Brussels Journal had a recent article on Vlaams Blok and contended that the political party did not receive playing field treatment. Such news no longer surprises and one can count down the days when a constrained political environment enters the UK, as politics is domesticated.
Next Sunday, the Belgians go to the polls. For various reasons the elections can hardly be called fair and democratic. Today the leadership of Vlaams Belang, Belgium’s largest party which strives for the independence of Flanders, Belgium’s Dutch-speaking northern half, met a delegation of OSCE observers to complain about various violations of the rules as outlined in the OSCE’s 2005 “Election Observation Handbook” (referred to below as EOH).
VB Senator Jurgen Ceder listed ten serious violations:
- Electronic voting without certification procedures
- Discrimination in campaign financing
- Candidates and political parties do not have access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis
- The state media are clearly biased
- Paid political advertising in daily newspapers is available to all parties, except one
- One political party cannot hold meetings in the capital
- Intimidation of candidates
- One party has been banned. Next step will be exclusion of certain candidates from the right to participate in elections
- The number of representatives is not proportional to the size of the electorate
- The elections in the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde constituency are unconstitutional
Who would be their first target in the UK: UKIP? BNP?
I don’t see why the Nanny State shouldn’t extend into political choices. You know, for safety. Good of the people. After all, if people are too stupid to not manage cigarette smoke, or figure out a seatbelt, then why would they be expected to figure out confusing political parties, and, maybe harm themselves? Really, trust our betters. They are not called ‘elite’ for nothing.
The trouble with clamping down on something like the BNP is that (a) it would probably reform itself under a different name, and very quickly have just as much potential of winning an election as it just now; and (b) then it wouldn’t be the threat that the other parties could bounce their own policies off – “we want immigration controls BUT WE’RE NOT THE BNP!” What would Margaret Hodge do without the BNP?
The trouble with clamping down on UKIP is that it’s draining support from the Conservative Party. I can’t see Labour losing sleep over that – it’s far less likely to lose votes or donations to UKIP than the Tories are.
Addendum:
Besides, hasn’t Labour already been found to have committed electoral fraud in two inner city areas using postal votes?
VB is a large party whereas BNP and (sadly) UKIP are not a serious threat to the status quo, so will probably be left alone until they are.
The Big Clunking Fist may have taken control as head of the government, but according to the Telegraph(Link) there IS a libertarian at the very highest levels.
“Queen feels the pain of smokers
Few people will be implementing the smoking ban in England today with less enthusiasm than the Queen. Although she has consented to have no-smoking signs erected in the public areas of Buckingham Palace to comply with the new regulations, she has made it clear to courtiers that she would have preferred to continue to offer visitors the use of ash-trays rather than outlaw the practice.
“HM is a confirmed non-smoker but she is also a great libertarian and has no time for political correctness,” says my man at the Palace. “She has always made cigarettes available to her guests. I might add that she also refuses to wear a hard hat when she is out riding and she refuses, too, to wear a seat belt when she travels by car.”
No-smoking signs are already up at the entrances used by members of the public when they receive honours, but there will be none at those used by the Queen, members of the Royal Family or their senior aides. “She has agreed to comply, but can’t bear the Government meddling with every aspect of an individual’s life,” adds the courtier.”
Since the Treaty and even the appointment of the 9 regional Ministers, UKIP and Farage have not made a peep. I smell a rat.
Note that the BBC did not appear to even publish the appointment of the 9 Regional Ministers for Airstrip 1.
Maybe they’re embarrassed because their peaceful protest with an inflatable bulldozer in the “Zone of Free Expression” resulted in Belgian police seizing the bulldozer and threatening to arrest them on a law the police wouldn’t specify and at the orders of “a higher authority”.
Was I the only one choking on the stench of SmokeFreeIsm in the pub today?
The beer at my pubs was as excellent as ever.
What was most unusual was the ability to notice what colour the seats were.
They were newly covered, too.
Fortunately the pub had built a lean-to outside for smoking.
Then back home to watch ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’. wherein Gregory Peck et al take on anti-Semitism in fifties America; they were all smoking like chimneys, and we were constantly shouting ‘stop that, it is illegal’.
I wonder if the anti-anti-Semitism message will stop it from being banned, or will the anti-smoking lobby join forces with Klu Klux Klan to say they were right all along?
The elections in Belgium were some weeks ago. And in spite of all the unlevel playing fields (attacks on its funding that forced it to dispand and try and come back under another name, media bias and endless dirty tricks against it) the V.B. did rather well – it got just about as much support as the Flemish Liberal party.
I have a great dislike of these Flemish Liberals – they presented themselves (only a few years ago) as hard core “Thatcherites” (indeed they said Mrs Thatcher was a moderate by their standards) and then (as soon as they got a lot of votes) they got into bed with the Socialists in government and took the lead it trying to ban the V.B.
No doubt the Flemish Christian Democrats are part of the establishment to, but at least the scum bag “liberal” Prime Minister of Belgium is out.