ITV Tonight Luton ‘Referendum’ nonsense
I am really really lucky. Nasty politicians have been denying me my democratic rights. But now thanks to ITV’s Tonight programme I’ve had my chance to vote on Europe. Hurrah!
Trevor McDonald, in his wisdom, has chosen parts of Luton to take part in a ‘referendum’ on the Lisbon Treaty. I was even sent a “ballot paper”, an image of which you can see below.
So what was this “referendum campaign” like then. Well, I was sent a few, really very badly done, leaflets. The ones from the Democracy Movement for the “no vote” where full of the usual distortions and scare stories. The single leaflet from the European Movement was truly dreadful. Dull isn’t the word. Oh and one afternoon an open top bus drove down my road complete with my eurosceptic Labour MP and a camera crew. And, er, that was it.
As a local Councillor and actively involved in the politics of the town I was barely aware it was happening. So I imagine this “referendum” left the average Luton “voter” blissfully unaware.
This was not a referendum in any meaningful sense and, call me jaded and cynical if you like, but I find something slightly objectionable in a media organisation deciding without any consultation with anyone that I get to take part in it. It is really just an opinion poll. An opinion poll that is conducted under a dishonest label and without adhering to the standards that a proper opinion poll should follow.
I did not return my “ballot paper” and have now missed the 9 October deadline.
I note that this largely futile exercise has been taking place while the global economy has been going into melt down making European cooperation even more vital. Ironically, the economic crisis is the reason why the programme about all this, originally scheduled for Monday 13, has been postponed to October 20.
This content was originally posted on my old Process Guy blog.
8 Comments
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Why exactly does the economic crisis call for more European co-operation?
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Roger..erm..having you been watching the news?
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What ‘distortions and scare stories’ from the Democracy Movement were those then? Interesting that you don’t say.
You deny the facts of the EU budget deal – that Britain is a major net contributor to the EU’s fraud-ridden budget, and our payments have gone up by more than 60%? Tony Blair admitted it himself in Parliament … you want me to dig out the quote? Not exactly helpful in that
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MikeH, I didn’t answer Roger’s question because the reasons why greater European cooperation is necessary in a time of global economic crisis should be obvious to anyone who doesn’t walk around with a bucket on their head.
Whether my choice not to go into detail about the distortions of the Democracy Movement is “interesting” or not – I obviously didn’t need to as you as you have chosen
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That greater co-operation is desireable in most circumstances, crisis or not, is distinct from the debate about the EU, which is clearly a political centralisation project … “to anyone who doesn’t walk around with a bucket on their head.”
Co-operation can perfectly easily be achieved without passing all major decision-making to barely accountable central institutions in Brussels.
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Whenever somebody responds to a question with an insult… you know they are working to an agenda and not engaging in a debate.
To my question ‘Why exactly does the economic crisis call for more European co-operation? I anticipated a reasoned debate – not a girl’s blouse response like ‘haven’t I been watching the news?’
Of course I’ve been watching the news… who hasn’t? And
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I note that Mr process Guy claims to be a member of a party that has consistently called for democratic reform in the UK… the only party that I know that comes close to ‘honest’ democracy is the BNP – are you a member of the BNP? – because it most certainly isn’t New Labour, the Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats all of whom are EU bum boys. The Liberal Democrats for example PROMISED that
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I also note your claim that the EU is democratic… that is a laugh. MEP’s are not elected… they are selected. If the Conservatives put a duck on the top of their list and a professor of economics on the bottom of the list… who would be representing us in Brussels – the Duck. Great system of democracy ay! The reason this system is used is to CONTROL who actually gets elected… it it has