[Beren]

Thanks, @Nonsense. How about leaving the EU by 31 October? Will there be a Halloween crash-out?

[Nonsense]

Thanks, @Nonsense. How about leaving the EU by 31 October? Will there be a Halloween crash-out?

Nonsense-

I think that by repeatedly 'kicking the can down the road', that, the government is up the creek without a paddle, they have no solution to the problem's of their own making, the 'leader'(by name only)has, by her own devices, sabotaged, not only an orderly exit from europe, but is on the verge of an internal collapse or meltdown.

I believe the government will twist & turn in it's death throes unless the party rids itself of Theresa MAY before then.

It is in any case open to a new leadership bid in December, but the political damage is\has already been mostly done, although, the economic damage has largely been discounted in the markets as they & the people know the reality on the ground.

They,the people,as well as businesses just want the job done, so that we can build the future that lies ahead of us.

The fallout from this political nightmare should spur on radically important changes to our society to enable everyone to make personal progress, without political control deproving them of the freedom to make their own choices in how they tackle those challenges in their lives & hindering our national prosperity.

Theresa MAY has changed her position on virtually everything, in the process, she will lose everything of substance, perhaps the only thing unchanged, is her delared intent to 'deliver' leave for the people, as instructed to by the result of the referendum, yet, she has shifted the goalpost enough times, to make one question her credibility & strain to breaking-point, our patience with her.

In one sense, it is as much her Cabinet's fault as it is hers, when she goes,so too should all of her Cabinet Ministers & once we have left, a general election should follow IMHO.

[SolarCross]

Brexit Party surge to first place for EU Elections

[Rich]

Fantastic to see CHUK in last place.

[Atlantis]

Thanks, @Nonsense. How about leaving the EU by 31 October? Will there be a Halloween crash-out?

Let's just make it the 5th of November and burn down Westminster to the ground.

Perhaps that can serve as a trigger for reforming British democracy.

[Beren]

Fantastic to see CHUK in last place.

At the end Farage will be PM due to Tory brilliance, as it should be anyway if the Brits mean to leave indeed.

[Ter]

Nothing good can come of it, if they stay or if they go.
It looks as if lots of Brexit Brits will become MEP, and at the same time, a lot of Eurosceptic MEPs from other countries.
Nothing good will come of it, not for Britain and not for the EU.

As for Brexit itself, it is like a couple divorcing. At some point, so many insults and unfriendly stuff has been thrown both ways that reconciliation is nigh impossible.
It is painful to observe it.

[Beren]

Although Eurosceptics may be usually overrepresented in EP-elections, the Brexit Party is doing very well, I wonder if they have already siphoned off as much of the pro-Brexit vote as possible or it's just the beginning. I also wonder if People's Vote ordered this poll to mobilise their base.

Brexit Party leading in EU Parliament polls

April 17, 2019, 2:40 p.m.

Nigel Farage’s new party tops the polls with 27% of the vot

In our first poll on the forthcoming EU Parliament elections last week Nigel Farage’s new outfit stormed into third place with 15% of the vote. This was despite the Brexit Party not having formally launched.

Now, following the burst of publicity that came with their official formation, our second poll, conducted for the People’s Vote, shows the Brexit Party leapfrogging into first place on 27% of the vote.


The biggest impact has been on the UKIP vote. The twelve point increase the Brexit Party has experienced is mirrored by a seven point decline for Farage’s former party, from 14% last week to 7% now.

The rest of the field remains roughly as it was last week, with no other party seeing a shift of more than 1% or 2% (i.e. no change larger than the margin of error). Labour finds itself on 24% of the vote, and the Tories on 16%.

[SolarCross]

Fantastic to see CHUK in last place.

Funny name for them "change uk" aren't they remainers? They should be the reactionary party.

In second to last place is UKIP as the Brexit Party basically devoured it whole.

------------

Although Eurosceptics may be usually overrepresented in EP-elections...

It is tempting to think so but I think in a way that "overrepresentation" is a fair representation of the actual interest in the EU. Most remainers actually don't care about the EU at all, it means literally nothing to them, they only voted remain because they were worried about change. It was a timid status quo vote, not a pro-EU vote. The evidence for this is the complete absence of any actually pro-european parties having any kind of success in the MEP elections for the past 30 years.

The only people who are really interested in the EU enough to take an interest in the MEP elections are those that want out.

[Beren]

It must have been Chuka Umunna's idea to have that name.

[B0ycey]

Brexit Party surge to first place for EU Elections

Ughhh.

Can't Brexiteers die off already. Perhaps it is best for the EU to say no more extentions after October if this is a true reflection of voting intention. You can only miss what you have lost once it's gone.

[SolarCross]

Ughhh.

Can't Brexiteers die off already. Perhaps it is best for the EU to say no more extentions after October if this is a true reflection of voting intention. You can only miss what you have lost once it's gone.

You want half the country to die? Are you trying to make Adolf Hitler look like weak tea?

You could just emigrate if it matters that much to you.

[Beren]

Ughhh.

Can't Brexiteers die off already. Perhaps it is best for the EU to say no more extentions after October if this is a true reflection of voting intention. You can only miss what you have lost once it's gone.

Farage and his party (+ UKIP) do the EU a great favour as litmus paper while the EP-election is the litmus test. I wonder if how many Leavers there are among Conservatives in that poll.

[B0ycey]

Farage and his party (+ UKIP) do the EU a great favour as litmus paper while the EP-election is the litmus test. I wonder if how many Leavers there are among Conservatives in that poll.

I would expect the relevance of the EU election is telling for everyone. Only true Brexiteers will vote for "The Brexit Party" or "UKIP" and will do so from whatever party they originate from. Grabbing 34% of the vote means there are too many people backing Brexit to expect May to change course so the UK will remain in stalemate until October. And by then there are no more excuses she can give to seriously expect anything other than the EU letting us go as we are still in the same position as we are now.

I was hoping and perhaps expecting a strong Labour victory. Not anymore.

[Heisenberg]

It's frankly absurd that Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens (and, come to think of it, "Change UK"), aren't running on a joint Remain ticket. Have they learned absolutely nothing since 2016? The upcoming European elections are as close to a dry run of a second referendum as it gets. Nigel Farage understands that, which is why he has launched the Brexit Party in the first place.

[SolarCross]

It's frankly absurd that Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens (and, come to think of it, "Change UK"), aren't running on a joint Remain ticket. Have they learned absolutely nothing since 2016? The upcoming European elections are as close to a dry run of a second referendum as it gets. Nigel Farage understands that, which is why he has launched the Brexit Party in the first place.

Not really. It makes complete sense because none of those parties really care that much about the EU. Labour in particular is fairly split on the issue and all of them have higher priorities.

[Beren]

Grabbing 34% of the vote means there are too many people backing Brexit to expect May to change course

May must be well aware anyway that 70% of Tory voters and even more of her party members and activists are Leavers preferring no deal, so she shouldn't be surprised if they also prefer the Brexit Party or even UKIP to that of hers in an EP-election.

It's frankly absurd that Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens (and, come to think of it, "Change UK"), aren't running on a joint Remain ticket. Have they learned absolutely nothing since 2016? The upcoming European elections are as close to a dry run of a second referendum as it gets. Nigel Farage understands that, which is why he has launched the Brexit Party in the first place.

I wonder if Labour, or rather Corbyn means to run on a 100% Remain platform and it's not so easy to run with a common list as it may look like at first glance. It takes a lot of uncomfortable negotiations and public stunts right before the public's view, as well as everyone wants to expose themselves to the voters and test their own strength, CHUK especially.

[Heisenberg]

Not really. It makes complete sense because none of those parties really care that much about the EU. Labour in particular is fairly split on the issue and all of them have higher priorities.

The Greens, Lib Dems and Change UK are all "hard remain" parties, and I can't think of anything that would be a higher priority for them in the upcoming European election given that it may very well be the last one and will be made entirely about Brexit by Farage and the Tories. Meanwhile, Labour's official policy is in favour of a second referendum.

It makes no sense at all, particularly for the smaller parties, if they are remotely serious about trying to get a second referendum. An election where Farage's Brexit Party finishes in first because the "remain" vote is split four ways would completely kill off any prospect of the government calling a second vote.

I wonder if Labour, or rather Corbyn means to run on a 100% Remain platform and it's not so easy to run with a common list as it may look like at first glance. It takes a lot of uncomfortable negotiations and public stunts right before the public's view, as well as everyone wants to expose themselves to the voters and test their own strength, CHUK especially.

In a normal election I'd agree with you, but to be honest, given the circumstances, I'm not sure there really is any need for negotiations between parties or even much of a detailed manifesto. In theory these elections are being held purely as a "legal fiction" to secure the delay to Brexit. Farage and the Brexit party have already made it a single issue election - i.e. a referendum on the handling of Brexit - and a win for something called "the Brexit Party" would make the government even more reluctant to offer a second referendum than they already are - especially if the highest polling remain party finishes some way behind because of a split vote. And a lot of this refusal to work together really does seem to be about petty personal rivalries, rather than any great ideological divide.

It's just another one of those moments where you realise we are cursed with a particularly dense and petty set of politicians during the most significant period of our history since the second world war.

[SolarCross]

The Greens, Lib Dems and Change UK are all "hard remain" parties, and I can't think of anything that would be a higher priority for them in the upcoming European election given that it may very well be the last one and will be made entirely about Brexit by Farage and the Tories. Meanwhile, Labour's official policy is in favour of a second referendum.

It makes no sense at all, particularly for the smaller parties, if they are remotely serious about trying to get a second referendum. An election where Farage's Brexit Party finishes in first because the "remain" vote is split four ways would completely kill off any prospect of the government calling a second vote.

Is being Remain more important that being Green for a Green? Is being Remain more important than being Lib Dem for a Lib Dem? And so on for Labour etc. They don't care that much actually. In contrast being Brexit is actually more important than being tory or labour or whatever for the Brexit party and UKIP.

It makes no sense running for an MEP election on a Remain ticket if no one will vote for you, remainers will have more luck as green, labour or lib dem rather than remain.

Also the brexit vote is also split between at least four parties: Brexit, UKIP, Conservative and Labour, so that makes no difference.

[Heisenberg]

Is being Remain more important that being Green for a Green? Is being Remain more important than being Lib Dem for a Lib Dem?

In this specific election? I'd say so, yes. What do they see themselves achieving during their roughly three-month stay in the European Parliament as "Green" or "Lib Dem" MEPs? By contrast, if they had had the slightest bit of creative insight and registered a "Remain party", just for this election, to rally behind, they might even win. It's not a normal election, after all, and everyone with a brain can see it's about a single issue: Brexit.

You might be right that they see their party identities as being more important - in which case they will thoroughly deserve it when they are hammered in the election by Farage's Brexit Party, and the second referendum they all claim they want, is killed off for good.