Off Topic Political Debate

I'm aware of the international connections.. There's been a few documentaries here that have covered this. If they're all as ignorant and incompetent as the EDL then there's nothing to worry about.

BTW I was in Cologne in the World Cup 10 years ago. Went to see Swiss vs Ukraine, lovely little city Travelled all over the place including Kaiserslautern and Leipzig.

 

Under the first past the post voting system in the UK, UKIP can secure a relatively high number of votes but have very little representation in parliament. If the far right in Germany say reach 20% of the votes will it secure the same representation under a PR system.?

If the answer is yes then potentially the rise of the far right in Germany is much more serious.

 

Britain First made a video of some of their activists marching through Luton to "reclaim the town" for Christians. It was one of the most pathetic things I have seen in a while. As you say, if they're all like that it's not worth worrying about too much - unless you have the misfortune to live in one of their pet towns I guess!

 

Good news for you though - somewhere for your holiday home when the French have had enough of you.

 

No, because nobody would go into coalition with them.

 

So the answer is yes, many of their far right representatives in the German parliament, what a dodgy system PR is.

 

No, I cannot risk those krauts putting their towels on my sunbeds.!!

 

Frogs, krauts - yep, you are the embodiment of a Europhile

 

The answer is no, because without the ability to form coalitions they can never get into government.

 

I'm not talking about coalitions or being in government but the possibility of having many of their representatives in parliament.

 

You have representatives of Ukip in the European Parliament - doing absolutely nothing there other than to run up their expense accounts in an organisation which they do not agree with, so what is the difference ?

 

There is only one UKIP member in our parliament how many AfD members would be in the german parliament if they polled 20%?

 

This is highly irrelevant SH. they would be faced by an 80% who would not work with them. Although the AfD are a party with some nutty members (like most parties) they are a party whose official policy is to withdraw Germany from the Euro but not from the EU. They have some right wing members and some idiots who say stupid things out of context but they are not a radical right wing party in the same sense as the Front National in France or the NPD in Germany. In the European Parliament they have been sitting in the same block as the British Conservatives (against the block where Merkel's CDU is found - which has not done much to improve Cameron's relationship to Merkel). Their actual place on the political spectrum is middle right and there is no suggestion whatsoever that they have been engaged in either illegal activities or support for Pegida, or support for attacks upon migrants.

 

can you answer the question?

 

More opinions made up as facts. You have absolutely no evidence that the youth of the UK would vote in favour of staying in the EU or the people any country or region either - I have 3 children none of whom feel European of want to stay in the EU and virtually all of their friends are of the same opinion. In my circle of family, friends and workmates, no one wants to stay in the EU. I can only assume that you are trying to align the rise of the "new left" in New New Labour with young people and assume that this would have some kind of material effect on the referendum - it will not. Irony of this is that the far Left in the Labour party have contained a large number of Eurosceptics, including Comrade Corbyn himself - I suggest you research some of his previous commentary on the EU.
Again your fact that is only Germany and NL that the UK has a trading deficit with is also incorrect - the UK has a trading deficit with Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Czech Republic. This information for 2015 is freely available on the HMRC website under the section for the trading numbers for the top 25 trading partners with the UK. But please do not let a few facts get in your way.

 

I thought that you were the master at not answering people's questions They would get more or less 20% of the seats in the Bundestag (about 50) - they would sit there, toothless, and friends to no one. However it is unlikely that this would happen at a general election. 17% vote in one state election is nothing more than a protest vote.

 

W_Y firstly Germany and the Netherlands are the only countries exporting more to the UK. than they import from it. Secondly we have no real evidence (you don't either) about how people will vote - so, in the absence of that, we have nothing but opinion polls, which, although not always accurate, are more objective than what your kids think. They have the remain group as being highest amongst those aged 18-29, and we have no other evidence to go on. You are right in saying that the left has an ambivalent position to the EU. particularly after the way Greece has been treated. Corbyn is Eurosceptic, like also the Greens, but wants to stay in so that things like human rights, workers rights etc. can be discussed at a later date - as he said, Cameron concentrated on the wrong things. But, there are some aspects of the Left position which would be easier outside of the EU. such as the renationalization of Post Office, Railways etc. which are difficult within present EU. rulings. The EU. cannot be left as a neo liberal club (which is anything but liberal) but this can only come from within - and that is Corbyn's position. However, I believe that it will be the direction the left voters go which will be the deciding, if unknown, factor.

 

That took a long time for you to answer a simple question

 

I remember well that when the Scottish Independence debate was in full flow on here, we had a poster who was very clear that the Scots would leave and take their own path. After the result came in he did make a decent attempt to say why the result was so clear. His view was that the Independence supporters were unable to prove a positive economic course, just too much believe us, it will be alright on the night. So far, and there is a long way to go, the Brexit fans have not produced anything positive about how we could manage if we left. Boris had a go, but his efforts were rather strange with the example he chose. Unless the leave people can come up with some tangible answers it could go the same way, with people not sure what they would be walking into.

 

There is an interesting piece in today's Telegraph asking the question, could the referendum be delayed? It seems unlikely it will be, but a 94 year WWII veteran living in Italy has raised the question in the High Court about why he is being denied a vote under the 15 year rule. The Tories pledged to remove the rule, but have not brought forward a bill as yet. The High Court could take until the third week in April to consider their verdict, and then there could be 2M people to be added to the voters list if he won his case.
I have never voted in domestic elections on principle since I left the UK, but will cast a vote in the coming referendum. For someone who was told he could live wherever he wished in the EU and have the same voting rights, then it seems that he has a strong moral case. Maybe the High Court will not agree.