I originally was only visiting but have decided to stay so thought it best to open a "hi" thread.

*waves to everyone*

I have never been greatly interested in politics, little more than peripherally aware of the generalities mainly due to the fact that nothing seems to really change. That said i have always voted since people died so we could do so and I think it would be disrespectfull not to.

This election though it seems as though things might actually be a bit different, a hint of a possibility of some real changes, maybe not but I have taken more of an active interest.

I have voted for practically every party going at one election or another depending on which one tipped my scales one way or the other but am currently not going to be voting Labour, other than that still undecided.

I am somewhat of a Euro-Sceptic in that while I believe in strong trade links I do not see the UK being a "state" of federal Europe. Although I am still looking into the evidence of both sides I have yet to be convinced that the expence is worth it.

Married, working in the NHS and having my mid-life crisis :P

Originally Posted by ryoden

I originally was only visiting but have decided to stay so thought it best to open a "hi" thread.

*waves to everyone*

I have never been greatly interested in politics, little more than peripherally aware of the generalities mainly due to the fact that nothing seems to really change. That said i have always voted since people died so we could do so and I think it would be disrespectfull not to.

This election though it seems as though things might actually be a bit different, a hint of a possibility of some real changes, maybe not but I have taken more of an active interest.

I have voted for practically every party going at one election or another depending on which one tipped my scales one way or the other but am currently not going to be voting Labour, other than that still undecided.

I am somewhat of a Euro-Sceptic in that while I believe in strong trade links I do not see the UK being a "state" of federal Europe. Although I am still looking into the evidence of both sides I have yet to be convinced that the expence is worth it.

Married, working in the NHS and having my mid-life crisis :P

Hi Ryoden

Just wanted to pick up on the Euro point. There is a lot of scaremongering about this and really people should investigate further than UKIP leaflets and The Sun. Now I, myself, am in favour of a Federal Europe. I think it is the only way Britain will actually survive along with many other European states and cultures. However as a federalist I know too well how dead in the water the federalist movement is. It has pretty much been abandoned and has been for quite some time, not that you would know it reading a UKIP leaflet.

Yes that's right what UKIP and The Sun have not mentioned is the Federalists have given up (believe me I am one!). They know that any attempt to forge a federalist Europe will lead to a resurgence of nationalism. The thing is federalists are smart people (look at the founding fathers of the USA and did you know Churchill was in favour of a Federal Europe?!) and we understand people (we know how ignorant they are). People are driven by base emotions and mainly fear; and threat to the status quo and they will defend their history and past with an irrational zeal - even if leads to the destruction of all that they want to defend - as is likely to happen in this case!

Anyway.. I digress... My main point is : - Look at Lisbon - LOOK AT IT, not what you read in the papers or what UKIP or the Tories are saying - read it! This document is not a federal constitution at all. What it is is an admission of defeat by the federalist movement. It is a surrender of all the key foundations that would make a federal Europe work. Lisbon is less like a constitution setting up a state and much more like a local area (service area) agreement that your PCT most likely has with your local authority. It enshrines the individual nations of Europe, and from my POV gives them too much power. It is designed to govern how these individual states interact with other and not abolish them at all - more's the shame IMO... and people say their views on Europe are ignored - ha. We know about people's irrational nationalist tendencies and we also know reason can never beat deep seated psychological factors and good old fashioned pig ignorance driven by a media with very much its own agenda (that most are too stupid to see)