialist Group (Labour, SDLP)
    ID Group (UKIP)
    Greens/EFA (Greens, SNP, Plaid Cymru)
    EUL/NGL (Sinn Fein)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The European elections is more a party representation thing. MPs contests in a general election and carry a part-personal vote and represent their constituents in the UK Parliament. When voting MEPs to Brussels the best place for info is news websites and click politics webpages within that site

    The BNP has just launched their campaign and hoping to get a Euro-wide platform. Their launch was shown on breakfast TV this morning(not that I favour the party)
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8043831.stm

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8045245.stm
    and the Libdems are ready too-Nick Clegg had a say for the party's MEP candidates
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can see who your candidates are here

    There's a bunch of European parliament Q&As here

    Some party election broadcasts here - though, as usual, they say very little of consequence and are largely without substance.

    The voting records site is a good start, but I've 133 candidates listed for my area - the South-east.
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