DC on the European Elections and Postal Votes.

Prime Minister David Camern has beeen writing about the importance of voting in the European elections in two and a half months' time.

The European Parliament now has a lot more power than many people realise - for example, when David Cameron and Angela Merkel negotiated the first ever cut in the EU budget ceiling, the cut could not come into effect until it was ratified by the European Parliament, which took two attempts (partly because UKIP's MEPs initially failed to support the cut.)

David Cameron suggests that those who do not already have a postal vote and might find it easier to vote with one can apply online at the About My Vote website.


He writes as follows:

"This year's European election is the most important in a generation. For the first time since the Eurozone crisis, the British people get to have their say on our country's relationship with the EU.
 
"Since becoming Prime Minister, I've taken action to stand up for Britain:

  • Securing a cut in the EU budget to save British taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds
  • Vetoing a new EU treaty that would have given more power to Brussels and would have been bad for British businesses and taxpayers
  • Refusing to spend British taxes bailing out the euro

But I believe the EU needs fundamental change so it works for Britain.
 
"I will negotiate a better deal for Britain - and when I've finished, I'll give the British people a say on whether we should remain in the EU with an in-out referendum before the end of 2017.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats oppose this plan and want to deny the British people a say - while UKIP simply can't deliver.

"Only the Conservatives can deliver real change in Europe, and this election is a hugely important step to securing it.
 
So make sure you have your say by registering for a postal vote today.
 
Even if you decide to vote in person, you can still take your postal vote to your polling station and put it in the ballot box.
 
Best wishes,
David Cameron signature
David Cameron"

Comments

Jim said…
"our countries relationship with the EU"

This is rather non nonsensical. The UK is on of 28 member states which are the EU. So for the UK to have a relationship with the EU does not make much sense. We are part of the EU. Its like my right foots relationship with me? it does not have one it is part of me, and it will be, up until such a time as it is severed from me and becomes a separate entity.

so for the UK to have a relationship with the EU, well that can only ever happen if we were to become a separate entity from the EU, or in simpler terms we cant have one unless we leave.
Jim said…
For the same reason no one ever speaks of Florida's relationship with the USA.
Chris Whiteside said…
It's largely a semantic point, but there is actually some logic if one of the issues you regard as needing to be settled is whether the UK does remain part of the EU.

If you take it as a given that Florida is going to stay part of the USA - and I seem to recall a rather large war was fought a century and a half ago on the point, among other things, of whether states could secede from the USA - then you would be more likely to talk of the relatinship between Florida and the Federal government of the USA, or between Florida and the rest of the USA.

If people were talking about the question of whether Florida might secede, and not wishing to prejudge the issue, they might still talk about the relationship between Florida and the USA.

In the same way this year some people have spoken about the relationship between Scotland and the UK.
Jim said…
Even still its by the by, sure there was a large war faught on the example i gave, but florida can still not have a relationship with the USA unless it leaves the USA.

In this world there are currently 50 states none of which can have a relationship with the USA, and there are approx 200 other countries that can. there are 28 countries which can not have a relationship with the EU, but the other approx 172 can.

Scotland can currently not have a relationship with the United Kingdom, but it could if it left.

Its not really the point about a state government agreeing or disagreeing with the federal government that constitues a relationship, as florida is represented and forms part of the federal government. Now if florida and the other southern states did seceed then they could be having a relationship with the USA now, but as history unfolded that is not the case, so they cant
Jim said…
Kind of how we have a relationship with ROI, but we dont with northern ireland. I know england and wales have some rivalry, especially when it comes to sports, pretty much like workington and whitehaven do, but at the same time, wales does not have a relationship with the UK, nor does England. and neither whitehaven or workington have a relationship with the UK
Chris Whiteside said…
Well, we've already had one argument about semantics this week.

I took it that what David Cameron meant was a vote on whether Britain should be in the EU or not.

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