Blair loses 2 elections in 2 days

[Vanhalen 0]

Well to quote the Doors, #"This is the end, my friend"#

 

The Tories and Labour have both been hit by the Eurosceptic UK Independence Party in the European elections.

With two results to come UKIP is in third place on 16.8%, with its vote having more than doubled from 1999.

 

The Tories are leading with 27%. Labour is down 6% to 23% which is their worst share of the vote since before the First World War, compounding its poor local elections showing.

 

In a good night for smaller parties, the Greens have held their two Members of the European Parliament with 6% of the vote. The British National Party share of the vote is so far up 4% to 5%.

 

Elsewhere in Europe governing parties in Germany, France and Poland are suffering big losses.

 

As in the UK, Eurosceptic groups are enjoying their best result at the polls.

 

So far UKIP has quadrupled its number of MEPs from three to 12.

 

The party's best showing was in the East Midlands, where it came within 0.3% of beating the Tories and its star candidate Robert Kilroy-Silk was elected to the European parliament.

 

It also did well in South West and South East of England, where they reached second place behind the Tories.

 

Celebrating his victory, Mr Kilroy-Silk said: "Now we know why the British public are fed up with the old parties. They are fed up with being talked to in that simplistic manner.

 

"They want their country back from Brussels and we are going to get it back for them."

 

All the results for England and Wales have now been announced, with MEPs chosen by proportional representation in each region.

 

Scotland and Northern Ireland will wait until Monday for their results.

 

The results in Wales saw no change in the share of MEPs between the parties.

 

Labour is pleased with its Welsh showing, raising its vote by 1%. Plaid Cymru's vote dived by 12% and the Tories share dropped by 3%.

 

The overall EU turnout fell to an all-time low at 44.6%.

 

In the UK, 39% of voters went to the polls - topping the record of 37% for a European election set in 1989.

 

The projected final outcome puts the Tories on 27%; Labour on 23%, UKIP on 16%, the Lib Dems on 15%, the Greens on 6% and the BNP on 5%.

 

It is the first time the two largest parties have secured less than half of the vote between them.

 

Disaster?

 

The Lib Dems stressed they were the only big party to increase their vote but they face being pushed into fourth place by UKIP and won 3% less of the poll than they did in the last general election.

 

Health Secretary John Reid told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the results posed a "huge challenge" for Labour "to argue our case for Europe".

 

"It was a disappointing vote for us certainly... it was a particularly disastrous night for the Conservatives and it's been a good night across Europe for parties of protest as well as parties who are in Britain against the European Union," he said.

 

"The difference in Britain is that elsewhere in Europe, every alternative government, every opposition party, has done very well, whilst the Conservatives have done disastrously badly."

 

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said: "We are not as high as we would like but we are winning this election."

 

Voters were clearly telling Tony Blair they did not want him to sign the proposed European constitution, argued Mr Ancram.

 

Meanwhile, the Green Party has retained its two MEPs, in London and the South East, and its share of the vote has so far held up from its 1999 showing.

 

Green MEP Caroline Lucas said: "This is a fantastic result for Green parties and shows that we are here to stay, we are part of the political picture."

 

The British National Party has raised its share of the vote to 5.7% but its leader, Nick Griffin, failed in his attempt to become an MEP in the North West.

 

In its first European poll test, maverick MP George Galloway's Respect Party has gained around 1.8% of the vote.

 

And in the Eastern region, ex-BBC journalist Martin Bell failed in his attempt to become an MEP as an independent candidate and said he would now be retiring from politics.

[MrRant 0]

You people have way to fucking many parties.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

This one actually is not that bad for Blair because pretty much EVERY big European government lost in these elections to opposition parties. It was, other than a few exceptions, a European-wide backlash vote against the big EU countries (Britain, France, Germany, etc.) with no real pattern in terms of who did well and who did (issues such as Iraq, for instance, had no noticable impact on these elections).

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

You people have way to fucking many parties.

Well, the BNP is certainly one too many.

 

Interesting to see the UKIP doing so well...shame about Kilroy-Silk, he's a colossal idiot.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

Edit: Double post

Edited June 14, 2004 by Mystery Eskimo

[Guest INXS]

I couldn't be happier. It's a shame that Blair won't go, his ego won't allow it. This was obviously protest voting regarding Iraq which is a greta message to send to Blair.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

It seems to me that Labor is losing a lot of seats, but Blair will just plow on through regardless.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

I couldn't be happier. It's a shame that Blair won't go, his ego won't allow it. This was obviously protest voting regarding Iraq which is a greta message to send to Blair.

Then explain why the governing parties of Germany and France, who haven't exactly been pro-war, didn't fare so well either.

 

Oh wait, then that would make this a rejection of EU stuff and not the war on Iraq...right....

[Guest Cerebus]

One of the main reasons is that the turnout for European Parliment elections was so low (and was pretty much predicted as such). I'm willing to bet a large amount of the people in the UK and other European nations who voted were motivated out of Euro-skepticism.

[caboose 0]

I do not know why everyone seems to be identifying this as the end of Blair and Labour. Quite simply it is the British public telling Blair and Labour to get their act together before the General Election next year.

 

I cannot see any party other than Labour coming through next year's election as victors. Sure the majority will be down a fair few seats, but thats expected.

 

Bottom line, Britain isn't stupid enough to think the Conservatives can do a better job, and are simply too ball-less to put the inexperienced Lib Dems in.

[Guest INXS]

I couldn't be happier. It's a shame that Blair won't go, his ego won't allow it. This was obviously protest voting regarding Iraq which is a greta message to send to Blair.

Then explain why the governing parties of Germany and France, who haven't exactly been pro-war, didn't fare so well either.

 

Oh wait, then that would make this a rejection of EU stuff and not the war on Iraq...right....

Sure, the unwillingless to join the EU has swayed voters in this one but the Iraq factor has also played an important part. You just have to look how Labour fared in the local elections last week to see that.

[Guest MikeSC]

I couldn't be happier. It's a shame that Blair won't go, his ego won't allow it. This was obviously protest voting regarding Iraq which is a greta message to send to Blair.

Then explain why the governing parties of Germany and France, who haven't exactly been pro-war, didn't fare so well either.

 

Oh wait, then that would make this a rejection of EU stuff and not the war on Iraq...right....

Sure, the unwillingless to join the EU has swayed voters in this one but the Iraq factor has also played an important part. You just have to look how Labour fared in the local elections last week to see that.

Which, again, doesn't explain why anti-war parties in Europe fared pretty poorly, also.

-=Mike

[Guest DeputyHawk]

Because they're only local government / European elections, and the majority of voters don't turn out for them, leading to an unrepresentative protest vote from people making a point by voting against the big parties while most traditional voters stay at home. UKIP don't have a hope in hell of gaining any parliamentary seats in the General Election which the majority of voters DO show up for. This certainly isn't doom for Tony, though it'll be a good kick up the ass for Labour to realise they have to play hardball with the European referendum.

 

Having Kilroy-Silk representing UKIP in Brussels makes me cringe though.

[2GOLD 0]

Yeah, but how did the Silly party do?

 

I'll still be shocked if Blair goes down. The guy seems like he can dodge that bullet.

[Guest DeputyHawk]

Yeah, but how did the Silly party do?

What, the Lib Dems? Well they lost my vote to the Greens this time around.