Brits - Who are you voting for in the European Elections?

I'm assuming this is the pattern emerging across Europe? Incumbent governments getting a kicking, far right parties gaining ground? The worrying thing is a fascist coalition in the EP.

Maybe I should make my move stateside permanent, or maybe not, the FEC tells me there are plenty of fuckers in my zipcode who gave to Santorum.

Alex Salmond delighted to point out that incumbent party in Scotland remained the most popular.

(note: Scottish Nationalists in no way related to British Nationalists)

Has the UK got to the stage that you can look up campaign contributions yet?

So who else is looking forward to the point when they try to replace Brown with another New Labour type as if that's going to make any fucking difference whatsoever?

This will ensure brown gets to fight the next election, no one is going to want to lead the charge of the light brigade in the next election.

Labour's inevitable defeat (and probable considerable time out of power) at the next general election isn't the most worrying/depressing thing any more, it's the possible collapse of the two/three party balance of power. The combined share of Labour and Conservative votes tonight is going to well under 50%, maybe nearer 40%. Once the BNP (and others) start being seen as a credible alternative ('credible' in the sense that they *could* actually win a seat) then a lot of people who currently vote for one of the big parties because they're the only ones who can win, or who don't vote at all because they don't feel their votes will count for anything, will start voting for these other ones. If it came down to a choice between a 100-seat Tory majority or a minority Tory government with a significant BNP / UKIP presence in parliament, I'd definitely go for the former.

Aye, but the flip-side of that is that other smaller parties can theoretically benefit from such an attitude shift too.

Also: not sure it's that simple, either, but hey.

It's a huge leap for an extremist party to go from polling 10% and hence picking up the last seat in a D'Hondt PR election to actually winning a parliamentary constituency outright in a first-past-the-post system.

Yeah I was going to say. If anyone's going to be dismayed at these results it's the LibDems because the idea of proportional representation is being absolutely trashed here.

0.23am: The BBC has just broadcast its estimate as to the final figures for share of the vote. They are:
Tories - 27% - n/c
Ukip - 17% - up 1
Labour - 16% - down 7
Lib Dems - 14% - down 1
Greens - 9% - up 3
BNP - 6% - up 1

(copy-pasted from guardian 'liveblog')
(there's like at least two very, very minor bright sides there)

But it's the start of the slippery slope. The 'first past the post' system is really designed for two-way contests. If MPs start winning seats with just 25% of the votes in their constituency (which is probably less than 20% of the electorate) and governments get elected with less than a third of the votes (and maybe less than a quarter of the electorate) then there'll be a huge problem of legitimacy and probably a move to PR.
(xposts)

The other thing mitigating against a leadership election is that would labour want to elect someone who may get decapitated at the next election. (Alan Johnson, could loose his seat if a general went like this, not sure about milibands, straw must be at risk)

The Plaid Cymru guy just brought up the inconvenient fact that people are voting Tory in vast numbers at the exact time the consensus shifts towards more state intervention and less free market fundementalism and Dimbleby cut him off to go to the UKIP guy. FFS.

Lib Dems - 14% - down 1

Fuck's sake, lads. Might as well give up now, really.

'lose' not 'loose' (or this another ilx meme?)

The fat lady is singing the blues?!

are the Greens going to not gain an MEP despite gaining more voters since last time than anyone else? that's a shame.

Mr Sad's No Bulls#*t Party only got 1,000 votes in London.

Right, relative good news from London (well, as good as it's going to get) - I'm off to bed.

Yeah, Greens edge UKIP for 4th, Lab get two seats, BNP nowhere.

When is the North West declaring?

North West is the one that's really been worrying me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8088477.stm
he seems like he would be a dreadful teacher

the bnp bring out the ultra-authoritarian in me. how the fuck does one of them get to be a teacher?

Suspect Dimbleby hasn't done any research on the Greens.

"I've heard that Mr Brown is considering doing with this election what they've done with the Irish referendum, and that is to call another one and possibly another one until they get the right answer — that's democracy in the 21st century "

^ there was applause at this but it was sparse

he also manages to suggest his fellow members of the BNP are incapable of understanding the MEP allocation system.

(I think that bit of what he said is meant to be a joke.)

Toynbee now pointing out that the LibDems' weak showing is potentially very bad indeed for Labour at the next election. That's only bad given the assumption that they'll corrode the Tory vote, not the Labour vote, but still...

Just when I was feeling nice and depressed, I come across Lex Pretend's stream of hate. That's what I get for coming back to ILX.

WTF Italy has swung behind Berlusconi?! How the hell did that happen?

LibDems beaten into third place behind the Tories and UKIP in the South West is really bad for them, right? Labour nowhere so obviously appalling for them. At least nothing for the BNP. I'm going to bed.

South East being announced now

"1.12am: It now looks as if Nick Griffin may have won a seat in the North West, according to the Westminster grapevine. That would give the BNP two seats in the European parliament."

Haha dude shouting 'FASCISTS! FUCKING FASCISTS!' well done.

the camera quivered with unease

Best commentator of the night, that dude.

guy announced Lib Dem's Bowles as "Bowels" and got a laugh

This Terminator shit is the worst acceptance speech I have ever seen.

wow this Tory is a supreme cock

And now he's quoting Dr Seuss WTF?!!

i hope people now wake up and realise that is the sort of wanker that IS the tory party and you dont want them in charge

I think he is mental even by the standards of the Tory party.

Farage still butthurt about the ballot fold

Hannan is a fucking twat.

Also, lol at UKIP supporters electing an Argentine-born Spanish accountant.

North West coming up

BNP CUNTS have won another seat, there's been an unofficial announcement and Griffin is grinning .
here's the official result

Griffin got in. And on a pretty small chunk of the vote. Fucking shite turnout.